AW 50 years ago
Back on October 3, 1970, Athletics Weekly magazine cost two shillings (10p) but it’s worth noting that entry for the Harlow Marathon was 5 shillings (25p), the Wimbledon 10 was 3 shillings and sixpence (18p), a Bukta Zippa tracksuit cost 65 shillings (£3!) and a pair of men’s shorts 11 shillings and 9 pence (less than 60p).
The editor was Mel Watman, who is still editing athletics publications (Athletics International, alongside Peter Matthews).
European junior high hurdles champion Berwyn Price was the cover star. Price went on to win the 1978 Commonwealth Games for Wales.
One coincidence 50 years on is that there is a report on the London Marathon. Admittedly a different one - organised by Highgate Harriers on a hilly course in north London.
The race was won by Bernie Allen in 2:25:51 and seventh of the 19 finishers (in 2:57:18) was Alan Storey, who was a long-time race director of the better known London Marathon.
The report was by Alastair Aitken who still submits reports to the magazine.
The main report in that’s week’s magazine was of the UK v West Germany Junior match at Leicester, with the Germans winning both matches. The men’s report was by Dave Cocksedge and the women’s by Cliff Temple.
Dave Jenkins, who was to win the European senior title in less than a year, won the 400m in 47.3 and anchored the 4x400m with a 46.3 leg as Britain set a European junior record of 3:10.8.
Nick Rose, who won the M65 Masters International in 2017 and won a Commonwealth 5000m silver in 1982, narrowly lost out in the 1500m to Thomas Wessinghage, who went on to win the European 5000m title in 1982.
Chris Monk, who is still winning BMAF medals as a M65, won the 200m in 22.1.
Brian Hooper was last in the pole vault with 3.80m, 10 years before he set a British record of 5.59m.
Karl-Heinz Riehm won the hammer with 63.68m ahead of Ian Chipchase’s British junior record of 59.14m. The German set a world record in 1975 where he uniquely broke the previous record with all six throws with a best of 78.50m. He set another world record of 80.32m in 1980.
In the women’s match, there were less future stars but 1974 European medallist Andrea Lynch won the 100m in 12.1.
The 200m was won by Helen Golden, though most eyes were on second-placer Sonia Lannaman, who aged just 14 became the youngest ever British international.
Lannaman sensationally won a 100m match race against Russia in 1976 in a windy 10.8 though her competitive highlight was winning the 1978 Commonwealth title.
Lannaman also features in the Midland Junior Pentathlon which she won easily with 3630 points.
That meeting contained a junior women’s 1500m which is labelled experimental (usually 800m was considered the limit for junior athletes) and it was won by Mary Stewart, who was to go on at the distance and set a world indoor record and win the European indoor title in 1977 and then the 1978 Commonwealth title.
Also on the track, the Southern League promotion matches at Guildford saw Andy Carter, two years before making the Olympic final, win the 1500m and finish second at both 200m and 400m to AAA 400m champion Martin Bilham.
Tony Simmons, who was a very close second in the 1974 European 10,000m, won the steeplechase in 9:33.6 at Hendon.
The Southern and Junior Inter Counties Championships at Enfield saw a 12.2 and 24.7 intermediate sprint double for Donna Murray, who went on to win the Commonwealth 400m in 1978 as Donna Hartley.
The junior 800m was won by Lesley Cobden in a championship record 2:19.1 just ahead of Christina Boxer’s 2:19.4. Boxer went on to win Commonwealth 1500m gold and finish fourth in the 1984 Olympics. Third was Lesley Kiernan, who went on to finish second in the 1973 European Juniors (when she was Steve Ovett’s girlfriend) and won the UK title in 1977 and ran 2:01.48.
There is a report of the London Championships, which marked the official opening of the £155,000 West London Stadium and the report is by Tom Pollak, who still reported for the magazine in 2020.
Keith Penny, one of Britain’s most prolific road runners, won the 1500m with now top coach Mike Dunphy in third, while third in the 800m was Malcolm Brown, who also enjoyed lots of coaching success, highlighted by his work with the Olympic triathlon medallists the Brownlees.
The best quality road race result looks to be the Nuneaton 10 won on a very hot day by Ron Grove in 49:09, with Athens Marathon winner Bill Adcocks sixth and 1964 Olympic silver medallist Basil Heatley 11th.
Top coach Bud Baldaro was 19th in 52:40 just ahead of Ray Smedley, the 1972 Olympic 1500m runner on 52:51.
Worth noting the fastest 10 miles 50 years later in the UK in 2020 is just 49:30, though there have been less opportunities to run the distance this year.
There is a report on the Maidstone road races and the winner of the Youths 3 miles was Barry Smith, whose moment of glory was winning the IAAF Golden 5000 at Gateshead 11 years later.
Bolton won the Hollingworth Lake Relays with Mike Freary, a previous UK 10,000m record-holder and father of AW shoe guru Paul, the fastest eight seconds up on world indoor 3000m record-holder and European champion Ricky Wilde, while the great Ron Hill, the reigning European and Commonwealth marathon champion, was fourth quickest.
The Cambridge Harriers Relay saw a win for the hosts in a record time and their team included 1968 Olympian Maurice Benn and future and past British marathon champions Barry Watson and Graham Taylor and the aforementioned Keith Penny. They won from Hercules Wimbledon who were spearheaded by the Holt twins and fellow international Mick Beevor and their team included long time AW correspondent Pete Mulholland.
Aldershot in fourth included future National champion Bernie Ford and top coach Mick Woods while Belgrave in fifth included future Olympic steeplechaser John Bicourt.
Phil Banning won the Salisbury five miles in a fast 23:21 with long time AW contributor Martin Duff 11th.
Another future Olympic steeplechaser Tony Staynings won the accompanying young athletes' race with Andy Barnett, who set numerous world teenage age records at 1500m and the mile, in fifth and Nigel Gates, who went on to become one of Britain’s greatest ever vets and is still setting UK marks in the M65’s, ninth.
The magazine also contained a photo spread of the recent Universiade.
Away from the action, in the magazine there is a spread made up of new IAAF rule changes including new doping rules which are probably a little more extensive 50 years on.
Finally, in a preview for next week, it states there is the first of a new series of 'Who’s Who in British Athletics' featuring Brendan Foster.
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