It is with great pleasure and with his permission that we reproduce this revealing and affectionate article by five-time Olympian, Chris Maddocks about the mad and fabulous legendary Ed Shillabeer.

Chris begins:

I’ve known Edmund Shillabeer for the best part of 50 years.  He was a positive influence throughout my 20-year Olympic racing career.  I am proud to call him a close friend.  Respected by all who know him; people smile and are most likely to use all manner of superlatives when describing him…legend, superman, mad but fabulous.  His positive attitude is infectious, his longevity, his consistency, his achievements, ‘Edbanger’ is a doer blessed with innate determination.  From dawn to dusk and beyond he spins so many plates.

Sixty years a veterinary surgeon, he finally retired in 2024. Throughout his life he has been a member of many organisations, patron of this, President of that, even a staunch political supporter.  A family man with three grown up children, a son and two daughters who, whilst being immensely proud, may sometimes have cringed at their dad’s attire and wonderfully eccentric personality.  Proudly British, any opportunity to wear red, white and blue and he will carry it off with a certain panache.  He is synonymous for wearing union jack shorts whilst racing and undertaking numerous fundraising challenges.  Three years ago, he thought nothing of travelling on his own to London, queue for 11 hours, pay brief respects to our late Queen lying in State, back to Plymouth ready for surgery work in his veterinary practice the next day.

Ed has dedicated much of his life to helping people and animals often with the kind of physical challenges few other people would even contemplate.  Taking all necessary precautions, at the height of the COVID pandemic and lock-down, he kept his practice open where others closed.  Personal difficulties did not stop him thinking of those less fortunate.  In March 2022 Rotary club activities included helping to organise a consignment of essentials delivered to the Devon Rotary hub for onward travel to a major warehouse in Poland from where the distribution to Ukraine was made.  He continues to help facilitate mercy missions to the war-torn areas, instrumental in this is Maksym Litvinov, son of the late Ukrainian athletics coach, Nicolai who Edmund had known for decades during his competition travels.  Maksym, his wife and teenage son now live with the Shillabeer family in Plymouth and credits Edmund with helping to save their lives.  Undeterred, the brave young man has driven back several times to his homeland with donated food and medical supplies. 

This charitable humanitarian effort is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Edmund’s desire to help others.  He’s completed more Plymouth marathons than any other and, at the last count, he has completed 26 London marathons, each time raising funds for worthy causes, often in amusing fancy dress costume.  London 1997 was so nearly different. The M5 road traffic accident could’ve been fatal.  From their swerving motor-home vehicle Edmund was vigorously jolted out of his rear passenger seat through an open side window and tumbled 100 metres down the motorway.  He was rescued and airlifted by helicopter to Bristol infirmary.  Miraculously he toed the London marathon start line a few weeks later determined to fulfil a promise to raise funds for the Cats Protection League – Edmund attributes the full bodied black & white catsuit to helping protect serious skin graft wounds to his arm and legs from that years’ scorching sun.

In race walking he is a proud Centurion C590.  I have fond memories of being one of his attendants during his 100-mile 1989 national win at Hendon clocking 18 hours 11 minutes. Other regular helpers have included wife Barbara who he met as a Bristol university student and, Richard Pannell and his son Greg.  A few years earlier in 1985 the UK national 24-hour track race at Colchester incorporated the 100km championships.  Edmund set a track record of 9 hours 41 minutes 50 seconds, a mark that still stands today.  With his 250 laps done, I recall him entering a large trackside marque and proceeding to dance to the music being played over the tannoy while Richard and I slumped to our knees exhausted.  Edmund notoriously required a lot of attention to get his best ultra-distance results.  The 1991 Bazencourt 200km / 24-hour road race saw him become the oldest British athletics debutant at 51 years.  Whilst nighttime temperatures plummeted to -7C Ed wanted more sugar added to his porridge.  It was around 2am and his preferred race fuel was already sweet.  A few kilometres later and at the third time of asking I finally got it right, I was tired and agitated so shovelled an excess of sugar into the bowl of stodgy cereal.  It was snatched from my grasp, our man, strode on proclaiming at the top of his voice, ‘Perfect…that’s perfect!”  It was disgusting, it was ghastly sweet, but it seemed to help and, after 23 hours 50 minutes, he became one of 13 walkers from 52 starters to reach the 200km distance.

Edmund has since climbed on the podium of many European and World Masters race walking events, sometimes the top tier with medals won at numerous distances from 3kms to 30kms.  He and his dad, Eric Shillabeer were instrumental in helping to form Dawlish & South Devon racing club in the mid 1970’s which would later evolve into Plymouth City Walkers, their key events being the annual Plymouth to Dawlish 42-mile road race with the extra inducement of a delicious free cream tea at the finish, with Ed tasting victory in 1983.  When traffic became potentially hazardous, that popular point – point race switched to the picturesque 5.8km Burrator reservoir circuit up until the late 1990’s, where distances varied from 10kms – 100kms. During the new millennium he joined Ilford AC for the next chapter of his racing life.

Before that…

Q1. Chris: How did it all begin:  Ed: “As a City Of Plymouth Athletic Club member, I was competing in as many events as possible to get points. Most efforts were one point for last, but when I came third out of nine in the 3km walk it got me thinking.”

Q2. Chris:  Who were the people in race walking that helped you develop as an athlete whilst acknowledging in the mid 1960’s you were a newly qualified veterinary surgeon?  Ed: “Jim Hurley RIP saw me win in the next fixture and join me up into the London Vidarians walking club. The club captain none other than that race walking colossus, Dave Ainsworth made sure that we were entered and arrived at start lines in time for the races.  My dad ERIC, organiser extraordinaire, was my biggest supporter and motivator.  Then, as I moved into veteran athletics, Colin Young RIP who gave me valuable advice.”

