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Thread: Modern era greats

  1. #21
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    I wonder who has won the most races in the last 20yr ?

  2. #22
    Senior Member Steve Chilton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    There were one or two topics on a couple of Facebook pages talking about Colin Donnelly and his Welsh 3000 record. I mentioned that in my opinion he was the 4th "great" and should be remembered as much as Joss Naylor, Kenny Stuart, Billy Bland.
    …….
    With regard to a 4th"great" from the era that Travs mentioned I would definitely nominate John Wild. He may not have a had an especially long career, but he certainly was the top man when at his best, in 1981, 1982 and 1983. He won the British Champs in the first 2 of those years (being first to repeat) and narrowly lost to Kenny Stuart in the epic 1983 season. He still holds records for 4 races: Wrekin, Rivington Pike, Burnsall and Ben Lomond. Admittedly no Longs, but he could certainly run them. In the three Championship Longs he did in 1983 he came 4th at the Northern Counties (Kenny won), 2nd at Borrowdale to Kenny, and beat Kenny to win the Welsh 1000m. In 1982 he had set records (subsequently beaten) in both the Edale Skyline and the Three Peaks. I give you John Wild - tough racer - generous man.

  3. #23
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    There's a great write up on the best Lakeland Classics runners of all time. If you're talking modern era then you're probably talking Simon Booth. This should take you to the article (hopefully):
    https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...mMOJyY9Nutl08g

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Bobster View Post
    There's a great write up on the best Lakeland Classics runners of all time. If you're talking modern era then you're probably talking Simon Booth. This should take you to the article (hopefully):
    https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...mMOJyY9Nutl08g
    Thank you for referencing this.

    Opinions about "the greatest" should never be taken too seriously because they are usually selective, rarely without an agenda and inevitably biased - comment is free, but facts are sacred - but Brian was a statistician by profession, the FRA Statistician for several years and his several articles for The Fellrunner were always excellent.

    And - declaration of interest - he was my co-founder of the Lakeland Classics Trophy.
    "...as dry as the Atacama desert".

  5. #25
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    A "Colin Donnelly" V50 came 2nd at Dufton over the weekend. I assume THE Colin Donnelly?

    Results have his club as Camberley (typo of Cambuslang?)

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    A "Colin Donnelly" V50 came 2nd at Dufton over the weekend. I assume THE Colin Donnelly?

    Results have his club as Camberley (typo of Cambuslang?)
    Yes, he has been appearing at a few fell races recently, still performing at a very high standard; and it can't be very long before he graduates to M60.

    I'm sure that the club should be Cambuslang, although I thought I had seen him recorded as running for some club in North-East England recently (I can't remember which one).
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

  7. #27
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    If i recall correctly, he was hammering everyone in the Welsh 1000m as recently as about 2014.

    I got within 45 seconds of him last year (sadly it was in a 3km XC relay race, not the Welsh 1000m unfortunately!). He was racing for Cambuslang on that occasion.

  8. #28
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    he was very near the front at Addingham Gala fell race a couple of years ago too. class!
    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    If i recall correctly, he was hammering everyone in the Welsh 1000m as recently as about 2014.

    I got within 45 seconds of him last year (sadly it was in a 3km XC relay race, not the Welsh 1000m unfortunately!). He was racing for Cambuslang on that occasion.

  9. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by anthonykay View Post
    Yes, he has been appearing at a few fell races recently, still performing at a very high standard; and it can't be very long before he graduates to M60.
    No it will not be too long. The cliché that form is temporary but class is permanent applies. Without being too self-reverential (well...just a little) I addressed this in A Veteran Celebration - (The English Championship 1986-2008) in Summer 2009. One of the people I interviewed was Graham Schofield who has won medals in Open,V40,V50 categories. I talked with him at Burnsall on Saturday just before he won V60.

    Interestingly when I interviewed him in 2009 he mentioned being inspired by Ian Holmes...and Colin Donnelly but then...class runners recognise class runners.
    "...as dry as the Atacama desert".

  10. #30
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    Carrying on the slightly self-reverential theme: the race I regard as being the absolute pinnacle of my fell-running career is the 1989 Moel Siabod race. The reason I regard my performance there as being so exceptional: my time was only 8% longer than Colin Donnelly's winning time. It wasn't a Championship race, so he may not have been putting in maximum effort, but it was in the third of his British Championship winning years. I don't think I would be anywhere near 8% behind him if we met in a race these days.
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

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