Virtual League Racing Series – Race 46 – Mary Worth Memorial Race
RIP Mary Worth, a member of Steyning AC, who died on 20th January aged 92. She was 78th on the British All-Time list for 20km and a Veteran record holder and European medallist at 3km, 5km and 10km in several age groups. Mary was the widow of former RWA President Peter Worth (Centurion 491),Centurion Vice President and former Captain, RWA Treasurer & RWA Southern Area Treasurer. He raced for both the Borough of Enfield Harriers & Verlea AC.
Ron Wallwork comments: I didn’t appear on the Enfield Scene until the turn of the century so I didn’t know Mary all that well, but whenever she came along to Enfield Race Walking League fixtures, she was so pleasant and insisted on helping in some capacity. Wearing Steyning AC colours she competed in half a dozen Enfield Open 7’s, winning it in 1981 and finishing in the first three twice.
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In a very competitive week we slipped to third but less than 1% in arrears. It’s smashing to see Chris Harvey, one of the club’s outstanding performers, being involved despite continuing health issues.
MENS AGE GRADED 2KM TEAM 1 South West Veterans AC (77.44%) 2 Birchfield Harriers (76.91%) 3 Lancashire Walking Club (76.56%) 4 Quickstep Fitness (74.36%) 5 Manx Harriers (73.73%) 6 Leicester Walking Club (70.01%) 7 Steyning AC (59.73%) – USA (52.78%) 8 Sarnia Walking Club (44.20%)
MENS 2KM TEAM 1 Manx Harriers (40) 2 Birchfield Harriers (45) 3 Quickstep Fitness (46) 4 South West Veterans AC (55) 5 Lancashire Walking Club (61) 6 Leicester Walking Club (72) – USA (176) 7 Steyning AC (190) 8 Sarnia Walking Club (210)
Ron’s personal Note: I think this piece is priceless. Its easy to forget that times were still hard for most people and value for money by way of durability, influenced most purchases.
I can relate to the rubber stick-on soles and recall that my father used to heel my shoes with rubber from a car-tyre. Lamb’s wool available at any chemists was also used to fill in the gaps mentioned, but blisters weren’t uncommon for several weeks when breaking in leather shoes. Another ‘wrinkle’, but one I never tried was to put the shoes on and soak your feet in a bowl of water. Yet another method of preventing blisters was to apply surgical spirit to the feet.
Race Shoes – an extract from a lengthy two-part article by Charlie Hatch in the RWR issues of 351/352 (Dec 71/Jan 72).
Charlie is number 7 on the photo. Ta to Roy Gunnett for clarification
The best shoes I ever wore, (I use them every day, I have several pairs) are Whitlock’s Roadmasters. Shoes are at their most comfortable when they have been well worn. After a few miles I, personally, add a Woolworth’s lightweight stick-on sole. Its renewal is the only way the sole is ever mended. The rubber grips the road, the leather of the shoe contributes firmness. When renewing the heel, I use the concave type, its convex side in contact with road, of course. The descending foot rolls on it, as it were. I think ‘Phillips’ are the only makers now. I stick them on with ‘Holdtite’ and use smaller nails than those provided.
Wooliies in Liverpool. Ta to the Liverpool Echo
It sometimes happens that around the heel of any shoe a slight gap occurs where the floor of the shoe, not having been pushed tightly back enough. This can cause blisters. There are two remedies. Or you can use both in conjunction.
Cut out the heel-half of a leather inner sole (which you can get a cobbler to make). Push it well back, even a bit up the back of the heel and secure it by two or three firm nails at its instep end.
The other remedy (I gave this ‘wrinkle’ to the Lancs WC’s ‘CONTACT’ when it came into being a few years ago and I think they appreciated it) is, I think entirely my own idea. Fill in this tiny gap with clear Bostick and when it hardens, give it another coat and then another. When it hardens you will have a smooth and well fitting bed for the heel.
This is a most successful idea. The hardened Bostik wears as long the shoe, which with stick-on rubber soles, lasts for very many years, its floor thus shaping itself better to the contours of the foot.
You can’t help wondering if Charlie would have been sponsored today by Woolworth’s and indeed the French firm, BOSTIK!More information about Charlie much appreciated.
DOING IT WITH HALF THE FAG!
