Peter Snell and the Kiwis Who Flew

(Paperback)

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This was the great era (1956-1965) when New Zealand middle and long-distance runners showed a clean pair of heels to the world...Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, Bill Baillie, Marise Chamberlain, John Davies, Jeff Julian, Barry Magee and Neville Scott. It was a decade when 'black' signalled a tough time for opponents everywhere. Amazingly, a grand total of 23 world records or world best times were set or equalled by New Zealand runners. In the Olympic and Commonwealth Games arenas Kiwi runners won medals of every colour - gold, silver and bronze. A total of fourteen medals, with five gold medals won by the incomparable Snell. Kiwi runners climbed to the top of the podium in such far-flung places as Cardiff, Dublin, London, Boston, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, Toronto, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Cologne, Helsinki, Oslo, Rome, Stockholm, Turku, Zagreb, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. It was a decade when Peter Snell and a band of Kiwi runners took on the world.

Reviews

PETER SNELL: "Vern Walker has a writing style unlike any author in his field. His ability to capture the essence of track races, which are vividly described, combined with a flair for statistical detail, makes this book compelling reading." MURRAY HALBERG: "A brilliant and highly descriptive account of the many thrilling races of the great era. The author colourfully describes the fear of defeat and the joy of victory." BILL BAILLIE: "Only an athlete who competed throughout the decade (1956-1965), as the author did, could write such a very readable account."