SPORTS Swimmer and runner live Athlete’s Oath Jim Kearney THE SPECTATOR A DAY for cleaning off the desk, Just two items. First, a phone call from Shane Collins with a belated report on his early August attempt to swim from Vuncouver Island to the mainland. The good news: he made it. The _ bad news: he failed in his bid to set arecord time for the crossing. You may remember Shane from a piece your agent did on hit: last June in this space. A tanned, crew- cut load of energy who's in love with swimming great distances, the West Vancouver resident figures he’s just reaching his peak. At 44. He lives in Dundarave and saves bus fare to Park Royal by regularly swimming the distance. That’s when he’s not out there in English Bay, cruising among the anc‘ored cargo ships and waving to the crews before heading for Spanish Banks or some other distant shore. A year ago he waded into the 66 This guy can't be living right. Had to move his departtire up to4a.m. because the Navy was going to be busy with torpedo practice later on. 99 saltchuck at Sechels and made it over to Nanoose Bay in 12 hours. The record — cither direction — is nine hours, 25 minutes. Winds of 20 knots and a tide change two miles from his destination wrecked his plans for a record. Hoping for little wind and flat seas this time, he siarted out from Nanoose Bay, destination Sechelt. This guy can’t be living right. Had to move his departure up to 4 a.m. because the Navy was going to be busy with torpedo practice fater on. “Then a south-easter blew in.” he reports. “Force Five. Blew hell out of us for six hours, Five-foot waves. Did I get seasick? You bet I did. ] wasn't the only ane having a hard time. There were four may- days in the vicinity.” But he made it — miles off course -- to Halfmoon Bay. His time was 10 hours, 50 minutes. Seventy minutes faster than a year ago. But the existing record is sult safe by an hour and 25 minutes. “You do what you can.” he shrugs. “One day Mfl get it ight.” Bur pot in 1995. Collitts says he's confirmed for the English Channel next August. Confirmed? That's right. There's so much free-styling, breast-stroking and back-stroking across that body of water each summer, you have to make reservations. Meanwhile, he has plans to fora a Canadian marathon switumers' association, Who knows? The day may come when long-distance swimmers, Collins among them, will be listed as navigational haz- ards between here and the Island. The English drug bust — “land of dope and glory,” wrote on¢ London reporter from the scene — may have been the biggest story from the Commonwealth Games at Victoria. It only goes to prove that an old adage in the journalistic business sill applies: bad news sells papers. But here and there, evidence that the Chariots of Fire spirit reniains part of such international sports events can he detected. Your agent didn't see this one printed here- abouts, but even 10 days after the show ended, it deserves telling, for it does warm the old cackles, A Scottish lass, ¥vonne Murray, won the women’s 10,000 metres, While everyone was crowd- ing around her for her gold medal reactions, few noticed the arrival, 66 seconds later, of her Scots com- patriot — and fitth-place finisher — Vikki McPherson, Although she was atthe outer limits of exhaustion, Vikki refused to leave the track to recover, but remained at the finish line to greet the sixth-place Canadian runner, Ulla Marquette, with a big smile and a congratulatory hug. Next came an Australian, Then a New Zealander, And so on until finally. P4th and last, a frail teenag- er from Kenya arrived, more than three minutes behind the winning time. Just like the eight runners before her, the Kenyan staggered across the finish line into Miss MePherson’s embrace and her beaming smile. Years ago the part of the Athlete's Outh about taking part for the sheer joy of competing had a fot more meaning than it does in these days of extracting maximum mar- ket value from success in big events, Viewed then, in the context of the times, Miss McPherson's hug- guble greetings certainly were a throwback to a more innocent era. 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