Blog,
It’s a funny old world Blog.
In the great scheme of things, it must take a good deal of planning to create some of the co-incidences which strike us as remarkable and memorable? Of course, mathematically this is far from the truth because the one event we remember as significant is just one event of an infinite number of different scenarios which occur each day. With a huge set of threads / pathways which we could follow each and every day, it is not surprising therefore that one pattern is thrown up every now and again which seems to be so unusual that we place an unnatural emphasis on it. Just as all those monkeys with their stack of typewriters can upstage William S., one event is bound to be memorable sooner or later for all of us.
So …. Here we go. Concentrate Blog because my tale to you today might involve some serious interweaving of events!!!!
A couple of letters ago I sent you a photo with the caption
Photo no. 125:- The race starts, or used to start, in front of a cathedral. Which one? In which year was the event first held? Who organised the first race? What type of race is it? Which well-known national company took over the organising of the event? Where does the bridge in the photo lead to? CLUE => think ‘Pink Panther’.
Well last week (Jan 13th) the latest edition of the relay (oops an answer) took place. If you look closely at the photo (thanks to the kindness of David Hewitson [Sports for All Pics, www.sportsforallpics.co.uk] for allowing me send you this Blog) you can see a cathedral. This is where the original relay (oops the same answer) started and finished. If you look closely at the photo you will observe that the runners are not male and a long way from said cathedral. When the original relay (oops not again) took place, it was for males ONLY. Males with a capital ‘M’. (OK an ‘O’ as well if we are to be accurate about this. And we are as always). Now, it was in my final year at the Pink Panther University, the year after the relays were inaugurated, that I ran my first marathon. ****In the photo you may be able to pick out me, Ron Hill and the organiser of the Ladies first National Marathon Championships which I mentioned in my last letter. I think he actually won the race in 2:21:38 (!). Interestingly, it may have been the year that Ron Hill was doing his third race in four days
Or it may have been a different year?!!! He won the Salford ‘7’ (I think it was) in bare feet on the road!!!! (OUCH). Then he won the Rivington Pike fell race in lousy weather conditions, and the marathon on the MONDAY (Big Clue there Blog), again the weather turned out to be not too nice with a sudden flurry of snow and falling temperatures. Note my gear of gloves and long sleeved top over my university vest.
I ran four marathons that year. In my second marathon (it might have been my third??) I came second, 80 odd seconds behind the winner (It was his first marathon). I heard yesterday that the winner of that particular race has just died. Sad. He was a nice bloke. After the presentation for the awards which took place in an open air swimming pool, we were both violently sick for a particular reason; the same reason. Question:- Why were we both sick??? The same cause, what was it?
And interestingly, here is a picture of the prize I won that day (honestly Blog, 50 years old. Would I lie to you Blog?) …. Minus the content which were made of fine bone china, none of your plastic rubbish in those days. Question:- Had plastic been invented in those days????
And a month or two later I ran my fourth marathon of the year in which I came second to a future Olympian. Question:- Who was the future Olympian? … and twelve months later I ran my fourth marathon of the that year which happened to be the AAA Marathon Championships.
And the runner who has just died also ran. Which one is he in the photograph? Yes, number 16!! What is his name? Question:- Who is number 36, my future team mate. And the little fella, second left, came third in my first marathon. He is hidden in the middle at the back in the first photo… I told you he was a little fella, didn’t I Blog? Question:- What is his name? Question:- Which runner is yours truly? Easi peasi or what? Still sticking this out Blog? Not lost? Goodonya! Boy it was hot that day, made worse by seeing my uncle outside every pub on the course supping yet another pint. Was it 26 miles or 26 pints? The latter!! No drink and drive slogans in those days. At least he was capable of hitting the brake pedal hard and fast on the way back home for me to chuck up at the roadside rather than me utilising his glove compartment in the car … too much sun!!! Still with me Blog? Lost the thread Blog? Stick in there Blog. I say ‘uncle’. He was, but he was only a couple of years older than me so I didn’t regard him as an uncle; he used to throw a wobbly when I called him ‘uncle’ while we were out!!! Little did I realise at the time that I was to start my teaching career within four miles of where the AAA event was held!!! Question:- Where was the AAA marathon championship event held?
=> A strange story … following my post graduate year at the Pink Panther University, I was accepted on a post graduate Master’s degree course at Manchester. In the middle of August, I received a note from the Science Research Council (or whatever it was called in those days) telling me that they had noted that I was a qualified teacher and was therefore not eligible for the grant for my research!!! I immediately contacted my M.P. to sort out what was going on. I received no immediate reply and began to panic. At the time, I was working as a grounds man during the summer months to get a few quids and my employment would end at the beginning of September so I would be left a little short of the afore mentioned few quids. I needed a job!!!! Following the advice of a Prof. at the Pink Panther University who I occasionally ran with and who always advised that ‘if you want to succeed in a particular area of interest, you go to where that interest can offer the best.’ I was interested in road running and Coventry was the place with unquestionably the best road runners. So I desperately searched for a job in the Coventry area. Fortunately there was a vacancy not too far away and luckily I was appointed. Four weeks into my first term of teaching, I got a letter from my M.P. apologising for the delay in replying to my letter but he had been on holiday during the Parliamentary recess and had only just returned. He told me he had sorted my problem with the Department of Education (or Science) and my grant was now in place, and I could start at Manchester for my Masters. Thanks Mate!!! What a dilemma. Four weeks into teaching … what did I say to the kids, ‘Sod you’, and take up my place at Manchester??? How could I do that and live with myself??? I asked Manchester if I could defer for a year and continued to teach!!!
Oh yes, I did get my revenge in the AAA Championships for my second place in the previous year’s race as I beat the runner (no. 16) who has just died.
Boy that was complicated Blog, worse that a Touch of Frost? Did you follow the plot Blog, unravel all the clues? Who do you think did it Blog? Correct, it was ……………………………….
……….Colin
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