Olympic 1500m hopeful Sam Tanner hopes to produce a time to rival some New Zealand middle-distance legends when the National One Mile Championship returns this weekend.
New Zealand middle-distance-runner Sam Tanner. Photo: Photosport
For many years one of the most prestigious events on the country's sporting calendar, the race will be run for the first time in more than five decades at Cooks Gardens in Whanganui on Saturday night.
Tanner, fresh off winning the New Zealand 3000m title at the Potts Classic in Hastings last weekend, was one of the favourites in another impressive field.
The 20-year-old's personal best for the mile was 3 minutes 58 seconds, achieved at the same venue almost two years ago.
But he felt he could go as quick as 3 mins 53 seconds - a mark just four New Zealand runners (Sir John Walker, Nick Willis, Rod Dixon and Zane Robertson) had ever achieved.
"Last year I was in shape to run a 3:55 mile [but] I didn't get the opportunity to perform the time because of Covid.
"I believe that I can smash that time [on Saturday]. It's definitely achievable and attainable now to run faster.
"My goal is to run as fast as possible and that sort of time would be around the range of 3:53 or 3:54, maybe slightly faster if I'm having a good day."
If indeed Tanner did that, he would take a significant step towards qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee required him to be inside the top 45 in the world 1500m rankings by the end of the qualification period.
The Tauranga talent was 48th in the world 1500m rankings coming into the race and said, if he performed to his expectations in Whanganui, he would be well on his way to Japan.
"I just want to run fast and win the event, obviously.
"[If I do], that'll boost my ranking up to hopefully the low 30s, which is inside what the New Zealand Olympic Committee are asking for.
"So hopefully after this weekend I will be somewhat inside that barrier."
Cooks Gardens in Whangnui. Photo: Photosport
The rankings, though, weren't Tanner's only route to Tokyo.
The automatic qualification time for the 1500m was 3 mins 35 secs, leaving him with little more than a second to cut off his personal best after running 3 mins 36.44 seconds on his home track on New Years Day.
Tanner, who headed to the US on Sunday to return to college at the University of Washington, said his next chance to go under that qualifying mark would be in Texas at the end of next month.
"That race is quite heavily stacked with some of the best runners in the US and it is planned at this stage to be really fast.
"I'm just hoping that [the other runners] are in shape and everything goes well with my travel and hygiene while I'm adjusting to life back in the States.
"Hopefully that's the day I get to have another crack."
For now, though, all his focus was on a big performance on Saturday night, at what was a fitting venue for the return of the NZ One Mile Championship.
Cooks Gardens was not only where Sir Peter Snell broke the world mile record in 1962, but the track had hosted international middle-distance stars such as Kenyan Kip Keino and British star Mo Farah.
Sub four-minute miles had also been run there by other New Zealand legends like Walker, Willis, Dixon and Dick Quax, who the the national title when it was last up for grabs in 1969.
Tanner was excited the race was returning at a venue so synonymous with so many middle-distance greats.
"To win this race would be an honour, and also really exciting because of the likes of Nick Willis, John Walker and all the greats who have run there and run amazing times there, marks that have just been absolutely crazy for their time.
"It's a good challenge but also really, really exciting and quite humbling."
