Steven Rimmer (49) and Gordon Rimmer (50), 

(Due to injuries and a fairly short racing career, Steven Rimmer has received less recognition than his twin Gordon. However, as this profile will prove, Steven was a very classy runner, a Scottish track international athlete who enjoyed great days representing the marvellous RAF team of that era.)

QUESTIONNAIRE

 Name:   Steven Rimmer

 Club/s: Cambuslang, RAF, RAF Halton, RAF Cranwell, RAF Wittering, Newark AC.

(Steven wrote: My twin Brother Gordon was posted at RAF Halton the same time as me, although he stayed longer.  I left around Mar/Apr 77 and went to RAF Cranwell then.  Gordon eventually joined me at Cranwell too, a year or so later. Later,  we were both at RAF Wittering and ran for Newark as well.)

 Date of Birth: 09/08/1956

 Occupation: RAF (Aircraft Technician). Now retired.

 How did you get into the sport initially: I used to take part in school sports day and ran for the school once a year.  Did cross country in the last year of my 3-year apprenticeship in 1976 although I never did any training as I also played football and rugby.

Personal Bests:  800m: 1.51.9; 1500m 3.46.4; 3000m  8.11; 5000m 14.11 approximately – I only ever did one, when I beat Callum Murray (who was RAF Champion in 1984) to win the 1983 RAF Inter-Station Finals.

Has any individual or group had a marked effect on either your attitude to the sport or your performances?  My coach Alan Warner who was also the RAF Team Manager. I also admired Steve Ovett.

What exactly did you get out of the sport?  My short spell in the RAF Team for Cross Country and Athletics from 1978 until Summer 1984, although (due to a lack of stretching) I was injured and never raced between Summer 1981 and Summer 1983.  The banter and camaraderie in our RAF team was fantastic and these were the best years of my life.  There were so many great international athletes in our squad, everyone was so down to earth and the strength in depth was amazing.   

Can you describe your general attitude to the sport?  Enjoyed every minute, was very competitive but had great respect for the guys who turned out every week even though they knew they would never have a chance of winning.

What do you consider your best-ever performance?  That’s a difficult one. Maybe my breakthrough, finishing 3rd in the Scottish 1500m at Grangemouth 1979 or, two weeks before, finishing 2nd in the Inter-Services 1500m, just behind GB International Mal Edwards and ahead of British International Julian Goater.  Or running in the French Military Champs as a guest along with some talented Tunisians, where I ran 3.48.9 in the heats and 3.46.4, which was my PB, in the final, when I was just pipped into second.  On the country, finishing 3rd in the RAF Cross Country Champs two years in a row (1980/1981), behind Steve Jones (future Olympian and Marathon World Record breaker), Ray Crabb and Julian Goater but ahead of my Brother and our Captain John Wild.  Or even pipped into second in the middle-distance race at Gateshead; or even the IAC International at Crystal Palace where I was the RAF 6th scorer, when our team won by 55 points.   Details below: 

Steve added “The Crystal Palace race took place in December 1980. After beating nearly all of the Scottish team: Jim Brown, John Graham, Ian Gilmour, Graham Laing, Lawrie Spence, Alastair Douglas and Ron MacDonald (as well as other Internationals like Nick Lees, Eamonn Coghlan, Jerry Kiernan, Grenville Tuck, Greg Hannon and Dennis Coates) I was later chosen to run cross-country for Scotland.”

And your worst?  Finishing well down the field in the Inter-Services Cross Country at Halton.  After the first of two laps I was just behind Jones and running together with Bro, Hackney Wild and Crabb.  We were on to get a clean sweep for the first time ever, however I got a stitch in my side, which slowed me right down.

What goals did you have that were never achieved?  I always wanted to improve on my PBs and break four minutes for the Mile.

What has running brought you that you would not have wanted to miss?  The camaraderie and banter of the RAF Team Squad and, of course, representing Scotland, my country.

Can you give some details of your training?  Summer was varied from 200s through 600s and fartlek. Winter 14 miles on Sunday, 5 miles steady lunchtime and fartlek again, from 200m up to 1 mile and back down, or 3 x 1 mile and a half or 3 x 1000m pretty quickly, as well as a hill session once a week.

                                                                                                                  Steve Jones tracking Steven Rimmer

MEN’S WHO’S WHO ENTRY

Steven Rimmer RAF, Cambuslang Harriers

Personal Bests: 800m: 1.51.9 1980; 1500m: 3.46.4 1980; 1 mile: 4.08.37 1980; 3000m: 8.11.4 1980; 5000m 14.11 1983.

Steve was third in the S.A.A.A. 1500m 1979.   The twin brother of Gordon Rimmer

The track results above give an indication of Steve’s Scottish International quality but he was also a top-class cross-country and road runner who helped his Scottish club to silver and bronze medals and raced so well for the RAF.

Senior National Cross Country: 1980 at Irvine 18^th (second counter for Cambuslang Harriers). The team received  bronze medals – a first for the club .

Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay: Steven represented Cambuslang in 1977; 1978 (6^th team); 1979 ( 5^th).

In 1980 Cambuslang won team silver; with Gordon fastest on Stage 6; and Steven (having a marvellous run) fastest by almost a minute on Stage 8.

TRACK PROGRESSION

Steven RIMMER (9.08.56)

RAF, Cambuslang H

1979 800 1.54.5 25

1979 1500 3.48.2 6

1979 3000 8.16.8 11

1980 800 1.51.9 9

1980 1500 3.46.4 6

1980 3000 8.11.4 8

1980 1M 4.08.37 6

1983 5000m 14.11

1984 1500 3.49.88 18

Championship Record: SCOTTISH: 3rd 1500m 1979.

 SCOTTISH TRACK INTERNATIONALS

Rimmer, Steven: three vests.

Born1956, RAF & Cambuslang Harriers

21^st July 1979 SCOTLAND v WALES v GREECE at Cymbran. 1500m 5th 3:59.01. Steven beat Hugh Forgie, who had been one place ahead of him in that year’s Scottish Championship 1500m. In the match, Scotland were second to Greece.

11^th May 1980 SCOTLAND v LUXEMBOURG v NORTHERN IRELAND at Meadowbank. 1500m 4th 3:50.7. Steven beat one runner from Northern Ireland and one from Luxembourg. Scotland won the match.

28^th and 29^th June 1980 SCOTLAND v DENMARK v IRELAND at Copenhagen 1500m 4th 3:52.9. Steven beat two Danish athletes. Scotland finished third in the match.

After filling in the questionnaire, Steven wrote the following.

My twin brother Gordon and myself joined the RAF as apprentices from the end of 1973 until the end of 1976, although Gordon did an extra year.  I mainly played football and rugby for RAF Halton on Wednesday afternoons and only ran cross country races in my last year without ever doing any training whatsoever. Gordon had taken running seriously early on, had done structured training and made the RAF Squad so, after I was posted to RAF Cranwell at the beginning of 1977, I thought to myself if Gordon can make the RAF team why can’t I and decided to start training.

I had made the RAF Squad by the start of the new season in October 1977 but got injured before the RAF Champs in Feb 1978. After recovering from injury, I started doing speedwork and track training and managed 1.58.3 for 800m and 4.00.5 for 1500m. Gordon then joined me at RAF Cranwell and we did some quality training together for both track and country. It got very competitive, as you can imagine, but had a dramatic effect on my performances.

I joined Gordon running for Cambuslang Harriers as well as running for the RAF and our local club Newark. In 1979, Gordon and I ran together in the RAF Champs, finishing 7th and 8^th, making the team for the Inter Services for the first time. This was a milestone: making the team with excellent runners like Steve Jones, Julian Goater, Roger Hackney, John Wild and Ray Crabb. On the track I ran one indoor 3000 metres race for RAF v Southern Counties in 8.27. Outdoors I was unbeaten at 800m. getting down to 1.54.5 and I reduced my 1500m PB to 3.48.2, finishing 3rd in the Scottish 1500m and 2nd in the Inter Services at 1500m.

