Why did you initially join Ilford AC ?

I  had just started road running, it was Kay Franklin, who introduced me to the club,
I knew her as we were both Justice of the Peace sitting at Stratford Magistrate’s Court, and the rest is history.

 

What injury happened to your knees that stopped you from running and skiing ?

The problem with my knees was wear and tear over a long time which I ignored, until I was told by an orthopaedic surgeon that if I did not alter my lifestyle I would need knee replacements within a year.

 

What do you do now to try and keep fit ?

I walk Brodie our dog twice a day

 

Favourite Park Run and Why and PB ?

My favourite Park Run has to be Hackney. It was where I started Park Runs, long before Valentines started my PB there was sub 26.

 

What School did you go to and were you Athletic at school ?

I went to Park Modern School for Boys in Barking, it is now Barking Abbey I was not athletic at school.

 

What was your full time job and did that help or hinder your training ?

Until I retired on health grounds I was a Funeral Director / Business Manager looking after 36 funeral homes in North East London, I started in the funeral industry when I left school in 1963. I missed training and races at times because I was on out of hours call a lot. I am now back working part time.

 

Favourite Cross Country course and Why ?

My favourite Cross Country Course has to be Claybury, it is a challenging course with hill, mud and more mud, also I trained over there as I live close by.

 

Taken into account, other than your knees, what is your worst injury and what did you do to recover ?

I never suffered from any long term injury, apart from having a hernia operation in late January then against advise I ran the London Marathon in the April.

 

Did you ever train with any of the ‘Market boys’ that Jimmy Huddart told us about?

The only market boy I knew was Stevie Farmer as he ran on a Sunday at Chigwell, also he knew my then neighbour.

 

If you could tell your 16 year old self anything (doesn’t have to be about sport) what would it be?

I would tell my self at 16 that school work and exams  are more important than working to obtain my Queen Scout Badge I did obtain the badge and became only the second scout in my troop to gain it.

 

You are probably known more for being a reliable guy who is always there helping out, giving encouragement, giving lifts etc than you are known for being a runner. Would you agree and are you comfortable with that?

I am comfortable with what I do for the club, its my way of me putting back into athletics and Ilford A.C., for the enjoyment that has been a large part of my life since 1993.

 

Who would be at your fantasy dinner party and what ‘signature dish’ would you serve them?

My fantasy dinner party would be: Harold Macmillan, President Charles de Gaulle, Ted Heath, Boris Johnson.The meal would be Beef Wellington, medley of local vegetables followed by a cheese board of English cheeses and biscuits.

 

Are your medals on display at home?

I have kept my marathon medals, Southern Counties bronze medals and the one Ilford medal they are kept in a draw.

 

What was your trainer of choice?

My preferred trainers were Asics DS., bought from Roger Mills at Athletic East running shop in Wanstead.

 

Like myself you must have seen many runners who started with the club at our Wednesday Harriers group, many of whom had very little confidence in their running abilities when they first came and introduced themselves, then go on to race 10k’s, Half Marathons, Marathons, Cross Country events etc. This must make you very proud?

When Martin, Sally, Pam and myself started the Harriers we felt that there was gap between people out running and the traditional athletic club, The Harries filled that gap by offering the opportunity to improve and gain confidence in their running, this has progressed to runners joining the club . Now we see runners at the Harriers who want more than just a weekly Park Run joining us on a Wednesday evening. Again if you look at the results these days a lot of our club members have come up through the Harriers or Park Runs. We have had many success a few disappointments over the years. This has given me a lot of satisfaction over the years seeing runners obtaining their personal goals.

 

I will be back making the tea on a club night once we get back to the new normal life.

 

MEL ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

 

Are you still in contact with Vivian Grisogono, the knee specialist physio you used to see for your injuries? Mel’s knees are in  one of her books (which I can’t find at home)

Yes, I have been in contact with Vivian to ask her advice when I found out I had arthritis in my knee. She moved back to Croatia in 2004 to the island of Hvar near Split. I remember when that photo was taken and I was rewarded with a signed copy of the book.

 

 

Do you like your Orca wetsuit and would you recommend it as a durable, strong and comfortable wetsuit?

I only bought that wetsuit as I had borrowed my friends to do my first open water swim this year as the pools were all closed.  I like it because it is so easy to get on and off and is comfortable. However, it is a triathlon suit rather than an open water suit so the arms and legs are shorter, so not really suitable for real open water swimmers.

 

How did you manage to get on Gladiators in 1995 and tell us about your experience on the TV Show ?

