Press Report 28th February 2023  

LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5km
Hyde Park
Friday 24th February

The last Friday of the month 5k is held around the Serpentine in Hyde Park and is a flat, fast course.

Sam Rahman of Ilford AC tested his current fitness in this fast lunchtime race last Friday as he prepares for the forthcoming Boston Marathon.
There are two races on the day, an ‘A’ race for those who expect to compete in under 22 mins and a ‘B’ race for everyone else. Sam competed with the elite runners in Race ‘A’
This month’s event was held in chilly conditions and Sam set off towards the front of the field of around 200 and kept a steady pace throughout to eventually come home 27th place in 17 mins 15 secs, his best time for the distance for 8 years.

Former ILFORD AC Olympian has died

Sadly, at the age of 89, Ilford AC’s first Olympian has died. She was born Phyllis Green at Horfield in Bristol on 22nd February 1934. She competed at the highest level as Phyllis Perkins and was known as Phyllis Winger in her later years.
As Phyllis Perkins she became the Club’s first Olympian when competing in the 800 meters at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Phyllis was eliminated in a heat when clocking 2:15.41.  Further major events came her way as in the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade, over the same distance, she failed to make the final by just 1/10th of a second when clocking 2:08.4.  In the same year over 880 yards at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth she was 4th in 2:09.4.

At one time Phylis was the world record holder for the 1500m distance and part of a team that held the 3 x 800m World Record.

Phyllis also competed at a high level in Cross Country running and was part of the Ilford AC team that won the National Cross Country Championships in 1960 with 4 runners in the first 22.
She is pictured here, on the left, with Muriel Critchley, Pam Jones and Joan Dryden.