Training with Gordon, we just seemed to get better and better and I got stronger, as well as improving my sprint finish compared to my natural speed. 1980 saw me getting 3rd in RAF Cross Country Champs behind Steve Jones and Ray Crabb and ahead of Gordon, John Wild, Mick Hurd and Roger Clark.  That strength and speed got me 2nd in the IAC Middle distance race at Gateshead, ahead of Steve Emson with Graham Williamson back in 7th.   On the track my PBs dropped to 1.51.9 for 800m and 3.46.4 for 1500m.   

I continued that form into the 1981 Cross Country season, again finishing 3rd in the RAF Champs behind Jones and Goater, but ahead of Bro and John Wild.  Unfortunately, severe back pain meant I was unable to run from March 81 for a couple of years.  I was able to play football during that period as it was always after about a mile that my lower back muscles just tightened up so much it was impossible to run. I used to try and run every week but it was always the same.

Then in 1983-1984 one day the pain had gone and I was able to start training again, albeit a stone over racing weight.  I was at RAF Wittering and had a few good road runners to train with.  Bro had also been posted to Wittering but was riddled with niggling injuries yet managed to join me in some quality speed sessions on the grass.  I did a varied amount of running, winning quite a lot of races on the track, road and cross country.  I managed 3.49 in my first 1500m for the RAF v Loughborough.  I was seriously spiked by Roger Hackney in the RAF 800m so was not selected for Inter Services. I won the 5000m (in around 14.11) at the RAF Inter Station Champs at the end of the season, beating Callum Murray who later won the RAF 5000m.

I started the cross country season well, finishing 2nd in the RAF Strike Command behind Ray Crabb, although I should have won as I was 100m clear of him with a mile and a bit to go but went the wrong way, since a marshal was hiding behind a bush having a cigarette.  Unfortunately, two weeks later in the RAF Champs, in which I was hoping to compete for a medal but at least make the top 8 and the Inter Services team, at the end of the first lap I felt a really niggling achilles pain which slowed me down and I considered dropping out but, as Wittering had the chance of a team medal, I picked up the speed and ran through the pain but only managed to finish 27th (that turned out to be my very last cross country race).  

After some physio and rehab, I managed to get really fit and my speed back. I ran a few fast road races winning one in 24.31 and finishing 3rd in one in 23.21, plus I won a 10 miler in 51 min something.  On the track I won a few races in 1.54 and 3.49 and geared myself up for the RAF, Inter Services and Scottish 1500m Champs all within 6 or so weeks of each other.  Firstly, in the RAF, I finished just behind Roger Hackney in a sprint finish with Deon McNeilly an Irish International a further second behind in 3rd.  Onto the Scottish where I made the final running 3.49 in the heats.  In the final it was comfortable near the front at the bell, but with about 350m to go I felt my back muscles starting to tighten up again, which slowed my sprint finish down considerably and I finished mid-pack.  I trained gently the following two weeks before the Inter Services but exactly the same thing happened again – comfortable at the bell, running alongside Hackney and Chris Robison (representing the Navy) then bang, with 300m to go the back tightened up and I couldn’t match their finishing speed.

Sadly, that was the last race of my very short athletics career. With hindsight, I wish I had started training earlier when Gordon did, and also wish that we had done some stretching exercises before or after training. Combined with pounding on the roads and very competitive training sessions with Bro, we raced far too often for clubs and RAF, midweek and weekends throughout the year. Nevertheless, I’m very proud of representing Scotland, the RAF and Combined Services and being part of the evolution of Cambuslang Harriers. Yet I regret missing what might have been without injuries.

After the war ended in 1945, Scottish athletics got gradually back into business with all the pre-war events returning to the programme.   There was a gap though – there was not much in the way of races for the Under 17 age group.   Known as the Youths age group it was not as well catered for as the Juniors (Under 20) or Seniors.   Clydesdale Harriers had the idea of starting a race for the age group and holding it on an annual basis.   After some deliberation, it would be an Individual and Ballot Team race.   There would be no club team awards but instead entrants would be seeded into three groups and one from each drawn at random to make up a team.   The notion was that many good Youths were in small clubs with no chance of winning a team prize; indeed there were many good and promising runners in the age category who would seldom win anything because there were two or three at the top of the tree denying them individual prizes and if they were in one of the lesser clubs then there would be no team award either.  The Ballot Team solved this problem.   The winner of the race received the John Morgan Trophy, above, which was presented by the club secretary at the time.   

Eddie Sinclair (Springburn Harriers) winning the Youths race in 1954 from Billy Goodwin (Bellahouston)

The first race was held on November 5th,  1946 and it was a success from the word go.  In the years to come almost all of the National Champions would turn out, and many of the best Scottish internationalists would run in it – from Eddie Sinclair to Ian McCafferty and runners who would gain distinction elsewhere – Alex Brecken ridge, George Kerr and more.   Folk singer Joe Gordon, statistician Colin Shields and official Danny Wilmoth all represented their clubs.

 Over 50 runners toed the starting line in the first race, and the first three finished within 7 seconds of each other.  The winner, Wilfred Young of Victoria Park, would go on to win the Youths National at Hamilton in 1947.   The page devoted to the race in the ‘Scots Athlete’ of December 1946 is reproduced below.

The second running of the event was on 8th November, 1947 and the results were as shown below.   You will note several names of athletes who would be very well known – Harry Fenion would win Scottish titles in the Marathon and over the country, he would represent Scotland in Commonwealth Games and over the country; Alec McDougall of Vale of Leven would also be a marathon runner of note and represent Scotland in the Empire Games in Cardiff and Eddie Bannon of Shettleston would become one of Scotland’s all time great cross country runners.   The Ballot team winners were a team made up of athletes from Plebeian Harriers, St Modan’s AAC and Auchmountain Harriers.   

The report in the ‘Scots Athlete’ of December 1947, by Harriers secretary John Morgan, read as follows.   

“For the second annual Youths 2 1/2 miles Ballot Team Race, held on 8th November, 1947, a record entry of 74 was received.   Despite the incessant rain, 66 runners faced the starter (Mr A Macmillan, club president).   The runners came  from a’ the airts – Stirling, Lochwinnoch, Greenock, Dumbarton, Milngavie, being some of the districts represented, as well as all the prominent Glasgow clubs – Shettleston, Garscube, Victoria Park, Plebeian, etc.   

In the face of a strong blustery wind, the runners lined up at Whitecrook Street for the start.   Right from the start it was obvious that this was going to be a hard fast race.   Along Barns Street they swept in a tight-packed, fast moving mass, and were well on their way before they began to string out.   With little more than a mile to go, word came to the officials and spectators braving the weather at the finishing post in Killers Lane that a Shettleston boy was running strongly in the lead.   

The signal that the runners were now approaching started speculation as to who it might be.   The first to appear was a very small-built lad clad in light blue singlet.   This proved to be H Fenion of Lochwinnoch, followed closely by W Bownes of Auchmountain H, and A McDougall of Vale of Leven.   The winner’s time, 15 minutes 22 seconds, was four seconds faster than the time of last year’s winner, W Young, Victoria Park AAC, who went on to win the Scottish Championship.   Fenion is an amazing runner and, given proper care, and not over taxed, history can well be repeated.

   The prizes were presented by Mr D B Brooke, Garscube Harriers.   Davie, in a neat little speech, congratulated the winner on fine running, and exhorted all the runners present to support their clubs and to wear the club colours on all occasions.”

In 1948, the race was won by running sensation of the time – Gilbert Adamson of West Kilbride.  Like Young in 1947 and Fenion a year later, he would go on to win the Youths National title in 1949.  He won by ten and a half second from a runner who, with his brother Tom, would be one of the country’s finest – John Stevenson was top class track and road runner with a very fast finish, and thrid placed Robertson of Garscube was only eight seconds behind him.   Other well kent names include Alec McDougall, Ewan Murray of Garscube who would be better known as a long time secretary of the SAAA, Ronnie McDonald of Maryhill one of our finest officials and administrators for decades and many other who would grace the sport.

The newspapers at that time devoted very little space to sport because of the post-war shortage of newsprint and most of that was football and other team games, the sport was fortunate to have the ‘Scots Athlete’ coverage.   

