Page 4 - BBHAC Winter 2015-16 Gazette
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event athletes and vice versa. Ian Wilson, John Baldwin, Southern and National level.
We also had a large group Chris Haines and Graham One of the highlights was
of supporters, with many Botley. winning the National 12 stage
’Heathens coming along to road relay in 1995, clocking
watch the team. Bob Taylor The four British league races one of the fastest times ever
and team manager Andy were the highlight of the recorded on the well known
Frankish played a large part summer track season at that Sutton Park course.
in the success, a role which time and I used to run 800m
Pat Calnan has done very and/or 1500m and often the By that time I had moved
successfully in more recent 4x400m relay. There were to Loughborough, having
years. no BMC meetings and very started a new job at Sutton
The knowledge that few open meetings to take Bonington with the Milk
experienced athletes pass on the limelight away from club Marketing Board. In the
to younger club members is competition. The BMC do a 1990s I concentrated more
a key factor in the success of fantastic job and allow people on longer distances and ran
our sport and many people the opportunity to run fast PBs of 29:14 for 10,000m,
at Blackheath gave me good times but in many ways it is a 63:50 for Half Marathon and
advice in my early years at the shame that club competition 2:15.49 for the Marathon. I
club, including Richard Coles, isn’t considered such a high ran five Marathons for GB,
priority for today’s runners. including a 2:17 clocking
11th place in the Berlin The County Championships at the 1994 European
Marathon with a time of 2hrs (always Yorkshire for Championships in Helsinki
15mins me!), Southern and AAAs and a 2:18 run in the 1995
Championships were also World Cup in Athens.
key races for me, as I felt that Perhaps Athens was my best
trying to win Championship ever marathon as I finished
medals was more important 18th and first GB on the
than running fast times. tough course which runs
from the village of Marathon
During the 1980s I gradually and finishes in the 1896
improved my track times, Panathinaikon Stadium in
clocking 1:51.1 for 800m (1982) Athens.
3:44.9 for 1500m (1986) and
13:59 for 5000m (1988). Although I lived in
Loughborough, I was always
During the 1980s a loyal Blackheath athlete
Blackheath’s cross country and competed in league races
and road teams also got whenever possible. Over the
better and better, directed years I managed to win club
by club captain Graham championships at 5000m,
Botley. In 1986 we won the 5 miles cross country, 7½
Southern Cross Country miles cross country and
Championships and that was four marathon club titles in
the start of many successful London.
years for the club at both