I only applied because the kids at my first teaching school said I should give it a go. I made the short list and had to do physical tests and a screen test to get on. I thought it was a joke at first when I received the acceptance letter. I had a film crew follow me round for a whole day, I had only just moved to a new school and I suddenly had 100 students attend my lunchtime rounders club. We had to train for the first two weeks before the show was filmed to have a go at the majority of the games. Some of the games didn’t suit me as I wanted to do the climbing and the gauntlet. Instead I got hang tough and the pugil stick one (can’t remember the proper name) which was hard. A lot of the contenders picked up injuries during this time playing the games and so there were loads of subs on standby. I guess I enjoyed it but was really too nervous at the time, especially as I had arranged 100 Frances Bardsley students to be part of the audience. A stupid error on the eliminator saw me “eliminated” by a second which was gutting.

 

What was the clerical error that stopped you winning the Essex 400 Meters ?

The club admin at the time (not Ilford) put down the wrong age category and I should have been in the seniors not the inters. That was before they had all the u17, u19 etc. I had all my photos in the local paper and then a week later I received a letter telling me to hand back my medal. I was heartbroken at the time.

 

What made you initially join Ilford AC ?

I was persuaded by an Ilford Athlete called Alun Jones who I met at my brothers wedding. I ended up marrying him.

 

What School and where are you a Teacher at and what is that like under Lockdown rules ?

I teach at Frances Bardsley Academy in Romford which is all girls. Lockdown was hell as a PE teacher, you would normally be out enjoying the sunshine and also the girls mellow as the weather gets warmer. As I teach GCSE and A level PE, I spent lots of time recording voice over PowerPoints and marking work sent through on-line. Then it began to move to on-line learning which can be soul destroying if students refuse to engage. I did have to go into school every few weeks on a rota to supervise the key worker kids which was scary as they could not social distance. I found I was logging on at 8.30am and then logging off around 4pm, a long day to be sitting on your backside.

 

How did you get into cold open water swimming ?

My friend Jill texted me to ask if I was interested in going to Redricks Lake to swim as the pools were still closed in June. I replied a big fat NO! I wear 2 costumes in a pool as I feel the cold so much. The week after the weather became really hot, and she asked me again. I only agreed if she would lend me her (ORCA) wetsuit. We have been every week since then; apart from when I was in a self-isolation period, which was frustrating as I was going to join Steve Parker and Alan for their 2 mile swim. They were supposed to do the Serpentine classic but COVID prevented that from happening. Since then, I have also swam in lakes in the Lake District on holiday. The coldest has been 5 degrees and I expect it to freeze over New Year.

 

Favourite Park Run and PB ?

I never got into the Park runs as they were too early in the morning and I was already committed to swimming at Loughton tri club on Saturdays. The Elvis had a race over Leyton Jubilee park and I had such a good run to better my PB to 21.05. I don’t know if they still hold it over there but it was more interesting than the average park run venues

 

How and when did you first notice you had osteo-arthritis and what do you now do to cope with it ?

I was doing a session on the road in Hainault and I felt sharp pains in my right knee which did not go. I had previously left my custom-made orthotics in France at half term when skiing, I continued to train and race until May when I decided to take a couple of weeks off. However, those weeks went into months and then a year until a bog standard x-ray picked up arthritis and the doctor told me to give up running forever. As runners we never listen to doctors and so I trained hard to improve the strength around the knee so I can at least jog every so often. This all happened in 2016 and my brain tells me to keep trying so I could compete again someday. However, as the gyms keep closing I don’t have access to all the rehab machines to help me so I have had a month off to let the knee settle. I just work with the pain and when its bad I just stop and do something else low impact, hence the open water swimming. 

Do you still have and wear your prestigious Red ‘Essex’ Vest ?

No and No. I was 12 when I ran for Essex. Bit bigger now.

Greatest Triumph in Running and any BIG Trophies ?

I don’t have any big trophies, but I did enjoy the 2014 season where Jenni Sheehan and Bree Nordin, Krystle and I cleaned up all the Elvis runs and won overall. Finishing the London marathon in 2002 on just 3 training days a week and no running 6 weeks before was pretty intense and breaking the 4 hour mark. I couldn’t walk or run properly for 2 weeks. I have also won Masters titles over 10km. I probably won more since I became a 40 vet than at any other time. So you youngsters keep at it.

Did you meet Alun at the club and did you ever train together?