Keeping to the November date, the 12th of the month in 1949 was the chosen Saturday for the fourth running of the race.   The Glasgow Herald report was as follows.   “Vale of Leven continue to produce fresh talent.   They have found another potential champion in R Steel who won a grant three mile open Youths race at Clydebank beating a field of over 60 in 15 min 13 sec.   He had a margin of 30 yards from J McNeil (Shettleston).   Results: 1.   R Steel (Vale of Leven) 15 min 13 sec;  2.  J McNeil (Shettleston)  15 min 30 sec; 3.   A Brown (Shettleston) .   Ballot Team Race: 1.  J McNeil (Shettleston), A Breckenridge (VPAAC – 5th), R Cowan (Bellahouston – 11th);   2.   A Baird (Shettleston), J Keen (Shettleston), A Bauld (Maryhill).”

The runners were again top class in quality as well as deep in quantity.   Bob Steel of the Vale would move to Edinburgh and many years later would be very good administrator for the Scottish national endurance squad, Jimmy McNeil would be a kenspeckle figure in his club colours right into his veteran years and Alex Breckenridge would be a Scottish mile record holder, multi championship winner and, after emigrating to the USA, an Olympic marathon runner.   It had been another successful promotion.   

In 1950 the race was held on the second Saturday over the same road course.   The ‘Herald’ report was brevity itself.   YOUTH CHAMPION’S FINE RACE.   J Findlay (Hamilton Harriers) the national youths champion, was the outstanding competitor in Clydesdale Harriers open youths two and a half mile race in Clydebank and won in 14 min 50 sec.   He had however to produce his best to beat W McAslan (Bellahouston) who was 40 yards behind.   T Swan (Shettleston) was third.”

The 1951 version of the race saw 59 entries and again the quality of the field was undeniable.   The winner was Bob Wotherspoon, running for Glasgow YMCA but would soon be representing Shettleston Harriers from the excellent David Lapsley who won many titles in Ayrshire as well as in the South West District and who would be third in the national championship in the 1951/52 season.   Note too that there was an actual tie for third place.   Looking through the field there was Joe Gordon who would become a very well known folk singer,, a good athlete but not as good Joe Connolly of Bellahouston (only one place back) who would be Scottish champion on the track as well as over the country.   Results from the ‘Scots Athlete’.

It was on 8th November in 1952 that the race was held with a relatively small field (by its own previous standards of 47 runners turned out in Whitecrook Street in Clydebank.  Joe Connolly had moved up the field in his second year in the age group to finish in the same time as the winner but nevertheless was judged into second place.   Note too Ian Harris – a future Scottish marathon champion and cross-country internationalist.   Ian Cloudsley of Shettleston would be SCCY Junior champion in a couple of years time, Gordon Nelson of Bellahouston would serve his club well and Jim Irvine of the same club is still working in athletics in Bellahouston over 70 years later.  Note too how close the runners were – six seconds covering the first three, and thirteen in the first minute, and the entire field finished in just a smidgen over three minutes.   

Into 1953 and the race was held on 14th November over the usual trail.  Unusually, it wasn’t covered by the ‘Scots Athlete’ but we do have the report and result from the ‘Glasgow Herald’ which read as below.    

“GM Kerr (Victoria Park AAC) won Clydesdale Harriers open youths two and a half mile road race on Saturday in a new record time for the course of 14 min 34 sec.   I Drever (Braidburn AC) who was second 20 yards behind, also beat the previous best time by clocking 14 min 42 sec.   I Cloudsley (Shettleston Harriers) was third in 14 min 46 sec.   The team contest resulted in a win for J Gibson, Paisley, 7th, J Howe, Wellpark, 11th and J Clark, Clydesdale, 15th – 33 points.”

Not a lot there but enough to tell us a bit about the continuing quality being attracted to the flat, fast course right at the start of the winter.   George Kerr of Victoria Park was an athlete of real quality and it was a loss to Scottish endurance running when he moved to London and joined Belgrave.   He did come up for the championships.   Cloudsley won the National Under 17 title in 1954.

Eddie Sinclair of Springburn, pictured at the top of the page won the event in 1954 in a new course record in a field of 50 runners.   Billy Goodwin was also inside Kerr’s time with John Wright in third place.   Wright would have three runs in the National as a Junior finishing third in his first outing but winning the next two.   

Billy Goodwin finishing in 1954

In 1955 the race was held on the third Saturday in the month.   The winner was Billy Goodwin who not only won but took three seconds off Eddie Sinclair’s course record of the year before.  There were many notable Youths among the 72 who faced the starter – note the runner who was halfway up the field in 32nd place: Colin Shields of Greenock Glenpark Harriers would be a club runner for many years (3 Ben Nevis races among his achievements) and one of Scotland’s best ever statisticians.   Goodwin won the National U17 Championship in 1955 and 1956, and the National U20 race in 1959.   Davie Simpson of Shotts in eighth place became an important member of the all-conquering Motherwell YMCA team in the early 1960’s and ran for Scotland in the International cross-country.   Jim Spence of Greenock Glenpark in 22nd would become a good road runner (he won the Scottish Marathon Club champion) before going on to be a coach in his club and is maybe best known for the work he did bringing his brother Lawrie through the age groups.   Danny Wilmoth of Springburn was 20th and would be a very good runner for Springburn before becoming known as one of the best and fairest officials in the land.  J Hislop of the promoting club was fourth here but second in the National Championships in 1956.    Results below from the ‘Scottish Athlete’.

Reports and results from 1956 to 1964   .

(The following article is by Steve Trew. Well written and scarily realistic to old-stagers! Mind you, perhaps ‘The Athlete’ might have retired from running when his body definitely said no – and might have found other, less injury-prone ways to exercise instead.)

The Masters Runner

The Athlete was old now, very old. He had run and competed too long, much too long. He had competed as he had seen the decades switch, the sixties to the seventies to the eighties, the nineties and even the unhear-of noughties (noughties! What a crap word, he thought). Nobody knows accurately how long an athlete can go on successfully without doing permanent damage; the years to grow and improve, the years to hone the talent, the years to use the craft, and the years to exist on the skills and knowledge gained.

And then the years when the skills speedily and most ungracefully slip away.

You would have to follow him upon thousands and thousands of meandering miles and the thousands of training sessions to check him. To watch him grow fit and strong and race and win and then finally decline and lose and you wouldn’t know him from the other athletes running the thousands of miles and winning and losing.

Past Running

From the look of him, our particular athlete was past running. For many, many years now he had run around the same training circuits. The locals knew him. They had grown used to the gaunt figure silently shuffling the familiar paths. He came to jog past the once well-known, so well-known changing rooms but he didn’t try to associate with the younger athletes any more, he chose and preferred the lonely pavements.

Likely a chance remark overheard; the younger runners laughing; the odd silence when he had joined their company; a sudden stop in their conversation; they hadn’t kicked him out, had they? In any case, his memory of racing and races was dim and probably exaggerated. The youngsters had no longer come to him for advice, although his accumulated knowledge was vast. He had long since run through his repertoire of stories, and no longer found listeners for the nostalgic tales of the good old days before tartan tracks, screw-in spikes, mesh uppers, dual density converse heel camber and thousandths of a second on the stopwatches – the days when cinder-crunching noises and rubber plimsolls were normal; before the new technology and high priests of running. And the shoes now! Our particular runner didn’t even comprehend the words; “stabilizing elements”, “carbon plate”, “foam-driven return energy (what the hell was that?)”, “stacking”, “ZoomX”.

It was better then. You knew the seasons then. Track, road, cross-country, road relays but, like everything else, that had changed. Running had gone mad; the indoor season, European tours, ‘down under’ for the winter. Professional runners, getting paid for running? They would have laughed out loud back in the day……. Nothing was the same.

He was more than a little weary, of course, and certainly his body was used up by the years. His once so proud body that had betrayed him, his muscles honed to a fine perfection – a cliché, of course, but wasn’t his whole running life a cliché – now covered by tissue? Like greying skin, wrinkled and pathetic. A body that had once reacted instantly to every thought and command now lagged behind his brain and memory. The skin seemed too big for the body inside it, the lightness needed for competitive running had stayed as he had run away from the competitive years. How he’d reached this age without breaking down over the countless miles was a mystery. The hard surfaces had strangely left him injury free; a blessing or not? Age had left him visually ridiculous. He wore the lightweight clothing and shoes of an athlete on an old man’s body.

