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MASTERS ATHLETICS SUMMER 2013.
JIM McNAMARA an IRISH
LEGEND by Alastair Aitken
Jim McNamara (74), is well known in Irish Athletics and
has been with Donore Harriers for 50 years now. He
has been an Olympic athlete, a 'World Class'
Master and more recently a very successful coach with
his club.
Jim was honoured with a tribute evening 'this is your life.' at
the Spa Hotel, Lucan in Ireland on the 18th of May this year.
Looking back through the years Jim has had an impressive
record. Even more so, when one realises he has had some
hard times over the many years he has been in the sport. He
has managed to foster 'Great' relationships' between
Masters Athletes in Ireland and the UK.
He ran in 4 International (World) cross country
Championships for Ireland.
He was second in the Irish Olympic Marathon Trial in
Limerick in 1976 in 2h14.54 behind David Maid (2h:13.06)
with Neil Cusack (2h:17.07) third. Jim went on to be the first
Irishman in the Montreal Olympics that year in 31st place in
2:24.7.2 but one ahead of the outstanding marathon man,
Bill Rodgers of the USA who was timed at 2h25:14.8. (Some
years before in 1966 in Budapest fellow Irishman and
friend Jim Hogan, from Limerick, won the
European Marathon in 2h20:4.6.)
I can well remember running around the outside of the track
on the grass at Brighton with Jim McNamara, after he had
won three Gold medals in the European Veterans
Championships in 1984 when, he was considered the athlete
of the meeting, which was good, if you consider 3000
competed in those games!
He won the M45Final for 1500 (4:08.6); 5000 (15:00.4). The
latter was ahead of Taff Davies and Mike Turner. Jim won
the 10,000 in 31:22.6 ahead of Aldegalega of Portugal and
Ron Gomez of the UK. It was in 1984 that he did a World
Age Best of 14:47.8 for 5000, which wiped off the mark of
Alain Mimoun 14:56.4. (Incidentally Mimoun was the winner
of the Olympic marathon of 1956 and runner up to Zatopek in
the 5 and 10k races in Helsinki in 1952).
As a senior Jim cracked 50 minutes for 10 miles on the road
with 49:00. He achieved World Masters Championships gold
medals as a M40 in the 5000m and as a M50 5000 and
10,000m. One of his best marks was as a 48 year old
running 3minutes 59 seconds for the 1500!
Ann Curley who has run a 2h53 marathon and 2h55.29, as
the seventh Over 40 in the London Marathon in 2013, has
been coached by Jim McNamara with the Donore Harriers
and also runs in England for the Highgate Harriers. She
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was a valuable member of their ATW Metropolitan League
team this last season.
She talked about Jim McNamara “Nobody I can think of has
put so much back in against the odds, he suffered a stroke in
2007 and weeks later he was back in the club giving
sessions (against doctors’ orders) and hardly able to walk
with the dizziness in his head. Somehow he got back to full
health and ran in the British & Irish Masters International in
Belfast a mere seventh months after that.
Ann continued by saying ' I have also never met anybody
who copes with adversity better than Jim. He was widowed
at 40 and left with 3 children and still managed to compete at
high level. He has since had a great deal of pain in his life
losing his nephew and son in law. He also struggled
financially all his life in badly paid jobs and training hard
around that. He would have gone on many of the Masters
trips around the world but could not afford to do so. In any
case he doesn't like to be away from his group for long.
He likes to keep a very close eye on them all that is why he
is loved and respected. Since he retired 8 years ago I think
he is busier than ever."
Two of our members have recently or are to enjoy
features in well-known periodicals.
Rosemary Chrimes was the subject of a profile
published in the Scottish edition of the “Daily Mail”,
whilst Angela Copson is to be featured in the August
edition of “Runners World”
An Executive Meeting of the BMAF Council on the 11th
May concluded “The Meeting agreed that the BMAF
Executive retains the right to decide the rules for
recognition of a British record”. The Meeting
agreed that a letter shall be sent to EVAA
threatening that new World Record papers will be
sent direct to WMA for ratification if EVAA refuse
to follow WMA rules. The Meeting also agreed that
this subject should be raised with WMA in Porto
Alegre.
So should you set a European Record, at other
than our National Championships , you should
arrange for copies of the finish picture and zero
control test certificate to be sent to Bob Minting.
The Zero Control Test image will be on the
electronic image disc for the meeting.
I suggest you seek the help of the Meeting
Manager, Track Referee or Chief Photo finish
Judge to achieve this requirement.
For British and World records Zero Control Tests
are not presently required.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
- ARTHUR KIMBER
Following their successes in San Sebastian athletes
returned for the final fixture of the indoor season, the