By Grant Chapman For Sir Murray Halberg, it was a night tinged with death and sadness. For Peter Snell, it was the moment he realised he wasn't just an 800m runner. For athletics official (and an athlete himself) Toby Bowyer, it was a time when the police detective didn't mind suffering 'grievous bodily harm' at the hands of jubilant coach Arthur Lydiard. For Nick Willis, Wanganui's Cooks Gardens has a special significance too - which is why he is the star turn at Friday's track meeting there to celebrate Snell's world mile record set on Janua...

A refreshed Nick Willis is confident his "improvement curve is still on the way up" as the 1500m star plots to turn silver into gold at the London Olympics in August. Last year was underwhelming by Willis' high standards as the Hutt Valley product faded badly to finish last in September's world championships final in South Korea. But Willis – back home in New Zealand for a part holiday, part training stint – is well over the disappointment of Daegu and draws optimism from the fact that two months before the world champs he ran a pe...

By Mark Dawson Brad Mathas is unequivocal when it comes to success as an athlete. "It simply depends on how much you want it." There's a purposefulness about the Wanganui runner that leaves you in no doubt he wants it very badly. In the case of this self-assured and fiercely-determined 18-year-old, "it" is an Olympic gold medal. Nothing more, nothing less. It seems the tall, sinewy athlete has dedicated his life to this glorious pursuit. "There is no shortcut, you have to put the training in," he says with the certainty of a man who is out doi...

By Murray McKinnon The largest New Zealand Track & Field meeting of the year, the New Zealand Secondary Schools Track & Field and Road Running Championships will be held at Wellington's Newtown Park Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. Two days of intense competition will feature over 1450 of New Zealand's top young athletes from 227 schools. The middle distance running performances of Rebekah Greene and Julian Oakley could provide some of the highlights at the annual event. Oakley from Tauranga Boys’ College, son of former world sq...

The Zatopek:10 track meet will be streamed live by Athletics Victoria this weekend. The web cast start time has yet to be confirmed, but a proposed start time has been set for 8:30pm NZDT (1830 AEDT), Saturday 10th December. Confirmed starters for the feature event, the men's 10,000m track race includes Craig Mottram, Ben St Laurence, David McNeill and Micah Kogo. The men's 10,000m is scheduled to start at 11:30am NZDT Sunday morning. The web cast can be viewed at www.athsvic.org.au/live For more information on the Zatopek:10 meet, please visi...

NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship 2011 LIVE Web Streaming Schedule By Ryan From Flotrack The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2011 start on Thursday, June 9, 2011 in Des Moines, IA at Drake Stadium. LIVE Streaming coverage of the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships will air on NCAA.com, we will list times below for television and web streaming. It is shaping up to be a great week as the NCAAs usually do and we are excited to be bringing you coverage from Des Moines.  More info on the Championships can be found underneath the li...

JONATHAN MILLMOW As his nickname suggests, there isn't much to Evan "Bones"Cooper. The 20-year-old Lower Hutt runner sits around 60kg and judging by his recent performances most of that weight is stationed around his heart. Cooper ran his customary tough race to triumph in the Vosseler Shield on Mt Victoria on Saturday. He and Wellington Harriers team-mate Dan Nixon cleared out in the men's 10km race. Cooper then used his better kick on the final downhill stage to slip away for an eight-second victory in 39min 43sec on the dry 10km course. "I ...

Photo: KENT BLECHYNDEN/Dominion Post CHARITY: 1500 metre runners, left to right, Will Lear, Brandon Bethke, Nick Willis, Lee Emanuel and Alan Webb. Runner Willis to raise funds for quake victims JONATHAN MILLMOW Nick Willis the runner has become Nick Willis the race meet organiser. He's turned a ho-hum local track programme at Newtown Park on Saturday into an international affair, following the postponement of his Olympic silver medal ceremony due to the Christchurch earthquake. The meet was scheduled for QEII on Saturday and with some ov...

Women's Pro Mile: Start time: Monday 27th Sept - 5.50am NZDT Athlete bios Men's Pro Mile: Start time: Monday 27th Sept - 6.05am NZDT Athlete bios More info: @NYRR

The best 800m field seen in New Zealand since the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games will assemble in Christchurch this Thursday to race the feature More FM event at the International Track Meet. The event’s star is undoubtedly Olympic 1500m silver medallist Nick Willis, who has publicly stated his goal in Delhi this year is to not only defend his Commonwealth 1500m crown, but to emulate the legendary Peter Snell and add the 800m crown as well.  [Snell won the imperial equivalents, the half-mile and mile, at the Empire Games in Perth ...