He had no injuries but he ached and ached. Old men always hurt somehow and somewhere. He shuffled along almost from side to side now, and talked to himself as old men do, and the burden of his age and his lost youth hung heavily. He had been good in his time, he knew that. He’d raced everywhere; the White City, Crystal Palace, Meadowbank,; tracks and courses and roads all over the Country – chasing competition, chasing trophies but also because he wanted and needed to race. Other athletes had looked at him enquiringly, had watched him stretch and warm-up, had jogged behind him as if by chance, perhaps waiting for a careless word to be thrown in their direction, for it is always this way. They had copied his clothing and admired his style. The sycophants had been around him always, younger athletes eager for his knowledge he had amply to give; always someone to carry his tracksuit, to fetch a drink, to want his wise experience.

But now he was very much alone, trapped by and within the years of his aging. The others were long gone. Friends, rivals. He was tolerated only, an athlete from a long-gone era. It was over. He was too slow to run with others. His body was sore. His feet ached. Soon, he knew, he would be gone. He was bored with training but somehow he needed it, needed it but would be glad to see the finish of it all.

The world –his world- had changed, was changing still. What did it matter what others said? What did it matter what he looked like on the outside? Inside he knew, and understood. Others didn’t. it didn’t matter. A runner forever.

Steve Trew

“Carpe that diem, guys. It’s gone before you know it.”

One of the ‘most-read’ articles on the website is the profile of Bobbie Gibb – the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon, the woman who was on the starting line quite openly, her presence known to all the officials including Jock Semple who was involved in a bit of brouhaha with another woman runner, in 1967.   Now the BBC Online has a very good article on her career including ‘that race’.   It is reproduced below the photograph.   

Bobbi Gibb: The Boston Marathon pioneer who raced a lie

By Olivier Guiberteau, BBC Sport

Last updated on 28 August 2023.

Sign up for notifications to the latest Insight features via the BBC Sport app and find the most recent in the series.

“Women are not physiologically capable of running a marathon.”

Those nine words leapt off the paper like a slap to the face. “The audacity,” thought Roberta ‘Bobbi’ Gibb.

The letter she held was the response to her request for an official entry to run the 1966 Boston Marathon – a flat-out refusal, but also a derogatory sideswipe of her capabilities as a woman, particularly given she was now running up to 40 miles at a stretch.

The 1960s were mid-swing, but attitudes towards female athletes and their participation in long-distance running remained archaic. The question of whether women could run 26.2 miles had been answered countless times before, and yet female runners remained barred from practically every marathon event around the world.

“To hell with them,” she thought as she crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor. Bobbi Gibb would run the Boston Marathon – whether they’d let her or not.

Ask Google who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon and you’ll find the name Kathrine Switzer, along with a photo showing a group of men chasing and manhandling a woman with the number 261 pinned to her midriff.

It is a shocking image that easily fits a narrative of embedded misogyny, but this is not the real story of the first woman to run the world’s oldest continually-staged marathon. The truth, as so often, is far from black and white.

Growing up in the suburbs of Boston, Gibb was always an energetic child with a sense of awe and a love of nature.

“My mother used to say to me that you’re never going to find a husband while running around in the woods with the neighbourhood dogs,” says Gibb.

For all the significant changes that occurred during the 1960s, it was still a time of rigid social constructs.

“After the war, people were just happy to return to normality – and normal meant the little women in the kitchen, washing the dishes, with the nice curtains. There were centuries of well-established beliefs about women,” said Gibb.

“I looked at my mother’s life and those of her friends; they were such narrow lives – you couldn’t even get a credit card without your husband’s permission.”

Gibb knew she wanted something different, but like many growing up with idealistic dreams of great change, the pathway to it was labyrinthine.

“I wanted to change the social consciousness about women from a very early age, but I didn’t know how to do it – at first.”

Despite living close to the Boston Marathon route, Gibb had never attended a race until her father took her in 1964. The effect was immediate and profound.

“I just fell in love with it – I found it very moving. All these people moved with such strength, courage, endurance and integrity. Something deep inside told me that I was going to run this race – this was what I was supposed to do.”

In the mid-1960s, women’s long-distance running was still considered dangerously radical. Female runners had completed 26.2 miles many times, but groundless ideas lingered that a woman’s body was not built for such extreme exertion. It was feared that allowing women to take on the distance would lead to dangerous levels of indecency.

“Running was considered a breeding ground for impropriety that would overly sexualise women,” said Jaime Schultz, Professor in Kinesiology at Penn State University.

Names that should be etched on plaques as great marathon pioneers are now almost lost. The day after the men’s marathon event at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, Stamata Revithi, a 30-year-old mother from Piraeus, ran the same course unofficially in five and half hours. 

Practically no reliable information exists on Revithi, except that she came from poverty, had a 17-month-old child and had lost an older child the previous year. Her achievement received little to no attention, with the Athens Messenger reporting briefly that “an active and determined woman made a trial run of the classic route in early March, without any stops except a momentarily rest to eat some oranges”.

Nothing is known about this trailblazing woman, often labelled as the ‘first female marathon runner’ after that day. As Greek author Athanasios Tarasouleas puts it: “Stamata Revithi was lost in the dust of history.”

Thirty years later, in 1926, an English woman, Violet Piercy, ran the London Marathon course unofficially in 3:40:22 and completed two official marathons in 1933 and 1936. The Sunday Mirror quoted her as saying her 1936 race was to “prove that women could stick the distance.”

It was clear to all with their eyes open that women could run 26.2 miles, but cynical attitudes lingered based on imaginary evidence and often outright lies.

The 1928 Summer Olympic Games saw women compete in track and field events for the first time, and on 2 August three of the nine women who ran in the 800m final broke the world record, with Germany’s Lina Radke claiming gold.

However, what should have been a giant stride forward for women’s athletics degenerated into a remarkably nasty media campaign in which newspapers worldwide reported incorrectly that many women had collapsed with exhaustion after the race and that such exploits were far beyond the female sex.

The New York Times falsely reported that “six out of the nine runners were completely exhausted and fell headlong on the ground”, while the Montreal Star shrieked that the race was “obviously beyond women’s powers of endurance and can only be injurious to them”. The Daily Mail even pondered whether women running over 200 metres would age prematurely.

The media firestorm led officials to cut the 800 metres from the women’s Olympics, with the event not appearing again until 1960. Women’s perceived fragility was underpinned by some preposterous medical theories that wound their way into the public consciousness.

“There were fears that women would become more ‘masculine’ if they played sports and that they had a finite amount of energy. If they expended it on education, politics and sport, it would draw away from their reproductive capabilities,” said Schultz.

Gibb started quietly training for the Boston Marathon in 1964, often using the Middlesex Fells Reservation near her home to run away from judgmental eyes.

“I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have a coach, no books, nothing. I didn’t have any way of measuring distance, so I just went by time. My boyfriend would drop me off on his motorbike and I would run home,” says Gibb.

In 1964, her parents went on sabbatical to the UK, leaving 21-year-old Gibb their VW campervan. With a summer ahead of her and a longstanding dream of seeing more of the country, she packed up the van and spent the next 40 days moving slowly from the east to the west coast.

“At night, I would sleep out under the skies, and each day I would run in a different place. Over the Berkshires, along the Mississippi River and across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide, and down into California – before jumping into the Pacific Ocean – all in one summer. That was my training for the 1966 Boston Marathon,” says Gibb.

A few months before the marathon, she applied for a runner’s number to be one of the 540 that would eventually start the race, but was rejected with the now famously curt assessment of women’s physiological capabilities.

“I realised that this was my chance to change the social consciousness about women. If I could prove this false belief about women wrong, I could throw into question all the other false beliefs that had been used to deny women opportunities,” says Gibb.

Four days before the race, she boarded the first of several Greyhound buses and arrived at the family home 72 hours later.

Her mother drove her to the start line the morning of the race that would catapult her into the limelight.

“My dad thought I was nuts and refused to come. I was wearing my brother’s Bermuda shorts, a swimsuit underneath, and a big sweatshirt with a hood that I pulled around my head,” says Gibb.