I met Alun at my brother’s wedding as they worked together. He persuaded me to come to the track to train. As my current running club was about to fold, I thought I might as well. Alun was a sprinter so I did join their group which was hard as they always gave me a head start and I hate running blind. I joined but had to serve a 9 months ban from competing which were the rules at the time when you moved clubs. My letter of hardship was turned down by Margaret Gillham who was on the Ilford Committee which was disappointing. Alun and I only started training together when he retired from sprinting and wanted to keep fit. We were always very competitive on the Ilford Hilly 5 but he never beat me!

When yourself and Alun were at your peaks which of you trained harder?

I’m probably going to say Alun as he was much more of a successful athlete than I was. However, I would say that I always trained longer as I was a distance runner.

 

If you could tell your 16 year old self anything (doesn’t have to be about sport) what would it be?

Not to run marathon distances and train six days when you are still growing. 

You have kept yourself very trim in all the years I have known you. Is this down mainly to sport or are you careful about what you eat?

When you build exercise into your life it becomes normal. I have tried to cross train as much as I can so avoid repetitive injuries but unfortunately, I am prone to picking up niggles regularly. However, running is the only activity that keeps my weight right down so I have to work hard on CV machines to get an equivalent workout. My job helps me to stay slim as just being on your feet burns calories (not during lockdown) and I also teach a lot of fitness classes so I get free workouts during the day. 

I have been a vegetarian for a year now and will take part in Veganary and dry January. I try not to eat processed foods and make most of my meals from scratch. I do like takeaways though and have one once a week.

 

Are your medals on display at home?

Yes I have a few plaques and shields on the window ledge.

 

Who would be at your fantasy dinner party and what ‘signature dish’ would you serve them?

I would have Henry VIII at the top of the table and Queen Elizabeth II at the other end. Sandwiched between would be Elvis, Martin Luther-King, Emmeline Pankhurst, Edmund Hillary, Mallory and Irvine.

 

What was your trainer of choice and would you spend £200+ on a pair of trainers to give you an advantage?

As I have suffered from injuries since my 20’s, I needed to wear flexible but supportive trainers. I always run in Mizuno wave riders, I never pay the full price as I buy an old model as I think it is a money-making scheme. I would never pay £200 for a pair of trainers. The Africans have been running barefoot since the beginning of time and it never did them any harm.

 

Technology. Heart monitors, sports watches with hundreds af stats etc. Do you embrace it or do you simply want to know how far you went and how long it took you? Maybe somewhere in between?

I tend to just time my runs so I know how long I have been out so as not to overdo my sessions. I do have a Garmin Forerunner which does everything but tend not to wear that unless I start to get fitter. The danger is trying to beat every stat and that leads to overuse injuries.

RWD Hastings-Brighton

Lugano Cup. Milton Keynes 1977

Lugano Cup Milton Keynes 1977

1977 Bob Dobson & Enrique Vera

1977 Bob Dobson & Enrique Vera

 

 

BOD ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

 

You’ve put much back into athletics by officiating & serving as Race Walking Association President –  after a 1972 shameful Olympic omission, your event not staged 1976 (only Olympics since it’s 1932 introduction) and a 1986 Commonwealth Games’ snub when Wales could have got you there for the price a train ticket, how did you managed to get over severe setbacks to show so much genuine keenness for race walking?

I suppose I got used to disappointments but after failing to make the 1980 Olympics I kept my momentum going by notching up numerous appearances in specific races, winning Essex medals, and “Masters” titles. I also moved up in distance and tried to set records at the multi distance events.

 

Your great win in the 2001 “Hedgethorne Memorial 100” at Colchester’s Lower Castle Park was the closest finish in UK ultra-distance racing (apart from a contrived dead-heat between the 2 Browns) as you so narrowly defeated Richard Brown, becoming our oldest winner of a UK National race walking title. What do your recall from that event?

My win in 2001 came as a surprise. I had entered in tribute to John Hedgethorne but it was 15 years on since my 24 hours track win and only a few 100kms races in between. So it was going to be a test of endurance. The multi lap out and back helped because I could keep my eye on the opposition. Richard Brown had all the multi distance experience and was my main threat. I knew he had the ability to finish strongly so I had to keep focused.Only when he gave me a “high five” on the penultimate lap as we crossed in opposite directions did I sense he had conceded defeat.

 

Is British race walking close to a proverbial cliff edge – or do you see light at the end of the tunnel?

We have seen a massive loss of young talent over the years but now there is a glimmer of hope with age group championships and a more professional set up at the top for our seniors. But above all Uk Athletics, European, World and Olympic Athletics Organisations MUST maintain our sport at various distances. Race Walking is an endurance event and should cater for all. The move towards ditching the 50kms ,and in some cases the 20kms( Commonwealth Games)is a tragedy.

 

What made you pick Race Walking as opposed to Running ? Who introduced you to the sport?

