Dick Tayler at the 1974 commonwealth games Photo: supplied
Dick Tayler went into the 1974 Commonwealth Games knowing he was set for a good time but, he didn't think that would result in winning a gold medal.
Fortunately for the young Dunedin athlete he had a number of things in his favour including having the best coach in the world at the time, Arthur Lydiard.
It is 50 years since the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch came alive on the first day of competition thanks to Tayler's winning performance and it remains one of New Zealand sports greatest moments.
That is being remembered at the Dick Tayler 10km Anniversary meeting and New Zealand 10km Championships in Dunedin on Saturday.
Tayler went into the Games in good form, he'd won the 1973 cross country champs and Lydiard had sent him up to Marlborough to pile on the miles in the hot conditions.
"I stepped on the track not confident but I knew I was going to run my best time, which Lydiard said I would do," Tayler told RNZ.
However he never thought running a P.B. would get him a medal.
Runner Richard J Tayler after the presentation of the Halberg New Zealand Sportsman of the year award. 1974. Tayler won the 10k at the Christchurch Commomwealth Games in 1974. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The day before the race Lydiard handed Tayler a piece of paper with the times he wanted him to run for each of the 25 laps.
"He (Lydiard) said don't worry about what's happening in the race, you just concentrate on running these lap times, because it's going to be hot tomorrow and it was, it was almost 30 degrees.
"I just believed everything he said, I was so lucky having him look after me."
The leaders, which included world record holder David Bedford, fellow Englishman David Black and Kenyan star Richard Juma, did charge off at the gun and were under world record pace as they opened a gap of a hundred metres on Tayler.
However, as the hot conditions started to take a toll, the leaders started coming back to Tayler.
"I could see every lap I was gaining, minding my own business, doing my own thing and that was when the crowd got involved.
"I didn't want that because I was doing my own thing and why weren't they (the crowd) concentrating on what was happening up front."
The chants of 'black, black' then started which left Tayler a little confused as he initially thought they were chanting for Englishman Dave Black who was at the front of the field.
"I then realised that their eyes were on me, but I suppose it helped carry me along."
Tayler, who is now 75, didn't appreciate how important it was to be running at home.
"Peter Snell spoke to me before the race and said 'Richard you've got a big advantage today at home. Murray and I were lucky enough to win away from home (Peter Snell and Murray Halberg won Olympic gold medals overseas), but you're at home and it'll be a huge plus for you today' - and it was."
It was a memorable victory, and straight afterwards Tayler jumped into the air before slumping onto the track.
"I was a bit embarrassed about that, I was just so excited that it was mission accomplished.
"A lot of people had faith in me, I had the best coach in the world who put a plan together for me and it all came together on that day."
Up until that race the 25-year-old was known as Richard Tayler, and it was BCNZ commentator Keith Quinn that decided to call him Dick during the race.
Quinn said at the start of the race he called him Richard but then decided that that was too formal for a New Zealand audience.
"I named him thus without any approval and without any checking, I wanted to appear to be friendly with him by association, Richard was far too formal."
He has been Dick ever since.
However, Tayler says his mother wasn't happy.
"My mother didn't like Keith Quinn at all from that day on, she tried to get it back to Richard but failed."
2018 Sportsman of the year Tom Walsh with presenters Dick Tayler and former Black Ferns world cup winning captain Farah Palmer. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The full video of the race was lost for a number of years afterwards because of the scarcity of video tape at the time it was decided that just the last few laps needed to be kept.
Quinn says it wasn't until 25 years later that a Dunedin video rental store owner was found to have the entire race and it was then copied onto digital discs.
Quinn wasn't happy with the television sound over the last couple of laps.
"The sound mix on the last lap is deplorable because the technical staff running the telecast got swept up in the excitement of the run by Tayler instead of listening and so it's pretty much just crowd screaming at the end and the voice of Quinn the commentator is lost."
The 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch were the first major sporting event in New Zealand to be broadcast live on television in colour.
However, because of limited equipment only the athletics, swimming and boxing were broadcast in colour.
New Zealand won 35 medals at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games with nine of those gold.
The other gold medals went to discus thrower Robin Tait, the men's fours bowls team, shooter Maurice Gordon, swimmers Jaynie Parkhouse and Mark Treffers, weightlifters Tony Ebert and Graham May and wrestler David Aspin.
The Dick Tayler Anniversary 10,000m champs are at the Caledonian Ground in Dunedin from 7pm on Saturday 13 January.
