Career
Four years later in Tokyo he placed 23rd place in the 10,000 metres, not making the Olympic Marathon team due to a stress fracture. Magee was one of the large group of athletes that New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard used to revolutionise how the world trained for all sports. Magee"s bronze in the marathon confirmed Lydiard"s training methods.
Magee"s run in Rome made him the fastest white marathon runner of all time to that moment.
But Magee was much more than a marathon runner. He also ran the world"s third fastest time over 3miles and fifth fastest 5000m at that time.
He also recorded the world"s fastest 10,000m and 2nd fastest 5000m for 1961 and was part of New Zealand"s 4x1mile world record breaking relay team in 1961. Magee always attributed his success to Lydiard, who had become something of a father figure after Magee"s own father died in the same year that Lydiard started coaching him.
After retiring from international competition Magee coached several top runners himself.
He is now a proud coach at Auckland City Athletics (American Counseling Association) coaching numerous North.Z. Champions
He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. “Anyone can run 20 miles. lieutenant"s the next six that count.”
“Speed kills, distance doesn"t”
“Train don"t strain”
“Hills are the shortcut to success”
“There are horses for courses”
“The body can only do what the body is regularly accustomed to doing”
Here"s one of Barry"s favourites and it"s one of his twelve commandments: "Go straight to bed after training when you"re sick".