After running a few warm-up miles she returned to the starting area, where she did her best to hide by creeping into a set of bushes nearby.

When the starting pistol cracked, Gibb loitered, allowing the faster runners to move down the road before joining the moving crowd.

“Very quickly, the men behind me could tell that I was a woman – probably by studying my anatomy from the rear,” says Gibb. “I was so nervous. I didn’t know what would happen. I thought I might even be arrested.”

Her fears were unfounded. Instead of hostility, camaraderie quickly flourished. When it became clear she needed to take off her sweatshirt or suffer the heat in it, she expressed her fears of being ejected from the race to the men around her. “We won’t let them,” came their unified assurance.

“There was this myth that men were always against women, but it wasn’t true. Those guys were great, upbeat, friendly and protective; they were like my brothers,” says Gibb.

Buoyed by the companionship, Gibb removed her outer layer and ran freely and proudly – her blonde ponytail swinging from side to side. Spectators lining the street – men, women and children – applauded her as she passed, with news of her participation spreading along the course via radio bulletins.

As she approached Wellesley College, a women’s university on the route, pandemonium erupted. The momentous event was described 30 years later by Wellesley College President Diana Chapman Walsh, who was present as a student spectator that day. 

“Word spread to all of us lining the route that a woman was running the course,” she said.

“We scanned face after face in breathless anticipation until, just ahead of her, through the excited crowd, a ripple of recognition shot through the lines, and we cheered as we never had before.

“We let out a roar that day, sensing that this woman had done more than just break the gender barrier in a famous race.”

“The women were crying and jumping up and down. One kept shouting ‘Ave Maria, Ave Maria’. It was an emotional moment for me,” says Gibb.

Gibb was not only blazing a trail, she was doing it quickly. She ran the first 20 miles at a sub-three hour pace, but with her newly-bought men’s running shoes cutting into her feet, her speed began to drop.

Her race had changed. Anxiety over being pulled out by officials was now replaced by that feeling all too familiar to any long-distance runner – painful determination and a longing for the finish line.

As she made her way through Boston, spurred on by the tremendous noise that accompanied her, Gibb still had no idea how close she was to the end.

“I didn’t know where I was or how far I had left – I just gritted my teeth and ran,” says Gibb.

Turning right on to Hereford Street, the noise seemed to ratchet up, and a final left on to Boylston Street revealed the finish line that she had been dreaming of for so long.

Gibb completed her first Boston Marathon in an impressive three hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds – faster than two-thirds of the competitors.

A now iconic image shows her running alone, her face grimacing as she nears the finish line. On both sides, spectators crane their necks, ignoring other runners passing by, desperate to glimpse the first female finishing the storied race.

Crossing the line, she was greeted warmly by Massachusetts State Governor John Volpe, who shook her hand and offered his congratulations before being ushered into a hotel room where the world’s press waited breathlessly.

After the interviews, the group of men she had been running with invited her to join them for the traditional post-race stew, but as they reached the door, Gibb was barred from entry: “Sorry, men only.”

It had been a day of dramatic change, but any notion of true equality was still a distant dream.

Gibb ran the Boston Marathon twice more. In 1967, she was joined by Switzer, the runner often portrayed as the first woman to run the race, who she beat by more than an hour. The following year, five women ran the Boston Marathon, with Gibb winning once again.

For many years, Switzer’s participation in the 1967 race overshadowed Gibb’s achievement, a fact that never sat well with the true first woman to run the Boston Marathon. The famous photo of Switzer became emblematic of women’s struggles to gain equality in sport, but it is an image and a context that deserves careful examination.

It appears to show Switzer being harassed by a group of men as she runs, but in fact, it was only one man, race co-director Jock Semple, who was trying to remove her race number rather than physically assault her, as is often reported.

“She had gained her number illegally by disguising her gender on the application and having her male coach pick it up,” says Gibb, who ran without a number or official entry once again.

Switzer, for her part, has always claimed that she never intentionally pretended to be anything other than a woman, and that using her initials, rather than first name, on the entry form was her usual habit.

She adds that her male coach picked up her race number as the nominated leader of the group, rather than part of a deliberate ploy.

Gibb says she had some sympathy for Semple, who she believes was motivated by preserving his race’s status, rather than outdated social norms.

“Jock was simply worried that the race could lose its accreditation with the Amateur Athletic Union by having women run in a men’s division race.”

Unsurprisingly, it was the image of Switzer that made the headlines, fuelling anger and controversy, despite Gibb once again receiving a warm welcome.

“I stood openly at the start line in 1967. Nobody tried to remove me, there was no trouble. All the men were great – even Jock Semple,” said Gibb.

But it was Switzer’s story, fitting a narrative of antagonism and confrontation, that chimed with the 1960s zeitgeist, rather than Gibb’s.

Over the following decades, that image became incorrectly woven into the tale of the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.

However, Gibb’s stance is clear.

“Switzer was neither first, nor official. She was, in fact, the second-place woman in the second year of what is now called the women’s pioneer division Boston Marathon,” says Gibb.

Though it wouldn’t be until 1972 that women were given numbers and allowed official entry, the pioneers had lit a fuse.

“It changed how people thought about women running,” says Gibb.

In 1973, the first all-women’s marathon was held in Waldniel, West Germany, but as the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow came and went, still without a female marathon event, patience was wearing thin.

Especially since the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) appeared to have put the matter of medical evidence against women running long distances firmly to bed with a statement in January 1980.

“There exists no conclusive scientific or medical evidence that long-distance running is contraindicated for the healthy, trained female athlete,” it read.

“The ACSM recommends that females be allowed to compete at the national and international level in the same distances in which their male counterparts compete.”

The following year, when the International Olympic Committee met in Baden-Baden, Germany, a vote passed that meant that at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a female marathon event was included – and has been ever since.

The effect this has had on women’s marathon running has been dramatic. In the last 60 years, the women’s world record for 26.2 miles has plummeted by an astonishing one hour and 23 minutes. As a comparison, the men’s record has dropped by only 54 mins in the last 115 years.

Gibb continued running daily, but her life moved in a different direction. She had helped redefine attitudes towards female running, but that was just one chapter in a life that has been wonderfully varied.

“After that, I wanted to challenge everything – keep the ball rolling,” says Gibb.

In 1969 she graduated from the University of California with a premedical curriculum major in philosophy and minor in mathematics.

She wanted to go to medical school but, like in Boston, it was hard for a woman to get a place. In one interview she was told she was “too pretty” and “would distract the boys in the lab”.

Instead, she began working in epistemology and neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology while taking law classes in the evening.

In 1976 she founded the Institute for the Study of Natural Systems, a non-profit educational and research group, and passed the bar two years later.

She practised law for 18 years before moving back to scientific research, this time in cellular molecular biology focusing on neurodegenerative diseases.

She is also a fine art sculptor and contemporary painter, and has written several books, including her memoir Wind in the Fire.

Her running exploits continue to inspire. In 1996, Gibb was finally recognised as an official three-time winner, receiving her medals while also having her name inscribed on the Boston Marathon Memorial in Copley Square.

In 2016, 50 years after that momentous race, Ethiopia’s Atsede Bayisa presented Gibb with her Boston Marathon winner’s trophy after learning of the events of 1966.

“Each year, they celebrate me as a three-time winner, which is fun, but the main thing is I get to meet all these amazing people from all over the world, all social groups, all ethnic groups, races, genders – we love each other – we make friends,” says Gibb.

A runner, scientist, lawyer, artist, and author – Bobbi Gibb has done it all and continues to promote a positive message regarding equality.

“One of my purposes was to end the stupid war between the sexes, where men had to live in this little box and women had to live in another little box,” says Gibb.

“I’m always fighting against false messages. The truth sets us free. Back then, men weren’t allowed to have feelings and women weren’t allowed to have a brain. What if a man wants to knit? Is he any less of a man? No. What if a woman wants to drive a truck? Is she any less of a woman? No.

“All people can be who they want to be.”

