Easter weekend has always remained significant to me because, back in 1968, besides the Northern 12 man team relay two weeks before, it was the first time several of our junior mens team at Sale competed in open senior competition for the first time, toeing the line with several GB internationals such as Ron Hill (Bolton United) Alan Blinstone and Jeff Norman of Altrincham and Steve Edmunds of Sale.
The Good Friday race on April 12th 1968 was the SALFORD 7(.5) road race .The event attracted a respectable field of 95 (!) (tomorrow theyve closed at 608 runners) and was won by Ron Hill in 34.56. Running 37.39 for 18th place, side by side with good county athletes, the event indicated good potential for road endurance as I had never raced anywhere near this distance before. Having said that at 19 I was putting in a fair few miles. My diary, not very detailed(!), refers to a run home from work in Manchester on the previous Tuesday night of 15 miles and states for the race
"A good race..very pleasing...4th Sale man home". Keen to beat my team mates! The 7.5 mile race has, of course, evolved into the Salford 10K and still sticks to the Good Friday date.
How different was it in those days from tomorrow? In 1968 no females ran, no water was laid on (it was only permissable for races over 10 miles) no ipods(!) and very few runners OVER 40. Basically you had to be young, gifted and male. So that was my first race mixing it in senior competition.
However, not content with that my records show that in true cavalier running style, a significant number of the Good Friday runners made the short journey (public transport for me ) the following day to compete in the Rivington Pike Fell race at Horwich. We made up part of a field of 73 according to the race programme.
and was third at the top as we circuited the tower (shown here) behind Jeff Norman and Alan Blinstone but was overtaken by Ron McAndrew finishing 4th. All four of us had raced the day before and beat several "international" fell runners.
It was funny at the presentation as Jeff, Alan and Ron were all well known celebrities and were cheered enthusiastically but there were looks of puzzlement when they announced, "some young lad from Sale!" in 4th. Blinstone won in 16.:48 to my 17.21. Must check out how that compares with this year's times! I came away with a salad bowl for my "bottom drawer". My first prize in senior competition. I described the event as "a real killer, legs aching...."
Jeff Norman, later a 2.12 marathon man, still races occasionally. He ran the recent 12 man for Altrincham "B" team. Ron McAndrew organises all those races you run on the Fylde coast including the Blackpool Marathon/half. Looking at both races, many others are still "around" spectating, officiating, marshalling but not surprisingly few are racing. One notable exception being the Good Friday race winner, Dr. Ron Hill who still likes to race regularly on the road and trail.
I have frequently raced at Salford on Good Friday but didn't return to Rivington Pike until 2002....yes, I enjoyed it that much...when having set an Easter 3 Day Challenge to an Ilkley H. team mate (he didn't take it up) I ran the 10K on the Friday, the Pike race on the Saturday and the Guiseley Gallop on the Sunday! Reaching the Rivington Tower in the Saturday's race in 2002 Jeff Norman and I were together as we had been 34 years before; but whilst I picked my way down the hill very carefully he threw himself down with abandon and beat me by nearly a minute!!
This year I'll be restricting my efforts to the 10K. A sensible choice at my time of life, don't you think?
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