Dr Richardson Ran 800m for Team GB in the Summer!
September 9, 2024
World Masters Athletics Championships
Back in 1997, I watched my Dad run at what was then called the World Vets Athletics Champs in Durban. 27 years later, athletes over the age of 35 have been rebranded as Masters, but the competition remains largely unchanged. This year, over 8000 athletes from 111 countries gathered in Gothenburg to compete over the full range of track and field disciplines.
I’ve always enjoyed running since I was at school, but never made it beyond the status of a decent club runner. However, since turning 35, I’ve dabbled in the Masters scene and following in my Dad’s footsteps by running at the worlds has been on my bucket list. But I’d always told myself I’d only go if I felt I could be competitive. 800 metres is my event, and in my age-group (over 45) it would take something under 2 minutes to win, and maybe around 2:05 to make the final. I told myself that if I could break 2:10 in the indoor season, that I would go for it. At the 3rd attempt, I ran 2:09 in February, so I told my coach/Dad to put Gothenburg in the calendar, assuming another 6 months of training and racing would get me down close to 2:05.
My heat was on Thursday 17th August. We flew over on the Tuesday, and immediately got a flavour of the atmosphere. At the airport, on the bus, in shops and cafes throughout the city there were national tracksuits everywhere. Australia, Bolivia, Canada, GB, the whole city had been quietly invaded by a multicoloured army of athletes, some middle-aged, some a lot older than that. Three tracks were used for the championships, and I had the privilege of racing in the Ullevi stadium, built for the 1958 world cup and more recently the scene of the Euro ’92 final and Jonathan Edwards’ triple-jump world record in 1995.
On race day, I had to report to the call room 30 mins before the race. Feeling rather nervous, I was put at my ease chatting with my competitors, from Japan, Czechia, GB, and a load of Swedes, all of whom spoke perfect English. Knowing that some in my race were capable of running sub-2 minutes, I was determined not to get carried away on the first lap. I achieved this a bit too well, taking the bell in 66, and moved through the field into 5th place out of 12 by the end. I was disappointed with the time of 2:11, but pleased to have had a competitive race and finished in the top half in my heat.
In our remaining time in Gothenburg we saw the sights of the city and enjoyed more of the athletics. Among the highlights was watching people in their 80s clearing over 2 metres in the pole vault, and world records including 1:57 in the men’s over-50s 800m, and 1:39 in the women’s over-85s 400m! There’s a challenge for everyone – can you run one lap of the track faster than an 85 year old?
Racing against under-13s on the track at UEA, I sometimes wonder if it’s time I hung up the spikes and left it to the kids. But my time in Gothenburg was a real inspiration, seeing people of all ages from all over the world competing at the sport they love. At 45, I’ve barely reached half-time!
