New Zealand athletics coach Arthur Lydiard, who guided Peter Snell and Murray Halberg to Olympic gold medals, died in the United States on Saturday (11 Dec) aged 87, family members confirmed today, Monday.
Lydiard suffered a suspected heart attack at a Houston, Texas hotel while visiting the United States on a lecture tour.
Auckland born and bred, Lydiard went away from the accepted norm of middle to long-distance coaching when, in 1949, he embarked on a seven-days-a-week marathon-type training regime.
He was the guinea pig, testing himself by running longer distances to ascertain just what the body could handle.
Lydiard built up his training to the fabled 100 miles a week and was good enough to run into 12th place for New Zealand in the marathon at the 1950 Empire Games on roads not far from where he attended Edendale Primary, Kowhai Intermediate and Mt Albert Grammar. His time of 2:54:51 was nothing startling, but he had at least proved a point.
In 1953 and 1955 he won the national marathon title, which was also won by Lydiard pupils Ray Puckett, Barry Magee and Jeff Julian 11 times between 1958 and 1970. The only misses were in 1966-67 when wiry West Coaster Dave McKenzie, who won the fabled Boston Marathon on the back of a Lydiard programme, took the honours.
The 1960 Rome Olympics catapulted Lydiard on to the world stage.
New Zealand won two gold medals barely an hour apart as unheralded Peter Snell captured the 800m title and then Murray Halberg, Lydiard's first serious disciple, stunned the world with his catch-me-if-you-can 5000m triumph.
Lydiard, not considered good enough to be part of the official New Zealand team in Rome, became a somewhat reluctant hero.
Snell, who now lives in the United States, set World records for the 800m (1962), 1000m (1964) and the Mile (1962 & 1964), and took a remarkable 800m and 1500m double at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a feat which has since not been repeated by another male athlete.
Snell said Lydiard shaped his running career. “He basically changed my life. I was a run-of-the-mill-type runner and he encouraged me to dream big dreams,” he told New Zealand's National Radio from Dallas, Texas. “His influence in training for middle and distance runners has been so profound.”
Lydiard was recognised internationally not only for training elite athletes but for making jogging popular for fitness.
Dick Quax, who won a silver medal in the 5000m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, said Lydiard had made a great contribution to world sport.
“He was without doubt the greatest coach that this country has ever produced,” he said. “He was a man many, many years ahead of his time.”
Lydiard coached for the Mexican Athletics Federation in 1965 and in Finland from 1967. He was credited with the renaissance in Finnish distance running in the 1970s.
Arthur Eustace of New Zealand, a former IAAF Council Member, and himself a renowned athlete, coach and administrator, summed up the feelings of the athletics community -
"Arthur Lydiard is without equal as a New Zealand coach having a world-wide reputation for implementing a coaching system for developing stamina and courage not only among champion athletes but also among competitors in other sports. He will be remembered with admiration overseas, especially in Finland."
"He leaves behind an indelible record of achievement.... Arthur's athletes were led to the top on a programme of dedication and hard work, the essence of the coach himself."
Lydiard is survived by his wife Joelyne.
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ARTHUR LYDIARD - 1917-2004
Distinguished career
Born: Auckland, July 6, 1917
National titles:New Zealand Marathon 1953,1955 Games representation: Empire Games 1950 Best marathon time: 2:39:05
Coached: Peter Snell, Sir Murray Halberg, John Davies and Dick Tayler to their greatest victories.
New Zealand Olympic Coach 1964, a Commonwealth Games coach in 1974
Made an OBE in 1962
Awarded NZ's highest royal honour, membership of the Order of New Zealand 1990
Inducted into New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, 1990
Made life member of Athletics NZ, 2003
IAAF - Associated Press - New Zealand Herald