Q3. Chris: Had you tried race walking earlier in your sports career what more might you have achieved?  Ed: “Speculation is difficult but if my peak had been my late 20s instead of late 40s, I am sure that I could have been operating at a higher level.”  Understandably modest.  In my opinion…without doubt, an Olympian.

Q4. Chris: Who were your racing rivals through the decades?  Ed: “Rivals were legion!  In the mid-70s it was briefly Chris Maddocks but he was soon out of sight!  In the 80s and 90s, British rivals included:  Bob Dobson, Denis Jones, Geoff Tranter, Peter Worth, John Eddershaw, Derek Harrison, Allan Callow, other Manxmen, Colin Bradley, Dave Stevens, Bob Gardner, Bob Care, Martyn Jones, Mike Smith, Daz Thorn, Alan King, Dave Ratcliffe, Dave Rowland, Steve Johnson, Chris Berwick, Adrian James, Martin Bell, Tony Geal, Graham Morris, Paul Nunn, Steve Till, Arthur Eddleston.  In international racing, Dieter Zschiesche, Bernard Caudron, Romolo Pelicella, Ad Leermakers, Claudio Sterpin, the Gouveneaux twins (in the same race!) Zdenek Simon, Ferenc Danovsky, Harold van Beek.  I’ve graced the start line with Alexander Potashov, Zoltan Czukor, Mrazek, Blazek, and beaten the Mexico Olympics 50km gold medallist, Christoph Hohne.”

Q5. Chris: How did you balance all your various interest and commitments? Ed: “With intensity and high tempo in every activity coupled with a strict routine.  Training before breakfast.  Sacrosanct hour for family tea, otherwise veterinary practice 9am to 7:30/8:00pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 9:00-1:00pm except when a locum covered it for race days etc. Sunday morning a longer training before a roast dinner and family time.”

Q6. Chris: What top 5 race results gave you the most satisfaction?

Ed: “In no particular order:

1. National 35km 1986.  7th in a class field in 2:58:04 and Dawlish and South Devon RWC (with a certain Chris Maddocks leading the way!) won bronze for third club to close in four with teammates, Andy Bainborough and Gareth Davies excelling themselves as well.

2. European Masters 30km champion (20k in 2:22:22) in Portugal, beating the German Mexico Olympics 50km champion Christoph Hohne.

3. World Masters 20km champion, Sacramento 2011.

4. Quadrathon bronze (81 starters, 64 finished, oldest competitor) in 1983.

5. Roubaix 28 hours’ bronze (furthest distance of any British athlete ever).

6. GB 100km track record aided by Chris!  Six? Edmund can’t count! 

Q7. Chris: How have you overcome some significant health problems? Ed: “Positive mental attitude aided by leaning on the Lord; superb skills of the NHS medical teams; comprehensive supplementation, unstinting support of family, friends, and Mary, my Practice nurse/manager.”

Q8. Chris: What were your peak years and how did a typical training week pan out?  Ed: “Definitely the mid-eighties.  All walking training was maximum intensity Monday through Saturday. Sunday varied; when Steve Hollier joined me, we would do a tough hilly big effort on the moorland lanes, sometimes an easier recovery outing.  When Mad Max and I used the tough one-mile Central Park triangle around Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park stadium it was eyeballs out in opposite directions – 5 laps to my 3!!  Sneaking an hour off before teatime to use the local gym or have a second session blast was the icing on the cake! The Sacramento success (6th in 5km track, 3rd in 10km, 1st in 20km) owe a lot to the extra sharpness of daily track workouts, a 15-minute walk from son, Andrew’s home with about an hour of 400m flat out, 200m at recovery pace, straight into the next rep. Happy days!”

Q9. Chris: Tell us your 3 favourite music choices?  Your 3 favourite TV and 3 best film choices?  Ed: “Music: Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe’s ‘Barcelona’ duet with the fountains and lights show on Montjuic hill in 1992. Andrea Bocelli ‘Con te Partira’ at the Birmingham NEC; and ‘Elizabethan Serenade attributed to King Henry VIII.  TV favourites: Fawlty Towers. Morecambe and Wise. Strictly Come Dancing, when Bruce Forsyth compered it.  Film favourites:  Lawrence of Arabia.  The Ladykillers.  Dunkirk.

Q10. Chris: Tell readers something most people won’t know about you. Ed: “I’ve become a sweet wine drinker with specific likes: Blandy’s Madeira.Hungarian Tokaji (a name given to one of my past lurches) Cyprus Commandaria.  Italian Occho di Perenice. Hungarian Feher Arany.  Ice crystal, Mundana, Murdei.  I also keep the ashes of only ‘the special one,’ Tippy the Jack Russell, of the many pets who have been close to my heart, in a wooden casket in my study.” 

That’s two things; confirmation Ed can’t count.  I can testify however, that Tippy had amazing football skills as seen on the pitch by thousands at half-time during an Argyle league match. Now, at 86 years young, Edbanger Shillabeer recently competed in Madeira at the European masters.  It seems wearing red, white and blue is still in his plans.

CHRIS MADDOCKS

STOP PRESS – POST-SCRIPT

News from Dave Ainsworth that Ilford AC and Centurion 590 Ed Shillabeer’s operation went well .

This is confirmed by this message from the great man himself – sent yesterday evening, November 26th!!!

Subject: Procedure

Recovery with nice supper.

New aortic valve inserted between 1pm and 2:15pm.

Great cardiac team did an amazing job with modern technology. DV home tomorrow.

Stella is the last of many who have tended to me. She’s Greek from Cyprus and hubby also works here in Wellington hospital. Next to Lords cricket ground!

Best Wishes and huge respect to Ed from all at Lancashire Walking Club.