At school my running was confined to short distance and the occasional cross country, but when working I spent a summer season competing for my Office Team in the London Civil Service Athletic League (LCSAL). At no time was I fast enough to call myself a sprinter but I did try a number of events and became a “jack of all trades – master of none”. In one of those LCSAL meets I tried the 3k walk & to my surprise didn’t come last. A fellow pukka racewalker thought I had done well and when I got home I told my parents. The next day my father told one of his work colleagues – an ex Essex Beagle Racewalker – that I had done a racewalk & he then introduced me to Essex Beagles where I served my “apprenticeship” under the guidance of Phil Everard and Ron Gum.
I had 6 months as a junior before reaching 21 & thus then competing as a senior. As I progressed with some of the Beagles Seniors particularly Colin Young I was intrigued by his stories of endurance & thus my appetite was  whetted.
I also got to meet the great Jim Peters. I suppose I also had a niche for endurance for as a former swimmer not fast enough to aspire to International Level – thus retired at 18 – I had thoughts of swimming the channel until I read a book about it which quickly dispelled these thoughts..

Have you ever done any running races ?

School sports & Office Sports. Nothing of note. 

What was it like training around the streets in the 70s ?

A lot better than it is now. I had several big routes where you could train on the pavement for miles without encountering cars or lorries parked on the pavements, building site obstructions, skateboarders, cyclists or scooters.
There was more respect and tolerance in those days,  

I see you were capped twice by England and twice by Wales. How does that work ?

In 1970 I gained my1st International & that was for England at 20 miles in the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
My 2nd England International came in 1990 at 100kms in France. In between I had competed for Great Britain & because I moved to Wales in 1980 I was eligible by residence to compete for Wales in 1981(10k track in Cwmbran) and 1995 (35 Kms in Denmark)

Did you ever race against OLIVER CAVIGLIOLI who represented Thurrock and also France ?

Yes, after my spell at Essex Beagles I competed for Basildon and thus raced with and against Oliver Cavigioli who was also a Basildon member. 

Greatest Memory from Race Walking ?

A difficult one, as being in the sport for 57 years there are many memories and many that I have forgotten. But what always inspired me in my early career was watching on TV Ken Matthews winning the 1964 Olympic 20k title in Tokio. The TV clip was repeated over the years and I know I saw it at least 25 times. 

What has happened to all your trophies ?

They rarely see the light of day.  But I do look at them from time to time & wish I could repeat the performances that won them for me.  

Did you follow any nutritional guidance in your halcyon days ?

Yes. I learnt about the so called “Bleed Out Diet” from Ron Hill ( carbohydrate abstinence followed by carbohydrate excess loading). I spent a weekend with him when we went to Munich in 1971 for the pre Olympic Meet (marathon & 50Kms walk). 

What was the first single and album you ever bought ?

As a teenager I was a great fan of Adam Faith. I bought several singles, saw his film with Shirley Anne Field and bought the album Beat Girl.

I still have the album like a lot of my other old LP’s. I am a hoarder who rarely throws anything away.  

Do you think the Tokyo Olympics will ACTUALLY go ahead ?

I think they will go ahead because the Japanese are fanatical & have invested too much money to forfeit them. But of course the IOC will have the final word. 

 

What should happen to drug cheats ?

There has to be a great deterrent. They have been around too long & I have raced against them in the 1970’s and beyond. I am all for a lifetime ban. 

 

Do you keep in touch with your Race Walking Ilford Colleagues?

Yes, definitely. Although I live in Cardiff I am still an East End Boy & proud of my Essex roots. 

 

What are your thoughts on International Race Walker Tom Bosworth and how do you feel he will perform in next Year’s Olympics ?

I remember judging Tom when he first came on the scene as a scrawny schoolboy with sparrow-like legs. Unlike so many of our past talented youngsters he has stayed the course & showed a determination to get to the top. His success & his character have not only endeared him to the public but he has brought Racewalking into focus with Mainstream Athletics. Sometimes I think he needs to control his exuberance and if he uses his head he could get a top 6 place in the Olympics. 

Have you ever been disqualified in a major event? Do you think the rules are complex for those not involved in the sport?

Never in an International Event and only once in a UK National 50kms in 2012 when nearly 70years old my legs did not straighten to the complete satisfaction of 3 judges so I was dqd.
Yes the rules are too complex for non walkers to master. Not only is technique a big issue but now we have to contend with yellow cautions, DQ recommendations, a Penalty Zone with time penalties and Chief Judge’s Sole Discretion in the last 100metres.
How can the Public follow that.