I KNOW ROY FOWLER WAS NOT A SOUTHENER OR A LONDON MAN BUT HE WAS SO INSPIRATIONAL FOR ANY ATHLETE WHO WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE TO LOOK UP TO AS A DISTANCE RUNNER, WITH HIS FANTASTIC COURAGE SO, I FELT MY OBIT ON HIM SHOULD BE SEEN BY THE PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT RUNNING IN LONDON. I AM SURE THE ATHLETICS WEBSITE 'KING' RICHARD XERRI WOULD AGREE,  AS WOULD HIS RIVALS, SUCH GREAT RUNNERS FROM THE SOUTH WHO COMPETED AGAINST ROY, LIKE TIM JOHNSTON, who won the Inter-counties, Southern and British Universities in 1963 in the snow, plus  outstanding cross country man GERRY NORTH .

It is a great relief and social event for the City workers, who cast aside their suits, to compete either with shorts and tea shirts/ singlet's or shorts and bare chested, as the temperature was rising into the 80's.

JOHN SALISBURY (Born 26.1.34) was easily one of the best 4x400 relay runners in the World, fifty one years ago, and gained a silver medal in the individual 400m in the European Games in Stockholm in 1958 (46.5 on cinders). Also in' 58 he was a European relay gold medallist and a silver one in the Commonwealth Games, as well as gaining a bronze medal in the Olympic of 1956.

THE INSURANCE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS at the Millennium Stadium, Battersea, on the eve of the 10th of June resurrected the interest in insurance athletics that had been dying a death in the last year writes Alastair Aitken for Running in London.

It is not often you recognise someone from pictures in old scrapbooks, from 45 years ago but, that happened to me at Ewell Court on the 23rd of May. The name was JOHN SNOWDEN (who did 4:03.6 for the mile), who ran in GORDON PIRIE'S epic last international as an amateur at the White City Stadium IN 1961. said Alastair Aitken

TERRY BISSETT (born 17.3.43) of Epsom & Ewell AC was the 'Star' performer on the track in the Surrey Veterans Track & Field Championships at Ewell Court on the 3rd of May reports Alastair Aitken

It is very noticeable that the County Track & Field County Championships are not used as a  stepping stone to future success by many senior athletes these days.
    I talked to three well informed people about this at the Middlesex Track & Fields Championships on May the 9th for Running in London writes Alastair Aitken.

On May the 9th was the Middlesex Championships at Hendon in good intermitent sunny weather
    In recent years the Middlesex County Championships has had a dearth of performers in the middle and long distance events especially in the Men's events writes Alastair Aitken

JOHN HALL is remarkable in that at 60 years of age he is able to combine race walking at a high level with much administration work in the sport writes Alastair Aitken. He is the current President of Belgrave Harriers, that he has been a member of for 38 years and a past President of Middlesex County athletics Association, as well as doing several Admin jobs with the Civil Service Athletics.

NICK GOOLAB OF BELGRAVE HARRIERS WAS THE REVELATION OF THE UK WINTER CROSS COUNTRY SEASON
writes Alastair Aitken. I first spoke to him after last year's Middlesex Junior cross country Championships when, he fought out a close battle with Highgate's, North of Thames cross country Champion Saningo Martyn, son of Highgate marathon runner Nicky Martyn

.Nicky Martyn (Highgate Harriers) - the winner of the Over 45 title in the London Marathon 2009 - Picture by Jeremy Hemming

MARA YAMAUCHI WAS THE OUTSTANDING BRITISH PERFORMER IN THE LONDON MARATHON 2009.
She talked to Alastair Aitken for RUNNING IN LONDON and R.R.C at the London Marathon Exhibition. Mara improved her best time of 2:25:03, when winning in Osaka, to a British Over 35 best of 2:23:12 in London.

Mick McGEOCH will have run the LONDON MARATHON 28 times this year in 2009 and, his point of view which I gained at the National road relay at Sutton Coldfield, definitely, seemed something worth relating to Running IN London says Alastair Aitken. McGeoch who has had a very good marathon record, was once the British Masters 5000m Over 40 Champion and is organiser of the Barry 40 Mile race.