Further to the Charlie’s thoughts on repairing shoes, Roy Gunnett has tracked down in a file of material bequeathed to the club by Harold Ogden, a nephew of Frank and Jim O’Neill an unsolicited testimonial from the great Tom Payne regarding the wearing qualities and benefits derived from the use of ‘Hixopad’ rubber heels. It is dated April 4th 1907. Tom states, I’ve been training hard to win a 24-mile walk promoted by the South Shield Recreation Committee. I succeeded in winning. During the whole of my training I have used your ‘Hixopad’ rubber heels, one pair usually lasting me three months and I walk on average 110 miles per week.
In exploring further Roy looked to see if you could still buy ‘Hixopad’ rubber heels and indeed you can! See above a great coloured advert for them dating back to the Edwardian times. In addition, Roy notes that for a part of Tom Payne’s career, as referenced in Harold’s file, he raced for the Lancashire Walking Club.
See here for an utterly wonderful article by Tim Erickson about Tom Payne, ‘the mighty atom’
Thanks to everyone’s endeavours we’ve clawed our way back to the top.
Virtual League Racing Series – Race 45 – Dave Stevens Memorial Race
Dave Stevens [5] with Steyning tean mates – a formidable presence on the race walking scene for decades
MENS AGE GRADED 2KM TEAM 1 Lancashire Walking Club (80.57%) 2 South West Veterans AC (78.00%) 3 Manx Harriers (77.59%) 4 Birchfield Harriers (75.88%) 5 Quickstep Fitness (73.16%) 6 Sarnia Walking Club (43.79%) 7 Leicester Walking Club (43.35%) 8 Yorkshire Race Walking Club (35.67%)
MENS 2KM TEAM 1 Manx Harriers (14) 2 Quickstep Fitness (39) 3 Birchfield Harriers (55) 4 South West Veterans AC (61) 5 Lancashire Walking Club (68) 6 Sarnia Walking Club (221) 7 Leicester Walking Club (224) 8 Yorkshire Race Walking Club (236)
The January ‘Joe Lambert’ Virtual Club 3 kilometres
A ‘posh’ 1966 Club Dinner sees a genial Joe in the centre flanked by Dick Smith and Ron Wallwork
The following obituary gives a feel of Joe’s enormous contribution to the club and to race walking as a whole.He was held in great esteem and regarded with much affection.
71 Years a Lancashire Walking Club Member
Our longest serving member of the Lancashire Walking Club Committee, Joe Lambert, passed away on the 6th January 1992 after a short illness, writes Frank O’Neill.
Joe was 91 years old and had been a member of Lancashire Walking Club for 71 years. He joined the club in 1920 after competing in the Manchester to Blackpool, an event he completed 25 times.
Perhaps Joe”s best performance only 3 minutes down on the great Joe Hopkins. Gleaned from the late Brian Ficken’s scrapbooks by Ron Wallwork, courtesy of Pam Ficken.
He continued to make progress over the years at both short and long distances and won many track prizes during the years before the war. Joe took part in many northern area and national championships competing against such men as Joe Hopkins, Harold Whitlock, Tommy Green, Tommy Payne and Lloyd Johnson, all first class competitors.
In 1935, 1936 and 1938 Joe was a member of the British team in the four day Nijmegen marches. After the war he again competed on four more occasions and was captain of the British team in 1958. He became Centurion No 223 in 1954 in the Blackpool to Manchester and Back in 21 hours and 44 minutes.
Thanks to Harold Ogden and Roy Gunnett
Joe competed in many events when well over 70 but from 1936 had begun to take an interest in administration and held many positions. He had already become club captain in the late twenties and proceeded to the offices of club president, chairman, timekeeper, treasurer until 1981 and a grade 1 judge. He was an able administrator.
Joe was Northern Area president in 1958 and later was made a life member of Lancashire WC and NARWA. In 1964 Joe was elected National president and proved to be very popular during his year of office, also being very active on RWA sub-committees and attending several Southern Area functions. On RWA matters he was secretary of the A.D. McSweeney memorial committee which was organised in the mid-sixties. He was later elected a life member of the RWA and his last accolade was being made a vice-president of the Centurions.
He was an AAA senior coach and NARWA coaching secretary, visiting schools in the Manchester area.
Joe was for some years a member of the international selection committee and team manager of British teams competing in East Germany, France and Italy with both seniors and juniors.
Joe’s working life was as a civil service administrator in telecommunications with the old GPO and as a result of this experience trained would-be signal operators for the RAF during the war, holding the rank of Flight Officer. Naturally he competed in many post office walking events.
Joe Lambert had a wealth of experience and will be greatly missed by the walking fraternity and his family. His daughter Joan is carrying on in his footsteps and has been the President of Lancashire Walking Club for the past seven years.
