This story is part of a series exploring the people that make masters athletics tick, helping us to define the BMAF brand.
We’d love to add your story to the series, so please help us out by sharing your experiences.
I did very little (no) sport at school and played football badly at university.
From my 30s onwards I did some jogging, a couple of slow marathons and joined Trent Park Running Club for the cross-country and road races.
In my 50s I was finishing nearer and nearer the back in these races and some kind soul suggested I should try shorter distances (he’d spotted I was very slow over the first five miles but often won a sprint finish). I joined the club’s small sprints training group and started to learn about the wonderful world of masters.
I was inspired by Alan Carter – a world champion hurdler in his 70s and my first coach.
Navigating the world of ‘masters’ was not always easy but I joined an area club, Vets AC, as well as a local track and field club, Enfield and Haringey.
Other masters athletes were very helpful and soon I was competing (though by no means winning) in national and international events over 100m, 200m and 400m. I found I was comparatively better at sprinting and was inspired by meeting many great masters at the meetings.
Thanks again to the person who suggested I leave behind the ignominy of bringing up the rear in cross country!