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| Henry Rono, Don Quarrie, Nick Akers, Filbert Bayi |
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| 1978 Commonwealth Games, Edmonton, Canada |
| John Walker and Filbert Bayi |
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| 1975 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Nick Akers - Cayman Islands |
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| Record Holder 1500m, 5000m & 10,000m |
| Guinness World Record Snowhoeing 1 Mile |
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| January 9, 1989 Click photo for You Tube Video |
| 1980 Moscow Olympics |
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| Vladivar Vodka Sponsorship |
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1974 Sussex UK, England Youths Team Cross Champion 1975 New Zealand
Junior Men's Provincial 1500 metres Champion 1978 Commonwealth Games Competitor - 1500m, 5000m, 10,000 metres 1980 Olympic Team Member 10,000m and Marathon 1982 Commonwealth
Games Competitor 10,000m and Marathon 1989, 1990, 1991 to present
Guinness World Record Holder 1 mile Snowshoeing Cayman Islands National Record Holder 1,500m,
5,000m and 10,000m (1978 to present)
Nick Akers, who is a British,
New Zealand and Canadian citizen, trained and ran in cross-country races with Steve Ovett in Brighton in
the early 1970's. Nick later moved to New Zealand and in 1974 won the NZ Junior Men’s 1500 metre provincial championship
in Invercargill. In 1978 Nick ran for the Cayman Islands in the 1978 Commonwealth Games and set national
records over the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 metre distances. These records still stand today. Ian Wooldridge, a sports writer
with the Daily Mail walked in the opening ceremonies as a member of the Cayman Islands team, which almost led to their expulsion.
In 1980 Nick Akers legally changed his name to Nick Vladivar for sponsorship so he could compete
in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Vladivar is a British brand name of vodka that built its advertising campaigns
on the Cold War unrest in the mid1980s.
Smirnoff and Nike refused to sponsor Nick. In any event
after enduring a spontaneous collapsed right lung in March 1980, the International Olympic Committee challenge
of Nick's amateur status and the US Olympic boycott left him sidelined and unable to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Nick went on to compete in the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games in the 10,000 metres and the marathon.
In 1988 Nick finished 261st in the New York City Marathon.
In
1989, 1990 and in 1991 Nick broke the Guinness World Record for snowshoeing 1 mile in a
time of 5 minutes 56 seconds, taking 2 minutes off the old record in -28 degree centigrade weather.
His new record was published for ten years without being broken.
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| Click on photo for You Tube Video |
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| Nick Akers athletic biography 1960 - 2008 |
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