Still Running (weakly). Issue 59

PAST – inspiration – 100 years ago last Thursday, 11th July, Eric Liddell won the 400 metres at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, a story at the centre of the film, Chariots of Fire. Cinema demanded that Colin Welland, the screenwriter, took certain liberties with the facts, but the essence of Liddell’s religious beliefs and his refusal to run on a Sunday are faithfully reproduced.

(Liddell was going to run the 100 against Harold Abrahams, but discovered that a heat was on his sabbath, and so switched to the 400 several months before the games.)

It is also true he was handed a piece of paper before the final, but not, as the film has it, by Jackson Scholz, the American who had earlier won the 200, but by one of the GB team masseurs. The paper read: “In the old book it says: ‘He that honours me I will honour.’ Wishing you the best of success always.”

After the games, Liddell gave up running and worked as a missionary in China from 1925 to 1943, when he was interned by the invading Japanese army. He died in Weifang Camp on 21st February 1945.

PRESENT – perspiration – Liddell would be excited at the prospects of Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain, ranked 2nd in the world at 400 this year, and his compatriot, Charlie Dobson, still learning the event at 24, but world-ranked 16th notwithstanding (with running, actually.)

But if we are talking about prodigious talent, then look no further than Phoebe Gill, who won our Olympic 800 metres trials (in the absence of Keely Hodgkinson admittedly) and had earlier in the year improved her personal best from 2:01.50 to 1:57.86, a new European under-18 record, having only turned 17 in April. She needs to finish her school exams before seeing what she can do at the Olympics! Female 800 and 1500 runners better win what medals they can before this young lady sweeps all before her!

And a word here for Ben Pattison, aged 22, who runs for my club, Basingstoke and Mid Hants AC. He was World Championship bronze medallist last year, and last week in Monaco, took his 800 PB all the way down to 1:42.27, behind only Seb Coe’s 1:41.73 (1981) on the UK all-time list. True, he was only 5th in that race, but in an Olympic final, with no pacemakers, he has all the weapons………..

FUTURE – suggestion – Athletics tracks – scary places! Athletics track races – positively petrifying! But, with the sound of Olympic commentary perhaps still ringing in your ears, why not have a go at a track race this summer? There are lots of open meetings during the warmer months, catering for all standards, and your 5km and 10km capabilities would certainly improve with a flat-out 1500 or 3000 test.

Track meets feel good, serious, professional. The race will be hard, but it’ll be over before you know it. You’ll probably get a new PB (OK, so you haven’t run one before (doesn’t matter)). But there’s no hiding place out there – you’ve got to go for it. Have a couple of days off beforehand and do warmup well – you’ll set off faster than you think, and your muscles better be ready.

But your warm-down jog will be filled with that lovely, mellow, I’ve-done-it-and-survived feeling.