1970 Empire & Commonwealth Games 10,000m start: Lachie is 317

Not many distance runners are known by just their Christian name but runners and aficionados the world over will immediately raise a smile when the name mentioned is “Lachie”.    Lachie in Scotland is celebrated first and foremost for the victory over Ron Clarke, Dick Taylor and the remainder of a star studded field at Edinburgh in 1970 in the Commonwealth Games.   But he was well known as a modest, unassuming runner of real quality over a range of distances and on all surfaces whether country, road or track.   He came to prominence as a member of a small club in Dunbartonshire winning Games selection and SAAA championships before moving to Shettleston Harriers.    A great individual runner but also a good team man who always gave his best.   Some of his achievements:

Cross-Country:   10 International Appearances in what are now the World Championships; 2 Scottish Championships at a time when there was real strength in depth, 1 Midland District Championship.   Third in Junior International, second in the English National,  fourth in the Senior International.  

Track:   Scottish 10 Miles Champion 4 times (1966, 67, 68, 71);     Scottish Three Miles Champion 3 times (1965, 67 and 68);     Scottish Six Miles Champion twice (1967, 68);    Scottish 5000 metres Champion once (1969);   Scottish Three Miles Champion 3 times (1965, 67, 68).   Thirteen titles in all between 1966 and 1973.

Track records:   He set track records at 2 Miles, 4 Miles, 5 Miles, 6 Miles, 7 Miles, 8 Miles, 9 Miles, 10 Miles, 11 Miles, 12 Miles and One Hour (He was the first Scot to run over 12 miles in the hour) and at 10000 metres.   In all there were 19 record breaking runs.

AAA’s Championships: He won the 3 Miles Championship in 1968 in a time of 13:28.4.

Not a bad record at all.   We all read – and some cut out and kept the AW questionnaire which we reproduce below the photo of Lachie in his Vale of Leven strip.

The questionnaire:

Colin Youngson adds:    Lachie’s article concludes with “if he wants to – when he knows more about his abilities” – very sound advice.   Lachie Stewart (an inductee into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame) is one of the most admired Scottish distance runners. His greatest achievement was winning the 10,000m in the 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. In addition, he raced in the 1972 Olympics; did the steeplechase in the 1966 Commonwealth Games; and was an extremely successful cross-country runner.   

Mike Tagg finishing the Inter-Counties 5000m between Mike Bradley and Lachie Stewart

Mike Tagg was a top class middle and long distance runner who won the silver medal in the 10000 at the 1969 European Championships behind Jurgen Haase (GDR 28:41.6) and in front of Nikolai Svirodov (URS 28:45.8) .   Tagg’s time was 28:43.2 which ranked him fourth in the world that year.   Quite excellent running.    He had previously run in the same event at the Mexico Olympics in 1968 where he placed 13th in 30:18.0 in the  altitude conditions known to be difficult for distance runners.   He was two places ahead of Haase (30:40.2) and second GB athlete in the race behind Ron Hill in seventh in 29:53.2.    His 10,000m personal best was set in the European Championshuips in 1971 when he finished seventh, one place and 10 seconds behind Dave Bedford.   

In Mexico, he and his sister Mary both represented Britain – the only brother and sister to do so.   Mary ran in the 400 metres where she was second in her Heat in 53.9, but unfortunately fifth in her semi-final with her time of 53.6 being the same as second placed Colette Besson who ran in the other semi final.   Mary’s 53.6 would have seen her in the final.   

Mike was a very versatile athlete running well at a range of distances.   His personal best times at recognised distances were:-  2 Miles: 8:28.2;   5000m:  13:41.4;   10000m:  28:14.85    All set in 1971.   How did he train?   The AW Questionnaire below tells us.

Colin Youngson comments: Mike Tagg was an excellent cross-country runner, who in 1969 (by 40 seconds) won the (very muddy) English National and finished fourth in the IAAF International CC. He was also a British International track athlete, who raced 10,000 metres in the 1968 Olympics and, at the same distance, finished second in the 1969 European Championships. 

Bill Adcocks ran 10 marathons under 2 hours 20 minutes.   He was second in the 1966 Empire Games in Kingston, Jamaica behind Scotland’s Jim Alder, won the Fukuoka Marathon in 1968 in 2:10:48 and in 1969, he ran in the Athens Classic Marathon, which is run over the same course as the original marathon run by Pheidippides. He set a course record, clocking 2:11:07, which was not broken until 2004.

Bill Adcocks finished a valiant fifth in the altitude-affected gruelling 1968 Olympic Marathon in Mexico City.   The race started at 3:00 pm local time. There were 75 competitors from 41 countries. Eighteen of them did not finish.   ie over 25% of the best marathon runners in the world as represented at the meeting failed to finish.   A look at the names of the non-finishers shows that Jim Alder, Abebe Bikila (Ethiopia), Lajos Mecser (Hungary), Mohammed Gammoudi (Tunisia), Jurgen Haase (GDR), Jerome Drayton (Canada) failed to finish and both of the two French selections had DNF after their names as did two of the three Hungarians and both Kuwaitis.  It was a  remarkable run to finish in 2:25:33 when 43 of the finishers were outside 2 hours 30 minutes.

Back to the Questionnaire.  Note the comments in response to the single word query “Coach?”

When talking about the avalanche of information that the distance runner was subjected to in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s , there were many slim paperback volumes published by the Americans, bigger books with more depth from other sources (we have covered van Aaken (Germany) and Arthur Lydiard (New Zealand) and magazines.   Magazines such as “Runner’s World”, Marathon and Distance Runner”, “Sports Illustrated”, “Jogging” (which became “Running”) and so on which all contained fairly detailed articles of variable quality on any and all topics of interest to runners.   New obsessions such as ‘shoe technology’ appeared.   But the best of them all was the magazine which pre-dated the Running Boom and which is still being produced weekly is the British “Athletics Weekly”, affectionately known as AW.   

One of the key features was the “AW Questionnaire” in which a top athlete was quizzed on many topics including his training and racing.   Eagerly read they were at times not really informative about training – eg the top athlete whose training was noted as Sunday: long run, Monday Road run; Tuesday: Track session, . .  etc – but more than 90% of them gave food for thought, or at least prolonged discussion on the hoof on training nights.   These questionnaires did influence both theory and practice.   eg When Joyce Smith was quoted in an article as saying that you had to stay relaxed but running fast at the end of a marathon, but it was difficult to simulate in training.   Her husband Brian had said that she should do a long run on the appropriate day in the morning, then go out that afternoon, before the fatigue could possibly have left her system and run a short relaxed fast run of about two or three miles.    That resonated with lots of runners who adopted the habit for a period of their training for the marathon.    She was a wonderful runner and what was good enough for her was more than good enough for many men who had read or heard of the theory.   

We reproduce three of the AW questionnaires here as examples of what we had available at the time. 

Bill Adcocks        Lachie Stewart        Mike Tagg

Colin Youngson – a good Scottish International marathon runner with respectable marks at all distance events up to and including the 50 mile Edinburgh to Glasgow road race, in addition to ten first three places in the SAAA Marathon championships (including three victories) and notable runs in marathon races all over Europe, comments as follows.

Two other interesting characters were interviewed in more detail for Athletics Weekly: Don Faircloth in 1972; and Bill Rodgers in 1978. Their training notions are worth examining.

Jim Alder, Ron Hill and Don Faircloth: first three in Empire & Commonwealth Games Marathon in 1970

Don Faircloth was born in November 1948, so he was only 21 when he finished very rapidly to secure third place in the 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games Marathon. In that race, he recalls feeling both strong and fast, due to an intensive training regime.

In early 1970 he raced the Kent 20 miles road race – and was surprised and delighted to win in an impressive 1.43.50. Then, on a very hot day, he won the Inter-Counties 20 miles. Don reckoned that heat did not affect him, since he worked outside as a gardener for eight hours a day! Then he won the classic Polytechnic (AAA Championship) Marathon – and was selected, along with Ron Hill and Bill Adcocks, to race for England in Edinburgh, where he came close to overtaking Scotland’s Jim Alder for the silver medal, yet well behind gold medallist Ron Hill. Don’s bronze medal was achieved with a very fast 2.12.19.