[Tragically, Joan, a dear friend and a colleague in the Wigan Education Department died only a few years later.]
Ron Wallwork remembers Joe:
My recollections include a train journey back from which race I cannot remember. I think Julian Hopkins and the usual suspects were among the others in the party. Joe was telling us how to control stomach ache or it might have been stitch by the pressure of a hand circulating on the affected area in a clockwise direction.
Such was the respect we had for him, that none of us laughed, interrupted or contradicted him. Mind you we did later.
On the other hand my memory differs:
Joe knew I was having all sorts of pre-race stomach problems and, perhaps with a twinkle in his eye, he advised me to rub my belly in an anti-clockwise direction and cover it when training with a sheet of brown paper.
Chris Bolton remembers Joe’s days as a watchful Treasurer:
He was certainly a stalwart and very well respected. I’m sure you will have many anecdotes to share.
I well remember a committee meeting where when Joe had given his meticulous Treasurer’s report a certain Tony Taylor suggested “let’s blow the lot, baby”. I don’t however remember his response!
Anecdotes/photos relating to Joe will be welcomed and added.
THE JOE LAMBERT 3 KILOMETRES VIRTUAL RACE
Our grateful thanks to everyone, who defied a freezing January [excluding Taylor, who wallowed in temperatures of 20 degrees Centigrade and probably had a back spasm from lying on a sun lounger] and a warm welcome to Atmaram, Grace, Tony, Sarah, Val and Jagannath from the McDermot stables of the Yorkshire Race Walking Club. They will feature in the handicap next month.
Tony Taylor 16:48
Greg Smith 18:03
Graham Jackson 18:30 [G]
Dave Evans 19:12
Tony Bell 19:40
Denis Jackson 19:46 [G]
Martin Payne 20:01
Atmaram Dahal 20:07 [G]
Marco Bernatzki 20:11.4 [G]
Joe Hardy 21:02
Ian Hilditch 21:09
Roy Gunnett 21:11
Pat Evans 21:13
Grace Gilpin 21:29 [G]
Glyn Jones 21:30 [G]
Tony Ryder 21:54 [G]
Sarah Circo 23:07 [G]
Val Mitchell 25:10 [G]
Andrea Lennon 26:08
Jagannath Sharma 28:54 [G]
Eat your heart out – this is the 500 metres out and back favoured by a certain Glyn Jones
HANDICAP
Graham Jackson 18:30; 2:20; 16:10 [G]
Greg Smith 18:03; 1:45; 16:18
Glyn Jones 21:30; 5:00; 16:30 [G]
Denis Jackson 19:46; 3:05; 16:41 [G]
Martin Payne 20;01; 3:15; 16:46
Tony Taylor 16:48; 0:00; 16:48
Dave Evans 19:12; 2:15; 17:03
Joe Hardy 21:02; 4:15; 17:17
Andrea Lennon 26:08; 9:20; 17:28
Pat Evans 21:13; 3:40; 17:33
Ian Hilditch 21:09; 3:30; 17:39
Marco Bernatzki 20:11; 2:20; 17:51= [G]
Roy Gunnett 21:11; 3:20; 17:51=
Enfield League Virtual 5k, 30/31 January
There was an excellent response to the first race in this series. Tony Bell with a clocking of 33:02 was 22nd in a field of 56 athletes. The next edition will take place over the weekend, 20/21 February and contributions are welcomed from far and wide
Somewhat under strength with a back spasm laying me low we slipped to third team in the age-graded competition. Nevertheless sincere thanks to all our participants for posting times in less than welcoming weather conditions.
A REMINDER that 3k clockings for our January Club Virtual Series should be submitted by midnight Wednesday, February 3 at the latest.
Virtual League Racing Series – Race 43
MENS AGE GRADED 2KM TEAM 1 Manx Harriers (77.67%) 2 Birchfield Harriers (73.79%) 3 Lancashire Walking Club (71.83%) 4 Quickstep Fitness (70.38%) 5 Yorkshire Race Walking Club (51.28%) 6 Redcar Race Walking Club (45.84%) 7 Sarnia Walking Club (45.45%)
MENS 2KM TEAM 1 Manx Harriers (24) 2 Birchfield Harriers (48) 3 Quickstep Fitness (50) 4 Lancashire Walking Club (66) 5 Yorkshire Race Walking Club (99) 6 Redcar Race Walking Club (187) 7 Sarnia Walking Club (194)
Following Ron Wallwork’s much praised recollections about his footwear we have great pleasure in featuring Guy Goodair’s ‘heel and toe’ memories.
