Two iconic Auckland events will become one from April with the Queen Street Golden Mile (QSGM) becoming part of the 2014 ITU Triathlon weekend on April 5 and 6.
This follows the John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation, which owns the QSGM, vesting management and delivery of the dash down Queen St for the next two years with Upsolut Sports Oceania Limited, which holds the rights to stage the Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Triathlon Auckland over the same period.
As a result, the key Queen Street Golden Mile age group, celebrity and elite miles will feature on the afternoon of Sunday April 6 between the elite women's and men's ITU triathlon races. And, Sir John's Foundation will be the official charity of the ITU World Triathlon in Auckland.
Mayor Len Brown has welcomed the move.
"What this does is bring together two keynote sporting events which should prove hugely popular from a public view perspective while at the same time ease disruption for retailers, shoppers and residents in the city centre.
"This is a great move for two reasons," says Len Brown. "It reinforces Auckland's growing reputation as an events capital. We've already been voted second world sports capital behind London. This is another feather in our cap. The event also will benefit the amazing, ongoing work of Sir John's Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation with kids across Auckland.
"We think it makes strategic sense for both Find Your Field of Dreams (FYFOD) and us to maximize the entertainment value and the excitement of bringing two fabulous sporting events to Downtown Auckland over one action-packed weekend," says Dave Beeche, CEO of Upsolut Sports Oceania Ltd.
"It represents a win/win opportunity for both of us and I look forward to working with Sir John and his Foundation, to help them achieve their goals."
While the exact details of the triathlon and street race events have still to be confirmed, he expects to have "ongoing and regular dialogue with FYFOD to ensure as many people, young and old, get the chance to run in the footsteps of champions down Queen Street."
To that end there will be a series of races for youngsters, all-comers and corporates in the first flight of miles, which precede the elite women's ITU Triathlon on Sunday April 6. That will be followed by age group miles for men and women, a celebrity mile, and the elite women's and men's mile. The weekend of high-octane racing will conclude with the elite men's ITU Triathlon race.
It was Sir John's son Richard, the current Find Your Field of Dream Foundation chairman, who was instrumental in getting the famous street mile reprised this year, raced on Easter Monday - almost 30 years after the last one back in 1983. He is grateful for the backing from Mayor Len and Auckland Council which pledged $100,000 for three years to help it get established.
"Without that support we wouldn't be here today. I know back in 2008 when the Foundation was established with the backing of Manukau City, Len was the Mayor, dad a councilor and they shared the same vision. That was to encourage more young people into sport, to live a healthy life, set positive goals and dare to pursue their dream. This remains our focus today.
"And while we gained a lot of publicity and awareness for the Foundation from this year's Queen Street Golden Mile, we also learned we don't have the resources to stage events of this magnitude. So we are very grateful to Dave and Upsolut for stepping up to join us as a partner in this initiative."
Sir John Walker's first and only Queen Street Mile was in 1982, which he remembers as both "frightening and exciting."
"In those days you started just around the top of Queen St into Karangahape Road," he says. "It was a mad scramble to get around the corner first, then go flat out down the hill and finally catch your breath when the road flattened out. It was punishing on the legs but a real thrill with thousands of people lining both sides of Queen St.
"It is a unique experience, he says. "You can run a mile on a track or around the streets any day, but it is hard to beat the thrill you get from running down Queen St with crowds packed on both sides."