Don described his 1972 training as follows. On a Sunday, I run up to 20 miles. I do that in one session. It’s in the morning – I run as hard as I can for 6 miles, to the track to pick the club lads up; then I do about 6 to 8 miles of relaxed running, along with repetitions and paarlauf bursts with the others. Then I run up to 8 miles home, and push that hard too. Monday is a two-session day: I train in the dinner hour without running to work, so it’s a straight hard run, and in the evening I do anything up to 13 miles, most of it with Fred Stebbings – and he pushes it quite a bit – which helps, of course. Tuesday: I run four to work, do a fartlek session in the lunch hour, and take a long way round to do 10 miles home in the evening. I’m home and finished all my training by six eery evening, and this is great for me as I can do other things like odd jobs about the house then. On a Wednesday, I do virtually the same with some changes in route, adding some extra hills and doing some running on the country, but it’s always as usual three sessions. Same on Thursday and on a Friday I run to work, run a hard six in the dinner hour and, as I need to get my kit home, I don’t run back, but I may do an easy five that evening, depending on whether I’m racing the next day or how I’m feeling. Saturday is usually a tough cross-country race, or anything up to 15 miles with the club boys on Lloyd Park. This is my winter routine, but it doesn’t vary that much, except that I train more on the country in the summer, obviously as it’s lighter. I hope to get more speed sessions in when it gets warmer but by nature I shy away from speed as it hurts; but it’s still something I must get down and work on. I’ve been on three sessions since the Maxol Marathon in 1971, and really it suits me because I find it helpful to run to and from work.

(In 1971, Don Faircloth raced for Great Britain in the prestigious Kyoto Marathon (Japan), finishing second in 2.14.58.6. Unfortunately, possibly due to such intensive training at such a young age, he was prone to injuries, particularly stress fractures in shin or foot bones.)

Bill Rodgers (‘Boston Billy’) was an American marathon-racing legend, who won his local classic Boston Marathon four times; and also won the New York Marathon four times. His break-through came in March 1975 (when his age was 27) when won a bronze medal in the IAAF Cross-Country Championships in Morocco. He raced the 1976 Olympic Marathon. Bill’s personal best marathon was 2.9.27, when winning Boston in 1979. He went on to run 2.18.17 as an M40 Master! Overall, he ran faster than 2 hours 20 minutes in a marathon on 35 occasions.

He describes his 1978 training as follows. “I’d say pretty much about 95 per cent is done on the roads and usually around 6.30 minutes per mile pace. In the Fall, the Summer and the Spring, I usually do more track work. I try to hit the track like once a week, unless I race. In terms of the track workouts, they could be stuff like repeat half miles or three-quarter miles or miles usually maybe faster than race pace, with a three-minute jog between the miles. One workout I was doing last summer was run a quarter of a mile, jog 200, run half a mile, jog 200 …. and I’d do six of each. But I’ve never done really intensive track work like a lot of people do. Ultimately, I might; last summer I did some faster half miles, and I’ll try for more this year. I run some times in the woods, trails – stuff like that – and that’s pretty much about it. On the road, I generally try to hit around 20 miles a day – in two sessions. Usually, one about 11 to 13 miles, the other 8 to 10. I usually do about 22 miles on Sundays. I think I need 140 miles a week to be competitive. Sometimes, to get ready for a marathon, I think I have to go even higher. I know I’m in good shape if I can go 20 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon, or vice-versa, like once a week for a period of five to six weeks building up to a marathon.”

Kenny Moore is a highly respected American distance runner.   Also a talented and well known writer and journalist who never followed the precedent set by other international marathon runners and wrote about himself.   His main influence on others was the example he set by his running and the detail he put into his writing.   For a resume of his early career we need look no further than the start of the Wikipedia article.

“Moore was born in Portland, Oregon, on December 1, 1943. He attended North Eugene High School in Eugene, Oregon. He went on to study at the University of Oregon, where he raced for the Oregon Ducks under coach Bill Bowerman. He received All-American honors on three occasions and was pivotal to the Ducks winning the team national championship at the 1964 and 1965 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

After graduating from Oregon, Moore won the 1967 USA Cross Country Championships, as well as the USA Marathon Championships four years later.   He also won the San Francisco Bay to Breakers – the largest footrace in the world – six times in a row from 1968 to 1973, becoming the all-time leader in victories in the race.

Moore first ran the Olympic marathon at the 1968 Summer Games. He led early in the final, but finished fourteenth after suffering from severe blisters.  It was still the best performance among American competitors.   He joined the U.S. Army later that year, but was permitted to continue racing. He set the record for best time among American runners at the Fukuoka Marathon in 1969 and 1970, finishing runner-up in the latter race. Upon completing his military service, he returned to the University of Oregon and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing in 1972.   He again participated in the marathon at the Summer Olympics that year. Although he tripped and fell one mile into the race, he recovered and narrowly failed to win a medal after finishing fourth.”

That’s the outline, but at this point most would be asking how good he was as a runner.   We see from above what his competitive record was but how fast was he?   He has personal best times 

In the Marathon in the Mexico Olympics in 1968 there were 74 starters, 57 finishers and Moore was 14th in 2:29:49.4.   The conditions there were notoriously bad for endurance runners and in the marathon several high quality runners failed to finish (eg Jim Alder dropped out at 30 Km), other well known men were well down the field (John Stephen Akwari was 57th, Ireland’s Mick Molloy was 41st, New Zealand’s Dave McKenzie was 37th).   His splits are here with the rest of the top 15.

Came the 1972 Games in Munich and the difficulties were man-made rather than because of the altitude and heat.   It was the kidnapping of the Israely team and subsequent shoot out at the airport that almost caused the marathon and other events to be cancelled.   It went ahead however and Moore ran very well indeed.   There were 62 finishers and, although he was fourth he was only second American to finish.   First 15 again, but no splits unfortunately.

Just under 15 minutes faster than in Mexico.   The performances in the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan were quite spectacular.   His first run was on 7th December, 1969.   First time round he finished seventh in 2:13:27.8 compared to the winner’s 2:11:12.8.   The winner was Jerome Drayton of Canada prompting the writer K Ken Nakamura to point out that for the last four years the first runner in the race was from a British Commonwealth country.   The first eight were

Kenny Moore and Frank Shorter

In 1970, on December 6th, he was second in 2:11:35.8,  behind Akio Usami (Japan) who ran 2:10:37.8 which was a Japanese National best time.  After that race the top 15 best marathon times ever run were as follows.

Having established his credentials as a marathon runner, an international marathon runner, the question on everybody’s lips is: “How did he achieve so much?   How did he train to reach these heights in the races that counted?   One of the problems at this distance in time is that although he wrote well about the sport and about its participants, he never wrote in any kind of detail about his own training and racing, how they were planned out or what help he had when doing it.   We do have the following information from “How They Train” by Fred Wilt (supplied by Colin Youngson).   There is a considerable amount of detail here with warm-up, summer, autumn, winter and spring training plus general training.   Note that he includes training marks as ‘personal bests’ which is not general practice.

There is bit more insight in the article   Kenny Moore Marathon Training – LetsRun.com   from which the following is taken.   It is preparation for a particular race, the New York Marathon in 1978.

TRAINING: Ken trains at 9AM and 3PM 6 days per week and one long run on the 7th day beginning in late AM. His longest ever run is 43 miles. Preferred racing frequency is once a month and dwindling. Ken’s easy days are 3-5 mile jog in the morning and sometimes and easy three mile jog in the afternoon on Pre’s Trail. The following workouts were done prior to the 1978 New York Marathon.

Mon, September 26th –Easy day.

Tues–Brainstorm Eric Heiden, embellish notes,–run 6 x mile on Pre’s Trail in 4:40-4:44.

Wed–Easy day and garden work.

Thurs–Easy day.

Fri–32-mile run.

Sat–Easy day.

Sun–Easy day.

Mon–6×330 on grass(last 6 45.5-46), easy 6 miles.

Tues–Easy day.

Wed–Easy day.

Thurs–6 x mile @ 4:40.

Fri–Easy day.

Sat–Easy day.

Sun–28-mile run.

Mon–Easy day.

Tues–Easy day.

Wed–3×660(1:42), 440(66), 330(48), 220(32), 110(15), jog 10 miles.

Thurs–Easy day.

