background

You will have read elsewhere on these pages (ahhnnn !) that I gave up piano lessons to do my ‘A’ level exams, and then spent the rest of my life playing music and not doing what I did the exams for. I had a similar experience with sport : being a bit of a weedy child, I was poor at sport and rather disliked it all, and when I had more control over my life (as a teenager rather than a child) I skived off school sports whenever I could.

Ha-ha ! Fickle Fate !

For in 1981 , after a 3 year dalliance with Karate - I was good at it but I was playing far too much music to fit it in as well, though I would someday like to do it again - the first London Marathon was held and I remember being humbled by the determination and courage of the grannies, clearly unfit businessmen and young teenagers who all managed to push themselves over the line. A few months later, Gary Newbon on ATV Sport announced a “Brum Run” - the first Birmingham Marathon - and I casually said to my Mom and Sister that I fancied doing something like that : the resultant howls of derisive laughter led me to try to prove them wrong ! So a summer’s worth of training in which I had no real idea what I was doing resulted in my running in the 1981 Birmingham Marathon in a pair of Green Flash Tennis Shoes and still somehow finishing in 3:42.15. A Regular in “The Gigmill” where I was serving at the time came in with an entry form for the next year’s Wolverhampton Marathon, and by then I had the bug.

In 1982 I set my (so far) personal worst in the Sandwell Marathon - 5:08.15. It was only a blip though, for I was out of work and had nothing to do but train : later that year I did 2:54.20 at Birmingham, and in 1983 set my personal best in Bristol with 2:47.40. I like to think that I still have another of those in me. Deluded ? Moi ?

In 1984 I ran 4:59.41 in Wolverhampton, a week after the flu and having undergone some pretty impressive cramps, let me tell you ! But did 3:04.11 in Leicester. In 1985 I met Kay, now my wife, and I was thinking about her whilst running 3:19.01 in 80° in Brussels. Each year since 1982 I had been applying to enter the London Marathon and was duly rejected each time : but I got in for the first time in 1987, and then was surprised to manage it again in 1988. I ran my 25th Marathon in the Birmingham Vax Marathon in 1989, and in 1990 I was lucky to get a place in the Berlin Marathon : the first year it ran through the Brandenburg Gate into East Germany. Indeed, the week after I returned, East Germany no longer existed...

Kay and I got married in 1991 and I did London for the 3rd time ; I ran the Potteries Marathon in 1992 ; I got into London again, and ran the first English Riviera Marathon, in 1993. In 1994 I ran the Polytechnic Marathon, and was lucky enough to go to New York, finishing in 3:32.52. The next time I got into London was 1997 - 5 times successful in 16 years : also, Alan Blackwell and I ran the Sri Chinmoy Marathon in Battersea Park - consisting of 26 laps of a one mile course !

1998, then. No luck with London (I’m sure they just send me last year’s letter with the date changed.) so I did my 50th Marathon in Stratford. I realised a long-term ambition by running the Isle Of Man Marathon, and, after a 10 year absence, the Wolverhampton Marathon returned : however, I was rubbish. A stronger (though still not very fast) race in Manchester in 1999 was OK but I wasn't fit enough for the Neolithic Marathon, smegged my back in for the Wolverhampton and the Snowdonia Tourist Board smegged up my entry for the Snowdonia Marathon : 2000 was better and I passed 60 Marathons but turned veteran…!

p.s. sometimes I run with Rodney.

 

here's the full list if you're interested...

 

1981

Birmingham 3:42.15

1982

Wolverhampton 3:17.29

Sandwell 5:08.15

Birmingham 2:54.20

1983

Wolverhampton  3:27.02

Bristol 2:47.40

Birmingham 3:58.37

1984

Wolverhampton 4:59.41

Birmingham 3:45.03

Leicester 3:04.11

1985

Wolverhampton 4:22.32

Sheffield 3:22.52

Brussels 3:19.01

1986

Wolverhampton 4:22.39

Bolton 3:38.12

Leeds 4:27.34

1987

Wolverhampton 3:24.05

London 3:57.51

Nottingham 3:11.53

1988

London 4:27.38

Wolverhampton 3:40.34

Gloucester 3:23.55

1989

Blackpool 4:06.09

Liverpool 3:35.30

Birmingham 3:31.51

1990

Telford 3:50.42

Berlin 4:09.18

1991

London 3:56.27

Leeds 3:26.57

1992

Stratford 4:24.51

Stoke 3:38.59

Harrow 3:26.36

1993

London 3:51.05

English Riviera 3:56.36

1994

Stratford 4:08.39

Hereford 4:03.55

Polytechnic 3:28.32

English Riviera 3:53.53

New York 3:36.56

1995

Stratford 4:11.52

English Riviera 4:01.37

Harrow 3:32.08

1996

Hereford 3:29.07

Polytechnic 4:10.13

English Riviera 4:00.26

1997

London 3:55.03

Stratford 4:06.53

Sri Chinmoy 4:07.18

Manchester 3:37.24

1998

Stratford 4:08.05

Isle of Man 3:39.54

Wolverhampton 4:27.04

Manchester 3:41.54

1999

London 3:54.45

Edinburgh 3:58.21

Harrow 3:48.40

2000

London 4:14.10

Stratford 3:57.18

Glasgow 3:45.23

Wolverhampton 3:53.36

2001

Bungay Black Dog 4:14.43

Wolverhampton 4:23.25

2002

London 4:16.27

Wolverhampton 3:59.12

Athens 4:19.56

2003

Stratford 4:59.09

2004

London 4:46.14

2005

London 4:37.52

Wolverhampton 4:18.34

Cardiff 4:02.20

 

watch this space !