BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
There are a thousand reasons why New Zealand native Adrian Blincoe would like to run the mile in less than 4:00 Saturday.
The 19th annual New Jersey International Track and Field Meet, being held at Colts Neck High School, is offering a $1,000 bonus to the post-collegiate winner of the Eamonn Coghlan Men’s Mile Run who breaks 4:00.
Blincoe, a recent graduate of the University of Villanova and a New Zealand Olympian, certainly has what it takes with a personal best of 3:53 for the mile to his credit.
Villanovans Michael Kerrigan and Kippy Keino, son of Kenya’s legendary Olympic champion Kip Keino, will see to it that Blincoe has a run for his money.
The meet record is 3:59.5, set by Jim Norris back in 1990.
The Coghlan Mile highlights the invitational portion of the meet and will start at 7:45 p.m.
The women’s Chrissy D’Allessandro-Shaheen Memorial 1,500-meter run has a marquee runner of its own in Carmen Douma, the Canadian Olympian who made the 1,500 final last year. Douma is also a Villanovan.
Paul Klemic, who won both the high jump and long jump events at the New Jersey International last year, is back to defend both titles. Klemic, who will be representing the Shore Athletic Club, won the NCAA Division III long jump title for Richard Stockton College this spring leaping 25-2.
Over the years, the New Jersey International has been truly an international event, with athletes from 37 nations and the United States having participated. Olympic or world champions who have competed at the meet including Ireland’s Coghlan and Marcus O’Sullivan, Kenya’s Paul Ereng and U.S. stars Roger Kingdom, Charles Austin, Butch Reynolds, Andrew Valmon and Lamont Smith.
Other invitational events, which begin at 5:25, include the Casie Kerr Memorial Girls High School Mile; George Kochman Boys High School Mile; Joetta Clark-Diggs Women’s 800 meters; Rick Kenah Men’s 800 meters; Frank Budd Men’s 100-meter dash; Wilma Rudolph Women’s 100-meter dash; Kevin Young Men’s 400-meter intermediate hurdles, Harrison Dillard Men’s 110-meter hurdles and Dawn Bowles’ Women’s 100 hurdles.
In the field, the Bob Roggy Memorial men’s javelin is always a highlight and will start at 6:30 p.m. The Don Bragg Pole Vault for men and women goes off at 2 p.m.
Action gets under way Saturday at 1:30 p.m. with Youth (14U) boys and girls 1 mile. Other open events included the Elliott Denman Mile Handicap Racewalk, Harry Nolan Men’s Masters Miler for 40-50-60-70-year-olds, Mary Conry Memorial Women’s Masters Mile; boys and girls high school 400-meter dashes, and Open and Masters 4×400 and 4×800 relays.
The open events will run from 1:30-4:50 p.m. followed by the invitational events.
For additional information on the international meet, call (732) 222-9080 or visit www.shoreac.org or www.reccentral.net.