A report on the AAA 10 mile track championship of that year caught my eye. It describes how Ron Hill won his third consecutive 10 mile title on a "sandy" track at Hurlingham. Not many all weather tracks in those days. How about these times for the 40 x 440 yards...............?!
1. Ron Hill (Bolton United) 47.38.8
2. Fergus Murray (Oxford University) 47.52.2
3. Mike Turner (Liverpool Harriers) 47.51.4
4. Bob Ellis (Thames Valley H.) 49.47.4
Who said white men can't
I don't know of any 10 mile track races nowadays; I certainly recall running club championships with Sale and Bingley. But looking at the 2010 road rankings only 4 UK athletes have gone under 50 minutes up to press. No one under 49. I'm told that elite middleand long distance runners concentrate on British League events BMC etc. or perhaps the "big" half marathons. Are the days numbered for this traditional imperial distance?
Many of you watching last week's European T.& F. Champs will have caught an interview with IAN STEWART , UK's head of "Endurance". Ian has a host of track medals to his name but continuing this 10 mile theme he still holds the GB alltime record for the distance on the road...........45.13!!! Set in 1977 in Stoke. He was featured in A.W. ten years earlier in a regualr feature on rising stars "Spotlight On Youth" (he would have been 18). They showed a pic of him, mud splattered , running a track race. Yes, tracks could be mud baths in those days. Our home grown talent, Bingley Harrier, Richard Nerurkar
is ranked 2nd. with 46.02 set in 1993.
No doubt both of them have run today but not sure about their racing. I have my eye on a 10 miler myself soon so I'm following last week's pattern training wise this week. After a dull start to the morning, the sun emerged from behind the clouds as I clicked the Garmin. Bit warm with two layers on but nice to feel the warmth on the back. Repeated the flat 7 miler down by the river and actually managed a slight improvement on last Tuesday with 58.36...averaging 8.22....despite a strong breeze in the second half. Track tomorrow; could be a different venue: hopefully less windy.
Once again some very interesting info. Can't believe anybody would be interested in doing a 10 mile track race today. They are amazing times for this though. Ten milers on the road still seem to fill up quick. I am hoping to do one this Sunday.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Europeans, an interview with one runner stood out for me, in which he said that the withdrawal of his funding had actually helped him to improve and be successful in the games, making him more determined and out to prove people wrong. Also, in another interview Mo Farrah went to live with the Kenyans to learn how they train and took on their philosophy of eat, sleep, train, run and nothing else otherwise you don't make it. Maybe that's their secret.
I must say I was concerned that Mo F. was getting things wrong when he finished a couple of XC races in a very distressed state. Due to vitamin deficiency (magnesium etc) apparently. So to see him win the 5K medal particularly was tremendous. However I'm sure he and many others won't be happy until he has broken the UK record of DAVID MOORCOFT for 5K.....13.00.41 from Oslo in July 1982. May be wrong but he was probably working full time as well.
ReplyDeleteHave a good one at Askern (?) Anthony