The Legend

The Legend Marathon will once again be on the event calendar in 2009, and will be held on Saturday 19 September this year.

Not only has The Legend Marathon been billed as the toughest road marathon in the country, but it will also be the richest in prize money.

There will once again be significant cash prizes up for grabs at the event in 2009.

Both events follow the famous Waiatarua route (set in the Waitakere Ranges in West Auckland ) previously used by Arthur Lydiard to train his prodigies - elite athletes such as Peter Snell and Sir Murray Halberg, among others.

What you may or may not know, is that Arthur developed a now famous training run route that many elite and not-so-elite athletes have done, and still do, as part of their training regimes and schedules. The Waiatarua run through the Waitakere Ranges is as punishing a course as you can do, and has been 'fondly' referred to as the "run until you spew".

The focus of The Legend event is to celebrate, enjoy and experience the now famous Lydiard training route within a structured race environment. Given Arthur's passing in December 2004, the event now takes on an even greater significance.

Arthur Lydiard is well known and recognised as the guru of distance running worldwide, and was still spreading the word at the time of his death.

The Legend was an idea conceived by Ian Winson after viewing a television documentary earlier in 2004, featuring a young athlete completing a run on the training route previously used by Mr Lydiard in the Waitakere Ranges.

Contact was made with Arthur Lydiard to seek permission to organise an event in his name, on the route he had used. Mr Lydiard subsequently gave his blessing and written permission.

Event listed by totalsport2011

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