Dennis Briggs  

I was originally inspired into running by watching the London marathon on tv. I played a little football, not part of any proper team.

What schools did you go to and did you do sport at them?

I went to Kingsmead Primary School then Hackney Free and Parochial c of e secondary school. Apart from PE no sports were played at either school.

What is your current occupation and does that allow you to fit in your training easily?

I am a Fabricator Welder. I manage to get to most training sessions so I would say yes, it is.

Greatest Running Rival?

Can’t say if I have been doing this long enough to have a rival. There isn’t much rivalry for the 83^rd place in races. lol

Favourite Park Run and Why?

I have only done 5 different parkruns, so Valentines is my favourite. It’s a good flat course I’ve ran it 30 times and volunteered a few times as well. Its has a good size cafe for the post parkrun tea.

First Single and Album you ever bought?

I cannot Remember to be honest sorry I never had a favourite singer band as I grew up.

Did you know you shared the same Birthday as Terry Knightley being 22nd July albeit 15 years apart ?
Do you think knowing this will affect your running career?

Yes, I did know this. No, I don’t think it will affect my running career. Unless you can only have one person per birthdate in a running club. In that case I would have to leave and join D88 where I would get worse at running but better at raffles.

What’s your worst Injury and how did you overcome it?
24th  September 2013
Torn ACL/MCL and damaged meniscus of the left knee. Which I suffered when a car hit me when I was waiting to turn right on my scooter I took nearly 2 years to get back from that. Everything apart from my ACL (which has no blood supply so will never heal) A month after that I got a Ballot place in the marathon.
I had to wear a knee brace as debris within the knee would get stuck in the join and cause my knee to give way I had surgery to remove the debris and give the damage a once over thankfully although the ACL was damaged I didn’t need major surgery.

What is the best gig you have ever been to and why was it so good?

Kylie Golden tour o2 arena. I’m a long-time fan of hers and we had great seats which makes so much difference.
Look at her go

Do you think Arsenal were lucky to get that 3-3 draw against the mighty hammers recently?

Arsenal are lucky for any points they get this season.

What do you Love about Ilford AC?

The camaraderie at races I love how everyone waits at the funnel to cheer on their teammates or at cross country how the lady’s cheer on the men. it always gives me a boost I do a lot of my overtaking when I see them. All the wonderful people it has brought into my life. Fantastic support from everyone I have made some good friends and I’ve improved as a runner.

Well done Dennis a really good Who’s who. It has been great to see you come on in leaps and bounds since you joined Ilford AC, both in your running and personal achievements.  How much more do you think that you can improve and what are your future targets. Well done again and keep on being a great supporter and great example for others in Ilford AC

Thank you. I’m not sure how much I will improve I will just train and see. Future targets sort out my 5k PB I ran a faster 5k in a 5mile race and also my 10 mile PB I’ve been chipping away at it for years. But I know I can do better again I’ve ran a half marathon at a faster pace (3 times)

How did you find it writing a report about your running?

I’m no wordsmith so a tad challenging for me.

What is your motivation to keep you going when it gets tough whilst running?

I break it up in my head like “lets get to 8 miles first” then “now were at the halfway” etc. if I’m tired on a run I will promise my legs I will slow down. But 30 seconds later I’m running the same speed as before because I lied to them. They are so gullible

What have you learnt after completing each of your marathons?

Need more than 12 weeks of training. Don’t run in a massive costume.

What inspires you to achieve your running goals.

When you have run a race well it does make you feel proud especially when I wearing an Ilford vest.

What other marathons would you like to compete in?

NYC marathon

Why did you join Ilford AC?

It was a choice between Woodford green and Ilford. I chose Ilford solely because of the hut and forest runs.

Fantasy dinner guests, alive or dead, and would you cook for them or get your mum to do it?

Kylie, Emelia Clarke, Dennis Bergkamp David Bowie and Maggie Thatcher. No one would cook we would order an uber eats

What is the longest you have ever waited to start a race whilst the race director gave out instructions, and do you remember who it was?

I’m normally standing too far back to see the race director.

Favourite Olympic memory?

Jessica Ennis the poster girl of 2012 Olympics (no pressure) winning the 800m to win heptathlon gold then Gooner Greg Rutherford winning long jump gold and another Gooner Mo Farah winning the 10,000m what a night.

Is there any performance in your running career you are particularly proud of?

The Hackney Half (see my who’s who). Another race was the Chingford league Vicky park 5 miles 1 Feb 2020. I ran a great race for a PB of 33:32 when I first told Rob he didn’t believe me.

When Boris allows it, name the first 5 people (other than Gaye) that you plan to hug.

Billy, Sameena, Frieda, Ernie and anyone else who needs one.