History of Paraparaumu Track and Field 

Paraparumu Track and Field Club (originally the Paraparaumu Sports Club) was established in 1919.  

Throughout the 1950s and 60s the Club held an open day each New Year's day. This event attracted athletes from all over the lower North Island including, in 1961, world famous middle distance runner Peter Snell. Snell had just won gold at the Rome Olympics and the Owairaka Athletics Club, of which Snell was a member, was touring around the North Island and stopped off in Kapiti to take part.

The open day event was a handicap meeting and Wellington athletes would come out to the coast by train. In those days the track was where the rugby ground exists and was not a full 400m track. Competitors had to run the home straight before completing a full lap in order to run what was then 440 yards. Stalwarts of the club in those days were Peter Gilmore and Gordon Coleman.

In the late 1980s and early 90s the club attracted many top athletes and took part in the National League. Their best finish was third behind the powerful North Shore Bays and Hamilton Clubs. Paraparaumu had the strongest womens team in the League. In those days the Clubs major sponsor was Big Save Furniture and the support given by it’s owner Ray McKimm enabled the club to succeed at the highest level and also provided for the building of the present clubrooms in conjunction with the Kapiti Cricket Club.

The inaugrual Waitangi Ribbon day children's meet was held in 1978, around the same time the Colgate games commenced and attracted huge crowds from all over the bottom half of the North Island.

Club members that have become New Zealand representatives included Roger Te Puni, Michael Craig, Michelle Seymour, Tracy Phillips, Bruce Odams, Sean Wade, RichardThomson, Keely O’Hagan and Lynn Murphy. Recently both Ben Lambert and Jordan Stewart represented NZ in age grade teams.

In recent years the club has been predominantly a childrens club but still has a number of athletes competing at the national level. 

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