Guy begins:
When I first started race walking around 1958/9 I used a pair of Dunlop Flashes (either green or yellow). I can’t remember which.
Early days – a Wakefield Harriers 6 miles race with Guy [259] dressed for the cold in his Dunlop Flash pumps
In 1961 I went over to the Isle of Man for the TT Walk and bought a pair of heavy leather shoes from the Coop. They weighed a ton!
[Note from Tony Taylor for our overseas followers, COOP was short for the Cooperative Society, born of the 19th century and in my post-WW11 childhood a symbol of the attempt to develop a shopping alternative serving the people rather than profit.]
The heavyweight Coop shoes!! They certainly look the part.
Then like most race walkers I got a pair from Harold Whitlock which served me for a few years before I got a pair of black leather ones from GT Laws – famous for making the spikes which Roger Bannister used for the first 4 minute mile.
The heels on these eventually wore down and at the time I worked for Sutcliffe Moulded Rubber Co. The chief chemist there, Mike Pysden took a keen interest in my racing career. At the time one toy was all the rage, a ball which if you threw it to the ground rebounded to a tremendous height – they were made of Polybutadiene (used in the manufacture of golf balls). Mike suggested that I had my shoes re-heeled with a slab of this as it would give me better rebound properties when my heel struck the ground. Not half it did – it was like walking on a trampoline. I was all over the shop. Needless to say I ditched them!
I was also buying shoes at the time from Norman Walsh of Bolton for fell running. Norman offered to make me a race walking pair which were superbly comfortable. Being a tight Yorkshireman, I’ve still got these along with the Laws and I still use them for an annual outing!
A pair of immaculately preserved Laws racing shoes
1963 – Guy [5] in his Whitlocks passes through Bolton on a soggy June morning with Frank O’Reilly (Lozells Harriers) [1] and Mal Blyth (Leicester WC) on the inside
Other shoes I used were Adidas Marathons (won the Bradford in these). On a couple of occasions I wore a pair of the original Hush Puppies which were very comfortable.
Taken before the start of the Isle of Man TT Walk Guy stood between George Barass [16] and [2] thinks he wore Hush Puppies in this race.1960s Hush Puppies
Another brand I used for the longer distances were Karhus of Finland and they lasted me for ages.
Guy in his Adidas shoes on the way to winning the iconic Bradford 50 kilometres watched by an iconic Mini
Gola had a factory just down the road from us in Stanley (Wakefield). It was owned by the Lamb family. The Boss was known as ‘Clogger Lamb’ because they originally started out making clogs! Never fancied buying a pair even though they had a factory shop.
The smart EBs Guy failed to buy
A shoe which was very popular and which I fancied but never got a pair were the German shoes ‘EB’ (stood for E Brutting). A couple of years ago we were in the Black Forest on holiday and I espied a pair on sale for 35 euro. I didn’t buy them though but regret it now.
Guy winning the 1964 Manchester – Blackpool in his Laws
And 1966 sees Guy back in the same pair of Laws but giving way to John Paddick in his flashy Adidas shoes
After seeing my first walking race at Manchester’s White City stadium in 1957 and dabbling with the event over the following year I drifted into the discipline. The Bolton Harriers’ Hon. Secretary Frank Morris, who had done some race walking before an industrial accident curtailed his athletic career, encouraged, and gave me advice like, use your hips and keep your arms low and have a heel on your shoes. My footwear at that time was a pair of flat-soled white canvas tennis shoes. The outcome of a visit and chat to my local cobbler, Mr.Bromley, which would be the first of many in the ensuing years, was the addition of a layer of crepe, to create a heel on the tennis shoes.
Ron in his fortified plimsolls with Jack Sankey and Mike Jeffreys in pursuit, Leyland 1958
My first race walking shoes were made by J.W.Foster who had his workshop on Deane Road in Bolton and one of the country’s top athletic shoe makers. His black leather shoes with a broad stripe of snake-skin, along with a wafer thin strip of leather twixt sole and heel, which enabled the shoe to be doubled in half, were the hall-mark of his walking shoes. Another feature in all the leather walking shoes was a substantial heel counter to stabilise pronation. Bolton was also the home of ‘Walkers Tannery’ who produced the hard-wearing Dri-ped Oak leather, which was not much thinner than a centimetre, and was used for soles and heels.
