Page 11 - Unknown

MASTERS ATHLETICS SUMMER 2014.

OBITUARIES school as a footballer not just a runner. He gradually decided
to stick with athletics. In fact he played in the Blackpool FC
GERRY NORTH Youth club team with Jimmy Armfield who went on to play for
England.
May the 2nd 1936 /1st of April-2014 The three athletic clubs Gerry had been associated with
were Blackpool & Fylde, Belgrave Harriers and Portsmouth
By Alastair Aitken AC. He was President of Belgrave Harriers in 2005 and was
an England Road team Manager around that time too.
Gerry North was a “Great' cross-country runner who ran for He had something special to say about his Father “He was
England many times. very sporting. He did everything for us and went with us to
I met him and interviewed him twice at his home and I the races. He encouraged Geoff and me right from the start"
always found that he really was a modest and likable person, One must never forget that special time when Gerry turned
who was not always given the credit for being a very good 50 he then won the 'Over 50' Southern Veterans and
coach in his later years, with an outstanding knowledge of National Veterans cross country Championship. The secret
the sport. was he never did win a National Veteran title in his 40's
because he never took it very seriously and was only on 30
One must remember also that he was not only the miles a week but before the two Veterans victories he did 50
junior 'National' winner in 1957 and the senior 'National' miles a week to make sure of winning, which he was easily
Champion of 1962 but also the 'National and Southern over able to do with his talent!
50 Veterans cross country Champion, when he was actually You can talk to anyone who knew Gerry and many 'Great'
50 and, trained harder than he did in his 40's. runners and ordinary club runners would not have a bad
word said against him and if you can say that about
In 1965 he won the Surrey 6 mile Championships in record someone like Gerry then, his days were well spent.
time of 28:48.2 and went on that year to win the Southern 6
miles at the white City in 28:40.04. He was also was very It is with regret that John Walker sadly passed away on,
useful on the road particularly in the road relays. Thursday, 19th June 2015, after a long illness aged 76
years. John was a founder member of Centurion Running
Back In 1967 he won the Southern (I remember that as I ran Club formerly Centurion Joggers in the 70’s and was a
that race for Highgate Harriers at Parliament Hill Fields). His prolific organiser of road races in the area including the first
brother Geoff was a fine track runner (13:44 for 5000m) but
although Gerry did not feel he excelled on the track but more 11
on the country. It should be remembered Gerry won the
World Games 10,000 in Helsinki in 29:51.1 back in 1963.

His real ability came when running on cross-country
courses and he very nearly won the International Cross
Country one year. He had fallen over early on but was still in
the winning England team, as he was several times.

He was 3rd in the National of 1961 behind Basil Heeley and
Bruce Tulloch but the following year he turned the tables on
Tulloch when he won in the sprint finish, with runners like
Mel Batty and Ron Hill behind him too.

Also it is worth considering his victory that year, in the light of
the fact that Bruce Tulloh, went on to become European
5000m Champion in Belgrade in 1962!

Gerry said about the National " It was a race on my home
ground in Blackpool' and continued ' I thought I had got to
win it. It was a race I completely dominated and I had that
feeling I was going to win. When anyone tried to overtake me
I put in a little burst'
'I had a challenge from John Anderson (3rd). Bruce Tulloh
worked his way through. I think he caught the group at six or
seven miles. I was still doing all the forcing of the pace until
600 yards to go. Tulloh went past me and he went hell for
leather.
’He thought he had got it. I kept a yard behind him then, as I
came down the finish then I left him for dead. I was fresh as
a daisy and he was on his knees having run himself into the
ground. He had just come back from New Zealand and done
a four-minute mile. He must have thought, ' I can outsprint
Gerry no problem' It was not the speed at the finish- it was
the strength I had"

Gerry North, who not only had a brother who ran but a
couple of sons who did. One of those was a well-known
junior Andy North but Gerry himself, actually started out at