Still Running (weakly). Issue 173

PAST – inspiration – “A huge vat of soup tipped over, and I was caught in the rush.  I had terrible burns.  They sent an SOS to my mother, because they honestly didn’t think I was going to make it.  I was in a coma for quite a long while.  I have thought it over laterally in my life, and I think, because of the pain of the burns, I was able to take more discomfort in the race walking.”

Bill Sutherland’s mother had sent him to a scripture camp on the Isle of Arran, where this accident occurred.

I have only recently seen the interview with Bill where he recounts this story, reminding me of the burns that fellow athletes Alison dos Santos and Glenn Cunningham suffered in their early years – as well as Ana Quirot later on – and which perhaps also spurred them on to adult success.

Bill competed for Great Britain in race walking in the late 60s and early 70s, and for Scotland in the 1970 Commonwealth Games, where he won a shock bronze medal in the 20 miles walk.  It was such a surprise that David Coleman did not know who he was, simply referring to him as, “the tall policeman.”

In his later walking career, having tried and failed to walk 100 miles in 24 hours twice before, Bill finally became Centurion number 890 in 1991 on the ’10 laps of 10 miles’ circuit at Ewhurst, Surrey.  He only just made it, recording 23:49:36, a triumph that can be attributed in part to his wife, Kath, who hid his chair when he came round at the end of every 10-mile lap, so that he could not sit down and stiffen up!

In later life, the Highgate Harrier has become a regular at his local parkrun, strolling round the 5km and more recently volunteering.

PRESENT – perspiration – One thing that caught my eye from the recent World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen was the presence of Theo Quax, who was running the 5km for New Zealand.

Theo’s father was Dick Quax, who ran for NZ through the 1970s.  He claimed Commonwealth silver in the 1500 behind Kip Keino of Kenya in 1970.  And he was just beaten by Lasse Viren in the epic Olympic 5000 in 1976 – gold to Viren, silver to Quax, bronze to a diving Hildenbrand, 4th was Rod Dixon, also a Kiwi, with Brendan Foster 5th and Ian Stewart 7th.

(Bit of a tangent on Ian Stewart – 1969 European gold, 1970 Commonwealth gold, 1972 Olympic bronze, all at 5000, 1975 European Indoor 3000 gold and a week later International Cross Country gold.  Stewart always claimed he was in great 10,000 shape in 1976, not so great for 5000.  But he blistered badly in the British Olympic 10,000 trials and was only selected for the 5000.  He always claimed he could have made an impact at 10,000 in Montreal – and given his competitive record, one can only wonder.)

Shortly before the 1976 Olympics, Quax set out to break the world 5000 record in Stockholm, missing it by one-tenth of a second in 13:13.10.  (Puttemans’s record was 13:13.0.)  In a remarkable turn of events, he went back to Stockholm a year later and ran 13:12.87 to break it!

Theo placed 43rd in Copenhagen.

FUTURE – suggestion – Bill Sutherland’s wife hiding his chair reminds me of other ‘tricks’ that athletes or their supporters use.

There’s Grete Waitz (9-time New York City marathon winner, World Marathon Champion 1983, multiple World Cross-Country Champion), who would only do 9 miles on her morning run.  She knew that she would not be content with a single-digit day, so doing 9 would mean that she would get out for a second run in the freezing cold Norwegian winter evening.

Many runners, trying to get an early start, put their alarm clocks on the other side of the bedroom, so that they will have to get out of bed to turn them off – avoiding the risk of turning them off whilst still in bed and going back to sleep.

William Sichel, a GB ultra international and cancer survivor, wore his GB vest to his chemotherapy sessions, bolstering his positive mental attitude by reminding himself of what he wanted to get back to.

I also like the story about Steve Davis, the 6 times world snooker champion.  Early in his career, he would go to a snooker hall to practise, and he would buy himself a pint of lemonade and a cheese roll.  And he would not allow himself a sip of drink until he had made a break of 50, nor a bite of his roll until he had made a break of 100.

There’s three-time Barkley Marathons finisher John Kelly, who, desperately needing a nap, deliberately lay down with his head in a puddle so that he would be too uncomfortable to sleep for very long at all!

And, on a slightly different note, I recall a children’s story that concerns three Mexican brothers who take it in turns to guard their family’s treasure through the night.  The only way that one of them finally stays awake is by placing cacti on either side of him, so that any slight nodding off would result in an immediate stabbing awake!