Advert in Race Walking Record, September 1942
Harold Whitlock’s Shoes had a microcellular sole and heel, which reduced considerably the jarring experienced with the stouter more rigid leather footwear. The seamless leather uppers also made them easier to wear in.
The famous microcellular Whitlocks
The other leather shoes I wore were made by G.T.”Sandy”Law & Son Law of London, much favoured by southern walkers and worn by Stan Vickers when winning the European 20km championship in Stockholm in 1958, notable for the seam centred on the uppers to allow plenty of toe room.
G,T. ‘Sandy’ Laws & Son shoe
The paper outline submitted to the shoemakers when ordering a pair, meant that the maker could select the appropriate last, but another thing all leather soled shoes had in common, was the need to ‘wear them in’.
I think it was the continentals who led the way forward with the trainer-type shoe. Adidas with a variety of models and Puma initially. They were simply running shoes, still had leather or suede uppers, but not the pronounced heel. Walking versions started to appear, the broad fitting Asics Tiger, Reebok, Walsh’s, Hunt and Gola. With the exception of the latter two I raced in them all at some time, but my favourite was the EB. Eventually, leather uppers became fabric, less specialised and in the end, I think most walkers used any trainer that was comfortable, to some extent durable and reasonably priced.
A pair of mucky EBs
Joe Foster’s sons Joe and Jeff, split from their father in the early 1960’s and founded ReeBok in nearby Bury. Jeff took part in the New Year’s Eve Novelty event in 1967. Norman Walsh another northern shoe maker, (famous for making bespoke wrestling boots for celebrities like Jacky Palo and Big Daddy), also served his apprenticeship with Joe W.Foster, before going it alone and successfully too.
A pair of Reeboks almost kissing one another
I had personal dealings with both, being employed by Reebok for a short time in late 1967 and 1968, at a time when my employer of several years, reneged on a commitment he made to me following my Kingston success.
From L/R Eric Hall, Rod Hutchinson and Ken Matthews shod in leather 1958
As for Norman, well every time I got selected, I would receive a message from him, and it was always the same – You’d better get up here and get measured for a new pair. Norman was oh so laid-back, and athletes, hockey and rugby players were always welcome to pop in and see him. I can still picture the seemingly disorganised workshop in the middle of a terrace on Derby Street, Daubhill; lasts everywhere, brand new rolls of leather with off-cuts strewn about and the combined smell of leather and adhesive.
!967 and the change to lightweight athletic shoes complete -L/R Mal Tolley, Ray Middleton, John Webb, Bill Sutherland, Charlie Fogg and Arthur Jones
Of course, elite athletes will always want the best, but I have raced domestically in ‘Hush Puppies’ and Olympian Bob Hughes wore them at least once in international competition.
More footwear memories to follow from Guy Goodair, Greg Smith and others.
A week or so ago Ron Wallwork put out a feeler to the Enfield League race walking community, asking if , given the continued COVID restrictions, there would be support for a Virtual Series over the coming months. The response was overwhelmingly in favour but see Ron’s measured conclusion below. Ron confirms that anyone irrespective of standard or nationality is welcome to participate. There is a difference in terms of the ERWL proposal and the opprtunities by the World Virtual Series weekly 2k and our monthly Club Series. The EWRL format homes in on a particular weekend each month, mirroring an actual racing date. Basically you have to submit a clocking on that weekend. In this sense some of us might be interested in being involved as another source of motivation. Over to you.
Virtual ERWL to go ahead
Over 25 people responded to the enquiry about initiating a Virtual ERWL, with all but two expressing a positive view towards the suggestion. There was a vehement objection, that wasn’t sent to me, which expressed deep concern about the standard of walking and course accuracy, which is a legitimate view that people are entitled to hold.
However, the ethos of the ERWL since its inception by Martin Oliver 23 years ago, has always be to welcome and engage walkers of all standards and that’s why it operates under the B rule. This is not to say that the ERWL is opposed to the A standard, but it should be remembered that it was born out of the need to judge elite and often full time athletes.
The vagaries of tracking devices are well known, so of course results might well be skewed, but so long as the intent is honest the integrity of the competition remains. As for deliberate cheaters, well they only deceive themselves and when the pandemic is over, all the virtual performances will be judged against times set in real ones.
The series gets underway on 30th/31st January and will be over 5km, thus giving participants the opportunity to ease into things and set targets for the year, but thereafter 8km and 5km will be on offer.
Lancashire Walking Club : Health The First Wealth 