Ahead of this coming Saturday’s 2 hour track race celebrating Ron’s UK record find below the report I wrote for the September 1971 edition of the Race Walking Record. I’ve taken the opportunity, 45 years on, to correct a number of proof-reading errors in the original. Amazingly, given the plethora of photos available today of both the significant and insignificant moments in our lives, I’ve not been able to trace a single image from that great day in a murky and misty Blackburn.

Victory in 1966 at the Commonwealth Games

NEW UK RECORD BY WALLWORK

On 31st July, at Blackburn, the hyper-consistent Lancastrian, Ron Wallwork produced the finest performance of his long career in breaking Ken Matthews’ 2 hour figure of 15miles, 1556 yards by the large margin of 519 yards.  Despite the difficult conditions presented by heavy rain, a blustery wind and a sodden track, Ron signalled his intentions from the gun, flashing through the mile in 6:55.8.  Indeed with only 4 laps completed he was a totally isolated figure and from this moment, the only competitive reaction to his relentless progress came on the occasions when he lapped Tony Taylor.  In fact, apart from Taylor and Eric Crompton, no other competitor reached the 10 miles mark, mainly because of the appalling weather.  But Wallwork was completely contemptuous of such problems and put together splits of 22.00 and 22:36.4 to reach 10,000 metres in his fourth sub 44.40 clocking of the season.  Lapping very consistently he churned out the next 5,000 metres in 23:00.2 and it became evident that great deeds were afoot.  Ron reached 10 miles in 72:41.4, over 2.5 minutes faster than his National “10” winning time of 1967.  The magic 20 kilometre mark was passed in an excellent 91:04.4, second fastest ever by a British walker on the track.  Ken Matthews had gone through this point in a magnificent 88:45.8 but, of course, had slowed dramatically in the last half hour.  There were no signs that the composed Bolton competitor was going to suffer a similar fate for strength exuded from his powerful frame.  His winter regime of weight and circuit training was certainly paying dividends as he fought the slippery track and gusty rain-laden, back straight wind.  It was at the 14 miles point that the paths in time of the Olympic gold medallist 1964 and the Commonwealth gold medallist 1966 finally came together.  Ron passed in 103:10.4 compared to Ken’s 103.08 and his next mile occupied only 7.42, whilst Ken Matthews had taken a painful 9.06.  To the astonishment of his supporters, Wallwork’s 15 miles time constituted a new national record, a Commonwealth best performance and was only 5.8 seconds outside the Czech Bilek’s world best of 1:50:46.6.  Never faltering Ron pressed on to the 25 kilometres mark, reached in 1:55:00.8, where he was again faster than both Matthews and Allsop.  The 16 miles point came in 118:40.0 and in the last 80 seconds Ron covered 315 yards to complete a remarkable walk.  As well as managing to fit the linear 16 miles into 2 hours, he had also completed the difficult metric equivalent of 26 kilometres.  The Commonwealth record had slipped away from him, but after a spell of 7 years, the UK 2 hours record once again belonged to a Lancastrian, the former holder before Matthews having been the renowned one-armed postman, Bobby Bridge.

RESULT

1. R.Wallwork [Lancashire WC] 16 miles 315 yards
2. T.Taylor [Lancashire WC] 14 miles 755 yards
3. E.Crompton [Leyland WC] 13 miles 765 yards

MILE SPLITS

1 – 6:55.8 2 – 7:05.4 3 – 7:12.6 4 – 7:15.2 5 -7:15.6 6 – 7:16.6 7 – 7:22.4 8 – 7:23.2

9 – 7:26.4 10 – 7:28.2 11-7:31 12 – 7:39.2 13 – 7:35.4 14 – 7:43.4 15 – 7:42 16 – 7:47.6

5 KILOMETRES SPLITS

22:00.0 ; 22:36.4; 23:00.2; 23:27.8 ; 23:56.4

In the same Race Walking Record the much respected Jack Wagenheim, President of Yorkshire RWC wrote:

“ In my 60 years as competitor and official, in my opinion, there has been nothing to compare – the style of walking was a lesson. I think Ronnie Wallwork would have done even better if I had more competition.”

BOBBY BRIDGE

I must thank Ron for digging out his copy of the Race Walking Record and for this additional information re Bobby Bridge’s record from May, 1914.

MILE TIMES

1 – 7:21+ 2 – 14:49+ 3 – 22:34+ 4 – 30:27 5 – 38:25+ 6 – 46:18+ 7 – 54:06 8 – 61:56

9 – 69:12+ 10 – 76:41 11 – 84:09+ 12 – 91:55+ 13 – 99:56 14 – 107:49+ 15 – 116:26

As Bobby was competing in a 12 hour race he went on to 16 miles in 125:39+.

Forgive the strange + sign after the number of seconds, but I couldn’t decipher the fractions of a second. Remember this is long before decimalisation!!