No he wasn't a bad runner at all, not top class, but a very good club standard athlete. I often wonder how 'qualified' some folk are to be pontificating on here, in the sense of what they've actually achieved themselves. Me included? Lol.
Not that I agree with everything CL says (!) or that you can't have a valid opinion without being a good runner yourself, but I've always been of the belief that we should listen more to champion athletes of the past more than those who've never been there but think they know it all because they have a coaching badge. Being in both categories is even better of course.