Centenary celebrations amid a pandemic
The biggest celebration in the history of an athletics club is surely its centenary. Founded in 1920, Croydon Harriers and the town therefore set sights on something very special last year. We could not, however, by any stretch of imagination have contemplated the intrusion of anything approaching that of Covid-19, which unceremoniously descend upon us.
Months ahead, plans had been made for special events and activities. Croydon Council offered 10 display sites in the town centre for typically superb photographs provided by club vice president Mark Shearman. In addition, they designed a fine celebration logo at no cost to the club, for use on publicity, souvenirs and more.
A re-union banquet was to be the centrepiece of a significantly enhanced programme of activities, planned by a sub-committee set up early in 2019. The club cross country championships early in March were a success on a beautiful sunny Saturday. Elsewhere, Lawrence Okoye showed an exciting return to world-class discus throwing in Germany and some Harriers enjoyed typical indoor outings at Lee Valley and in the USA. We were all looking forward to an exciting season and hopefully to competitive link ups with established European friends in Arnhem, Braunschweig, Freising and Rimbach.
Nobody could have imagined what sledge hammer would soon hit our plans. The early tremors of Covid-19 would, we naively assumed, go as quickly as they came. As we all now know to our cost that was not to be. The Croydon Arena closed and all training transferred to local parks and roads.
The cancellation of the London Marathon prompted several Croydon enthusiasts to do their own thing. Rush Yadave devised a marathon course of his own which incorporated three ascents of one of the toughest in the area, completing his 129th marathon solo, while steeplechase “addict” Terry Lapins, deprived of his chosen lap of glory round the Croydon track, ran the missing distance less a yard, in the car park, before “lapping” the nearest lamp post outside!
It soon became apparent that we would all be forced to adapt dramatically. Coaches had to be careful and inventive to produce safe and sensible programmes for the athletes in their care. Group size and social distancing became paramount considerations.
The red-hot sprint group trimmed to acceptable units, clearly surprised several dogs which saw them as a challenge or something to chase rather than balls! Meanwhile middle-distance runners capitalised on the undulations for some fearsome fartlek sessions. An example of innovation for high jumpers was run-ups in front of football goals, where cross bars approximate to Javier Sotomayor’s best, to see how high hands could swing up in front of them, that was until the Parks Department dismantled the goals!
Numerous home and individual challenges were devised with particular attention to retaining the interest of young members. Throwers inevitably found that with cages, circles and safe areas hard to access, that specific pursuit of their disciplines was at times impossible. On good authority we were told that one of our enthusiasts caused a flying saucer scare!
The promotion of annual 10km charity road race became inevitable, but our traditionally minded president elect David Betts travelled up from Sussex for a symbolic run round the regular course.
Later on, thanks to the hospitality of South London Harriers, we were able to hold some high and long jump training and in return gave some of their youngsters some coaching.
Summer fixtures were hold throughout the country and the Fairfield Halls, our chosen banquet venue, was mothballed leading to cancellation and the laborious return of some 200 deposits. Disappointed members past and present would miss the club’s greatest projected social event, including the pleasure of chief guest Tim Hutchings recounting our major achievements and the opportunity of being gently persuaded by expert interviewer Peter Matthews to tell some entertaining tit bits to many eager ears.
On the chosen day members were encouraged to form club colour thematic blue and white dining “bubbles”. Some ingenious menus were devised and a splendid celebration cake was made in the shape of a club vest, which was shared out widely later.
We also staged a world-wide zoom meeting, presided over by our patron, Dutch Knight Antony Owers, resplendent in a rather tight club vest circa 1970, from his balcony in Wilhelmstad, Curacao. Several former club presidents, captains and many other enthusiasts of all ages made it a truly memorable occasion.
A virtual relay was devised and successfully encompassed members past and present, home and away, as far afield as Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United States.
New and younger members in particular were deprived of a unique opportunity to meet our Olympians past and present, Shirley Berry nee Cawley, James Dasaolu, Donna Fraser, Judy Oakes, Lawrence Okoye and Martyn Rooney, most of whom it had been expected would grace the occasion.
A range of souvenirs featuring the centenary log was produced, which included poignantly relevant Covid-19 masks, plus caps clothing, mugs, tea towels and wine. Two more traditional badges with special 1920-2020 additions were also made and a limited edition, copiously illustrated Croydon Harriers Centenary History book is soon to be published.
In December the club presidency was personally transferred with the aid of litter pincers by the safely spaced duo, in the very fresh air at the Box Hill viewpoint. It had been hoped that a group of Croydon Harriers would have run from the club’s first century into the second past the Town Hall clock before and after midnight on New Year’s Eve, but not surprisingly with Covid-19 rampant, prompted wisdom precluded that.
The final most welcome bit of icing on our celebration cake came on December 30 when the New Year Honours list featured Olympian Donna Fraser as an OBE.
Later the honour of first recorded Croydon Harriers second century action went former 400m hurdler Jason Davenhill, proudly wearing his centennial t-shirt, pictured for posterity leaving home in Shropshire for solo exercise.
We hope that any other 100-year-old clubs managed to salvage as much of their 2020 celebration year as we did – and we wish then all the very best for their next century.
» The author, Mike Fleet, was a finalist in the 1962 Commonwealth Games 880 yards and is pictured above in the main image with his wife Nicola. Supplementary photographs by Mark Shearman
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