A 1961 Auckland cross-country race with Bill Baillie (right) Vern Walker (centre) and Olympic marathon bronze medallist Barry Magee fighting it out.

New Zealand athletics great William "Bill" Baillie, a pioneer of a spectacular period of distance running history in which he was a Kiwi sporting folk hero died in Auckland on Christmas Day.

Baillie, 84, died still holding New Zealand records over 20,000m and one hour, set in 1963.

When he set those marks he smashed the world records held by Czech Emil Zatopek, who won three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, then he went home to mow the lawns.

"You didn't go celebrate in those days," he said.

In one hour he notched up 12 miles 960 yards and 7 inches (20.19km) on the Lovelock track in Mt Roskill, Auckland.

"It almost feels like yesterday," Baillie said in 2013, at the 50th anniversary of his feat.

Baillie had missed qualifying for the 1960 Rome Olympic Games because of injury, so the next best thing was to break a world record.

"There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to do it on that particular day. When it finished and everyone had gone home I thought I better go home and mow the lawns.

He went to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, 1958, 1962 and 1966, and was sixth in the Olympic Games 5000m in 1964 in Tokyo.

JOHN SELKIRK/STUFF From left, Bill Baillie, Sir Murray Halberg, Don Smith and Jeff Julian at a function where they received their Olympic pins.

A sub four minute miler, Baillie was inducted into the New Zealand Sport Hall of Fame in 2011.

Coached by guru Arthur Lydiard, he excelled a range of distances winning 12 national titles from 880 yards to six miles.

He ran without fear, taking on and bettering the likes of Kenyan great Kip Keino and Australian world record holder Ron Clarke.



Athletics historian Peter Heidenstrom once wrote: "Better runners than Baillie there may have been, but none who left behind more truly memorable races."



Baillie had an infectious grin, that belied a gritty and determined approach to his races.

He foreshadowed, then ran in, an era where Murray Halberg, Peter Snell and John Davies took the black singlet to the top of the world.

Baillie finished fourth in the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games 880 yards and seventh in the mile.

In the 1958 he was ninth in the 3 miles and eliminated in the heats of the mile, in he failed to finish the 6 miles, a race he ran ninth in four years later in KIngston, Jamaica.

Stories about Baillie abounded as runners shared their sorrow at his death.

"The story goes that he trained on Titirangi golf course and was told to bugger off as he wasn't a member," Bernie Walker recalled.

"So he joined up as a member and that was that. Just part of the legend that surrounded the guy - 10 straight wins in the Onehunga to Auckland road race. Amazing athlete."

Athlete Jason Cameron labelled Baillie the "people's champion".

"If you'd mentioned the word pacemaker he would have laughed at you. A fearless competitor who would always give 110.

"RIP Bill."