Fri–Easy day.

Sat–6 x mile @4:36

Sun–Easy day, fly to Washington D.C.

Mon–15 miles easy.

Tues–Easy day.

Wed–10 mile run, 1st five at 7:00 pace and second five at 5:00 pace.

Thurs–Easy day.

Fri–Easy day.

Sat–Easy day.

Sun–New York City Marathon, 2:16:29. Ken did not run for the next 8 days but on the 27th of October won a pumpkin carving contest at Bob Newland’s house.

Details such as these were avidly consumed by the runners during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s by athletes and were major influences on how they trained.   The latest in “Runner’s World” or “Track and Field Log”, the new book by one of the top runners sold out in the first edition – and often in subsequent editions depending on how good the athlete was or how successful the coach was.   Kenny Moore was one of the best runners and one of the best writers. 

The picture above shows Arthur Lydiard and two of his most famous athletes – Peter Snell and Murray Halberg – on the cover of his best known book which altered distance running training dramatically.   This was not just in his home in New Zealand, nor in the several countries in which he worked as a professional coach (Finland, Mexico) but wherever there were distance runners, distance running coaches.  He also appealed to people who just wanted to run for health reasons and is credited with starting the jogging boom which was developed by Bill Bowerman.      Not all those who know and like and have adopted his approach to training realise that he was a very good runner himself.   The photograph below shows him on second place on the podium after the New Zealand National Marathon in 1949.   The following year he represented his country in the Empire Games in Auckland finishing 12th in the marathon.

Lydiard presided over New Zealand’s golden era in world track and field during the 1960s sending Murray Halberg, Peter Snell and Barry Magee to the podium at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.   The rather hackneyed question of “Where were you when …” becomes for us “When did you first hear about Arthur Lydiard?”   For most of us it was at these very Olympics when the three already mentioned won medals for the country.   Snell was magnificent, defeating Moens of Belgium and the very smooth running George Kerr of the West Indies, Halberg was a source of wonder when he beat Grodotzki of a united German team and Magee?   The spectacular marathon in every sense of the word: run in the dark, two Africans shoulder to shoulder for most of the way, the one in bare feet from Ethiopia beating the Moroccan by 25 seconds with Magee third.   Times:  Bikila 2:15:16.2 (a world best), Rhadi 2:15:41.6 and Magee 2:17:18.2.   By the way, Magee had run in the 10,000m where he finished 26th, two days earlier.   Marvellous running by all three and that was when we heard of Arthur Lydiard.   We were desperate to hear more, that was true whether we ran 800m, 10,000m or 42.195 km.    

What did we read before the book appeared on the shelves?   The BAAB Booklets on Middle Distance Running   or   Marathon and Distance Running by such as Jim Alford which were good but nowhere as detailed as Lydiard; at club level experienced coaches followed the Conditioning period over the winter (often just a lot of steady running), a pre-season period and then the summer racing season.   These were often of unspecified lengths of time and individual coaches had their own tips and wrinkles.   Lydiard’s notions of the periodised year and coaches working backwards were revolutionary.

The following brief account of his training philosophy is taken from the Wikipedia entry as being the most succinct overview.

The marathon-conditioning phase of Lydiard’s system is known as base training, as it creates the foundation for all subsequent training. Lydiard’s emphasis on an endurance base for his athletes, combined with his introduction of periodisation in the training of distance runners, were the decisive elements in the world-beating success of the athletes he coached or influenced. All of the training elements were already there in the training of Roger Bannister, the first miler who broke the 4-minute barrier for the mile, but Lydiard increased distance and intensity of training and directed periodisation towards the Olympics and not the breaking of records.

Periodisation comprises emphasising different aspects of training in successive phases as an athlete approaches an intended target race.

• After the base training phase,  ie marathon training phase above), Lydiard advocated four to six weeks of strength work. This included hill running and springing. This improved running economy under maximal anaerobic conditions without the strain on the achilles tendon, as it was still done in training shoes.
• Only after this were spikes put on and a maximum of four weeks of anaerobic training followed. (Lydiard found through physiological testing that four weeks was the maximum amount of anaerobic development needed—any more caused negative effects such a decrease in aerobic enzymes and increased mental stress, often referred to as burnout, due to lowered blood pH.)
• Then followed a co-ordination phase of six weeks in which anaerobic work and volume taper off and the athlete races each week, learning from each race to fine-tune himself or herself for the target race. For Lydiard’s greatest athletes the target race was invariably an Olympic final.

Lydiard was renowned for his uncanny knack of ensuring that his athletes peaked for their most important races and, apart from his tremendous charisma and extraordinary ability to inspire and motivate athletes, this was largely a product of the periodisation principle he introduced into running training.

The progressive sharpening towards the targeted race is illustrated in this Pyramid by the ‘Running Wizard’ ( a site well worth visiting for many reasons – go to

http://www.runningwizard.net/

In the base training phase of his system Lydiard insisted, dogmatically, that his athletes—not least 800 metres athlete Peter Snell—must train 100 miles (160 km) a week. He was completely inflexible on this requirement. In the 1950s and 1960s, during the base phase of their training the athletes under Lydiard’s tutelage would run a 35 km Sunday training route, starting from his famed 5 Wainwright Avenue address in Mt Roskill, through steep and winding roads in the Waitakere mountain ranges. The total cumulative ascent in the Waitakeres was over 500 metres. After laying such an arduous endurance base Lydiard’s athletes—including Murray Halberg, Peter Snell, Barry Magee and John Davies—were ready to challenge the world, winning six Olympic medals amongst them in the 1960 Rome Olympics and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. “

The emphasis on the word ‘dogmatically’ is mine.   Like all ambassadors or evangelists for a new method he insisted that it was done exactly his way.   Many found it impossible to run 100 miles a week – their bodies just could not handle it.   But he, and those who had come through his training in person, stood by the dosage: Peter Snell for instance credited it with all his successes including world records and Olympic medals.   He was of course, wherever he went, expected to advocate what was in ‘the book’.    Lydiard wrote several books with the able assistance of Garth Gilmour, but two were pioneering works – “Run To The Top”    written in 1962, and    “Jogging with Lydiard” in 1983.   

In the late 1960’s he went to work in Finland where he enjoyed great success and is credited with the success 0f such as Pekka Vasala who won gold in the 1972 Munich Olympics and Lasse Viren who won double gold in 5000m and 10,000m at both Munich and Montreal Olympics.     He then moved on to Mexico where he was again successful in raising the standard of endurance running without emulating international games success as he had done previously.

Lydiard with some of his great New  Zealand squad – spot Halberg, Magee, Snell, Puckett

In Scotland his notions were adopted with enthusiasm, partly because of the obvious success that the New Zealand group had found with them, but also because it said in clear terms  “Here Is What You Do”: 10 weeks of this, six weeks of that, etc.  But there were difficulties for some in following it through for personal reasons to do with their physical make up.  Although it was often possible to work round that, there were also difficulties with the weather.   When he said that there were never any reasons not to go out, his runners were out in all weathers, that was fine.   

An example: the book was produced in 1962 and reached Clydebank in time for winter ’64/’65.   Two of us decided to give it a go and working backwards from the SAAA Marathon in 1965  started on our 100 mpw in October.   That was a particularly hard winter.   Lots of snow – icy pavements and even worse on occasion when it was black ice.   If most of your running had to be done on roads, then black ice was to be avoided.   There was also at that time serious mist, almost fog.   Nothing like the pea soupers of old but dense enough for us to not hear traffic which was going slowly and quietly along the road.   Nevertheless, with these minor reservations, his periodised year was adopted in Scotland with a fair degree of success by followers.   The joke question was “Aye, but do you do your 100 miles a week fast or steady?”   

Lydiard and his five principles remain as possibly the best and shortest guide to endurance running:

You can read more about the man, his theories and his deeds at the following links (note that the second one is a 33 page document):

Free Starter Plans — Lydiard™ Foundation (lydiardfoundation.org)

ARTHUR LYDIARD’S LECTURE (webs.com)

Training of Peter Snell – SweatElite

There are lots more but don’t forget the comprehensive article in Wikipedia at 

Arthur Lydiard – Wikipedia