Commonwealth Games buzz

What a great day for the sport of athletics in the Isle of Man. Four track and field athletes have been chosen to represent the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. We've had bigger athletics teams before but never four from track and field.

Its 56 years since the Isle of Man first sent athletes to the games and up to now only seven women have worn Manx vests. To add another three in one go is quite stunning.

You couldn't get away from the news about the Commonwealth Games today. It was well featured throughout the day on Manx Radio so when I drove past Mylchreests at about 5.30 pm and saw all sorts of frantic preparations, as the traffic moved nearly as slowly as the cars on the forecourt, I knew exactly what was happening. The Mylchreest family have long been supporters of the Commonwealth Games fundraising and their garage business was sponsoring the team announcement function.

I shall never forget the life changing opportunity taking part in the Commonwealth Games gave me.

I first got the qualifying time for the 30km walk in 1977 and was encouraged by some to try and make the team. In my own view, I was nowhere near ready for it and the qualifying standard was too soft. In any event, three others had the qualifying time and they were all faster than me.

Although mentally well prepared for the Parish Walk in 1978 I was only dabbling at the training. I only race walked once in the month leading up to my win although that was the 42 mile Plymouth to Dawlish. During that summer, whilst a student in Stoke, I was working for BRS for six months based in Manchester, as part of my industrial training.

For six weeks I worked in Preston travelling from Manchester on Monday morning and getting the train back on Friday evening. A lot happened in those six weeks.

I did the Manchester to Blackpool walk (50+ miles) and missed a turn in Preston of all places. I really struggled when I got back on course. It was just one race too many without training - my fifth race of 50km or more, including the Parish, in two months.

I got food poisoning which was entirely self inflicted. Instead of using my expense allowance to eat in the hotel I took some cooked sausages back one week and put them in my wardrobe to eat the next evening!

A week later my brother called me at work with my biggest ever shock  - our father had died of a heart attack.

It was the only year I entered the 100 mile walk but I pulled out. One night, as I walked alone through the streets of Preston whilst the Commonwealth Games were on in Canada, I decided I needed a purpose. I was going to represent the Isle of Man in the 1982 Commonwealth Games.

When I finished my studies and returned to the Isle of Man in late June 1979 the training started. At a silly pace. It coincided with the one and only time I performed a hard manual job for three months. I was a labourer assisting Kirk Michael builder Charlie Barker who was fully engaged working for Dougie Bolton employed at Whitehouse Farm and his offices in Mount Pleasant in Douglas. On one occasion after mixing cement Charlie asked: "Are you going to give me a paint brush to put it on with?" No wonder I have been office bound since!

Although pushing my body to the limit, within a month I had broken 5 hours for 50km for the first time despite doing the "double midnight." That meant taking the midnight sailing to Liverpool, hanging around in the city for several hours and taking the first train to Birmingham and on to Coventry. After walking 31 miles, the reverse journey saw me catch the overnight ferry back to Douglas and hitting my bed for the first time in 48 hours by about 6 am.

I'll try and cover the next two years quicker than those two days. I started to win races, I set a British record for 30km in February 1981 and represented Great Britain four times in 1981 and 1982 (Brighton, Valencia, Rome & Bielefeld).

1982 was a long hard season with the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in October. I wanted more than the Commonwealth Games and I tried, but failed, to make the GB team for the European Championships too.

Selection for the Commonwealth Games was by that time a formality but there was a time at the end of August, I was so exhausted, that I almost withdrew.

I am so glad that I didn't. We had more than two weeks between arrival in Australia and my event and I got right back, into my stride, literally. Every other day, on my hard day and his easy day, I trained with the man who won the event, Welshman Steve Barry. On a couple of times Graham Young joined us and we were photographed by the press. I pretended I was beating Steve for the title!

  

I certainly didn't do everything perfectly. Although I continued to train hard I ate too much and a few drinks too. It was the first time I had chips for breakfast! There was so much food. I would have a light breakfast before training and then a full version when I got back. Rob Elliott, the Guernsey walker, joined me a few times on those full breakfasts.

It was on the day of the race that I realised that, even though there wasn't the depth of quality that there had been in some of my internationals, there was more pressure. The team manager produced cards, and telexes (does anyone remember them?) for me on the day of the race. On the start line at 7 am on 7 October it struck me that people back home were trying to follow me from the other side of the world.

It wasn't the highlight of my long friendship with Graham Young. Although we shared a room (with Robbie Lambie too) he was quite open that his main objective was to beat me. A walker from another country, who had been based in Britain for a couple of years, adopted different tactics to his normal blast from the gun. He passed me on the turn at half distance and said: "I told you you should start slower in this heat". I said nothing when I re-passed him 10km later. One of the English walkers, Paul Blagg, who was to break 4 hours for 50km, was never on the pace. 

In the photo (by my mother) I am ahead of a young Australian, Andrew Jackno, who became a star walker in the years ahead. But my regret was to loose out to the man I am alongside, Roger Mills, who I used to watch winning the AAA titles on TV,

I am sure that the people who finished behind me thought that they could have beaten me "if only." But I was sure that I could have done better. I had enough mental toughness to handle a fair amount of pressure but I did wonder if Roger's reputation got the better of me.

In the days following the 30km in Brisbane I made another decision as big as in Preston in 1978. I was going to make the team for the 1984 Olympics. I failed and less than a year after that I made the third big decision to affect my race walking. The heavy mileage which was not matched by a frame to support it, and much less by the capability to work on my weaknesses, saw me retire.

I've got plenty of Commonwealth Games stories to tell, if anyone is interested, but only a limited supply of photos.

The Commonwealth Games is no longer a part of my life. It was with a heavy heart that I passed on the ticket lottery that was going to include so many people who don't even know the length of the track, but I hope that those competing in the 2014 games will still be drawn by the buzz to write about their experience 32 years later.

And I hope that there will be even more entitled to tell their story in four years time.

Position Name Country Result 1 - Gold Steven John Barry Wales 2:10:16 hours 2 - Silver Marcel Jobin Canada 2:12:24 hours 3 - Bronze Guillaume Leblanc Canada 2:14:56 hours 4 Willi Alfred Sawall Australia 2:15:23 hours 5 Francois Lapointe Canada 2:17:02 hours 6 Timothy John Erickson Australia 2:19:45 hours 7 Roger George Mills England 2:21:54 hours 8 Murray Lambden Isle of Man 2:22:18 hours 9 Andrew Jackno Australia 2:24:15 hours 10 Robert Elliott Guernsey 2:24:28 hours 11 Michael Parker New Zealand 2:26:07 hours 12 Graham Young Isle of Man 2:27:04 hours 13 Paul Blagg England 2:30:42 hours 14 Mutai Kiplangat Kenya 2:34:51 hours 15 Kevin Taylor New Zealand 2:37:37 hours 16 Elisha Kasuku Kenya 2:39:32 hours 17 John Mutinda Kenya 2:50:54 hours - Chand Ram India dnf hours - Robert Lambie Isle of Man dq hours