JOYCE SMITH M.B.E. (born 26th of October 1937) and her husband BRYAN SMITH of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, are constantly needed to officiate at countless events in and around London. When Joyce Smith bustles round at meetings, helping out, very few indeed, mostly amongst the younger generation, would recognise or realise that she was one of the All-Time Greats of British Distance running.
    She broke the British record for the marathon six times and the sixth was 2:29:43 in the London of 1982, when New Zealand's Lorraine Moller was second in 2:36:15 Smith also won the first London in 1981 in 2:29:57.

In the National 12 stage road relay Championships, at Sutton Coldfield on the 18th of April London club, Belgrave Harriers, had a clear cut victory by several minutes. In the race in brilliant Spring sunshine, at Sutton Park,  Mark Miles, took them into the lead as early as leg 3 and they maintained that to the finish. Another London club, Newham & Essex Beagles, were a good second but Mike Buntin, of the historic relay club Tipton, only managed to slip past Paul Sorrie of Shettleston in the last 15 metres up the final hill for third. Phil Wicks of Belgrave ran the fastest long leg of 25.13 and talked to Alastair Aitken for Running in London straight after the event:

FLORIAN NEUSCHWANDER, 27 years old, who runs for LG Stadt Werker Munchen was the 'Star' of the Highgate Harriers Open Meeting, on the first of April. The German was following up three wins and second on the road in the UK, leading all the way at the Hampstead Heath track to win the 3000 in 8:37.8. reports Alastair Aitken

Mike Barratt, is known by many great athletes who have run out from Lauriston Cottage, Wimbledon. A Mecca of distance running. Such names as Dave Clarke, John Roberts and Tim Johnston were amongst the many names....writes Alastair Aitken
 
 
 

 In the first Annual Mob Match in 1886 Blackheath won  with 60 points to SLH's 120. This time, in 2009, South London were easily the strongest on their home turf at Coulsdon scoring 921 to Blackheath's 1570 in a 34 to score match.

more pics here...

Ok, it was muddy but not quite this muddy!!!!!!..........

copyright ril.com

    It was no surprise, as Woodford were never out of the first two in Division One in any of the fixtures but the other Premier Division club Shaftesbury Barnet were overhauled by Serpentine RC for second place,

Three talented Woodford Green runners who will be well worth watching in the future, are all from the same family
Jessica Sparke, who has had a slight injury lately and her twin sister Katherine Sparke, both 21, both already internationals and then there is Ronnie Sparke, a first year Under 20 junior athlete who won the Southern Cross country (U17) last year writes Alastair Aitken.

The SOUTHERN SENIOR CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS was over mostly glue like, squelching ground, at Hillingdon House Farm. Phil Wicks and Neilson Hall, who came third, disputed the lead at the end of the first of four laps.  Wicks then started to break away. Wicks was 100m clear of  Ben Whitby, running in second place, with half  a mile left to do of the testing Hillingdon course. By the finish there was only five seconds between them but Wicks, had done enough to have a solid victory reports Alastair Aitken exclusively for runninginlondon.com .

Clare Elms, who was 45 on Boxing Day is the revelation of Veterans/Masters athletics in the last couple of years, if you consider she only started training over half way through 2006........writes Alastair Aitken

3 pm on Saturday I was grazing on a beach in Oz so ws unable to take any pictures of the race..........

Harry Tempan is a name few will know about unless they look deep into Athletics Data as he no longer competes in the major Masters Athletic Championships but, at 83 years of age, he still has an amazing turn of speed over 400/800 and 1500 Writes ALASTAIR AITKEN.

DOUG FOTHERINGHAM THE IRREPRESSIBLE BELGRAVE RACE WALKER GOES ON AND ON WINNING writes Alastair Aitken

DOUG FOTHERINHAM now 78 years old won the M75 3000m walk in the British Masters Championships in Alexander Stadium, on the 5th of July 2008 in 19:39:89.

INTERNATIONAL STEEPLECHASER ADAM BOWDEN, who last won the North of Thames Championship in 2003 took his Harrow Athletic Club to a clear victory reports Alastair Aitken.

 Peter Nowill, ran away from the Fraternity Cup field after 2 miles covered in Trent Park reports Alastair Aitken

Runninginlondon brings us the second part of this insightful interview............