D.O.B: 4/9/46

PLACE OF BIRTH :Rotherham, Yorkshire although regard Cleethorpes Lincolnshire as my home town where I went to live aged 2.

YEAR STARTED RUNNING:1980 training for my first London Marathon

HOW LONG BEEN A P.R.C MEMBER : 21 years
FORMER CLUBS : Hillingdon AC(living in Ruislip), Frodsham Harriers(living in

Frodsham) and I am also a second claim member of Cleethorpes AC and Northern Vets

RACE HISTORY: P.B's, YEAR and EVENT ACHIEVED
5km: 18.24 Wrexham 1991
5m: 29.55 Prestatyn 1991
10km:  36.59 Backford(Chester) 1985
10m:  63.10 Wrexham 1991 have also done 10m in about 61minutes two or three times within half marathons
Half Marathon: 1.21.13 Warrington 1986 
Marathon:  2.58.08 London 1990

MAIN HONOURS: Have been lucky to pick up occasional age group prize when the favourites haven’t bothered to turn up!

BEST MOMENT: Breaking 3hours in Grimsby at end of Humber Bridge Marathon in 1985.
FAVOURITE TRAINING SESSION/ROUTE: The long Sunday off road run. Phil, myself and our dear friend Eddie Faure started this together in 1994. All our knowledge of local footpaths came from Eddie. We now have a small group of enthusiastic runners leaving the Saints at 8.30 sharp apart from Sundays when there is a Border League or other important race. Everyone is welcome.

SPORTING HERO/HEROINE :  Bill Shankly – Grimsby Town manager 1951-1954. I believe he later found success with another club! As a student in Liverpool 1965-1968 and a football fan I was in the right place at the right time to witness many memorable Anfield moments, for example the time when Gary Sprake, the Leeds keeper, threw the ball into his own net at the Kop End.
OTHER SPORTS ENJOYED: Grimsby Town football club supporter since the age of six. Grimsby’s ground is actually in Cleethorpes and have been proud to support my home town through good and (often) bad times. Have also watched a lot of cricket over the years.

WHAT I WOULD WISH FOR PRC CLUB :  To continue to be the friendly club that it is, full of really nice people.

FAVOURITE RACE:Has to be the Castles Relay which I have been lucky enough to compete in 15 times. More locally I would choose the Sandstone Trail Race, a 17 mile jaunt through the Cheshire countryside.

HARDEST RACE:Must be the Snowdonia Marathon 2008. Thank you Tracy, Jo and Glenda and family for your much needed support!

FAVOURITE RACE DISTANCE :  On the road the Half Marathon(82 completed) off road cross country, preferably not flat.

FAVOURITE SPORTING MOMENTS: Sorry for all the Grimsby Town references but I would choose watching Grimsby at the Old Wembley twice in 1998 with sons James and Matthew.

I was also at Headingley Leeds in 1981 when Ian Botham destroyed the Australian bowling and set up an England test victory.

PLACES YOU'D LIKE TO RUN: Just happy still to be running.
PREFERED SURFACE:  Definitely off road, although cross country, even at school, has always been my favourite type of running. Phil has converted me to fell running, provided it doesn’t involve the type of race where you walk up a very steep hill for half an hour then turn round and run down. Probably disliked because of my inability to run down hill quickly.

FAVOURITE T.V :  Too many reality shows for my liking in the style of I’m a nonentity, get me in there! Too many cookicooking programmes, make overs, talent shows with karaoke singers, celebrity dancing, property programmes etc .

Apologise for the grumpy old man bit!

Do enjoy comedy shows. Best recent one Peter Kay’s spoof of X Factor. Favourite old show Blackadder but I really prefer the wireless to tv, Radio 4 by choice, which I can listen to while working.

FAVOURITE FILM:  The Godfather part 2 or Once upon a time in America
FAVOURITE ACTOR:  Robert de Niro
FAVOURITE TV PERSONALITY:  Peter Kay

FAVOURITE SINGER/GROUP:   The Dirty Dogs – Prestatyn covers band got me interested in “modern” groups, eg Kaiser Chiefs, Snow Patrol, Kings of Leon.

Have been a pop music fan since the late 1950’s starting with Elvis, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, Beatles in the 1960’s and ELO and Pink Floyd in 1970’s In later years my children kept me up to date with the likes of Oasis, Keane, Coldplay, Stereophonics and The Verve. Even got to enjoy some of the songs of Take That!
HATES/DISLIKES: In spite of what has happened to our family I try to retain a positive attitude to life.

 

 

FAVOURITE SCHOOL SUBJECT : History 

WORST SCHOOL SUBJECT :  Science
OTHER HOBBIES:  Member of Ramblers Association and RSPB. Enjoy feeding Badgers in my garden and also like to visit steam railways(get the anorak out!)
FAVOURITE QUOTE:  “some people think football is a matter of life and death…..I can assure them it is much more serious than that” Bill Shankly

MOST VISITED WEBSITE: HM Revenue & Customs!

RINGTONE ON MY MOBILE PHONE: Same as home phone. Boring I know.

 

 

Glenda has kindly allowed me some extra space to say a few words about my dear son Matthew. I wasn’t altogether too happy about doing this profile in the circumstances, but including Matthew makes me feel a bit better about it.

Matthew was a member of the club from 1991 (age 6) until he was around age 11. His first race ,aged 6, was the Tetra Pak 3km in Wrexham where he ran with his brother and sister. My training diary tells me that I did the accompanying 10km. I have many happy memories of taking Matthew with James and Becky to Deeside to run the Sunday cross-country series. I usually bribed him with a promise of sweets after his run! Matthew always ran with a lot of determination and this quality stood him in good stead when he became more interested in playing football than running. He was also a very keen football fan, naturally supporting Grimsby Town.

 

Over the years Matthew, his brother James and myself travelled many miles supporting Grimsby home and away. When James and I followed Grimsby to the new Wembley Stadium in May 2008 we were keenly aware that Matthew couldn’t be there with us.

We all miss him terribly

Saints Fitness Centre Meliden