Back in 2023 everyone was very generous in celebrating my 70th year in race walking. And Greg Smith is catching up. As of this January 2026 Greg marked his 60th year in the sport by race walking the Ormskirk Park/run. His debut six decades ago took place on January 1st in the Essex Beagles Open Boys 1 and 7/8 miles staged at the then famous Chigwell Row. Why not 2 miles!!?? At the very least, I hope Greg’s achievement is recognised at our first ‘live’ race, the Sam Shoebottom 10k at Simister on February 7th.

I hope Greg’s example inspires everyone to hit the tarmac and submit their best 5k times by midnight, Saturday, January 31st to me at tonymtaylor@gmail.com. Supporting stories and photos will be gratefully received.