Richard Newbold's Athletic Experiences
Waddesdon Open XC November 1983
Richard started his serious racing career in November 1979, just after his 12th birthday at the Waddesdon Open Cross Country boys race, finishing 103rd out of 216 finishers. His debut would have been a year earlier but unfortunately, his class misbehaved on the day of the trial run at school, and as a punishment they were not allowed to do the cross country run! Yes, punished by not doing a cross country run, times were very different 20 odd years ago.
Each year, Richard returned to the same event, progressing to 29th in 1980 and 16th in 1981 before stepping up into the youths race for 1982. The youths race was two laps of the already testing course, with windswept ploughed fields and a big hill each lap, and in his first appearance in the longer race Richard struggled. However, by 1983, he'd grown a little and was much fitter, which was a good job as no training could have prepared any of the runners for the conditions they faced that year.
After the initial fast start things settled down over the long ploughed field section, which that year was also run into a horrendous headwind. This reduced the race pace to a virtual crawl as the runners bent double and also had to cope with shoes that picked up sticky clay with every step. At the end of the ploughed field, each athlete was at least 3-4 inches taller and several pounds heavier with accumulated mud, which was kicked off in clumps as they hit the farmyard. Normally the concrete of the farmyard allowed shoes to lighten but in 1983 the farmer had kindly deposited several tons of carrots across the yard, which soon became lodged in the long spikes of the runners. However, these were soon kicked off before the runners hit the main hill.
In normal years the hill is hard but in 1983 the farmer had left the grass, on the lower slopes, uncut which provided extra resistance. On top of this he had also, thoughtfully, applied a top dressing of fresh liquid manure. Progress up the hill was remarkably unpleasant but lingering in the mind of all the runners was the thought of a second lap!
The two fences to be climbed and the second passage of the ploughed field took its toll on the runners and Richard found himself moving past some notable scalps. Passing through the farmyard for the second time the carrots were thinner on the ground, although liberally scattered on the lower slopes of the hill. Up the hill and through the stench of the manure for the last time was hardwork but having reached the top of the hill there was less than 5 minutes running remaining and most of it downhill. Richard maintained his form well and was more than pleasantly surprised by 10th place, his best ever finish at the event.
The minibus drive home was a happy one as the runners' sense of smell had been obliterated by the stink of the manure, although in hindsight it couldn't have been much fun for the teacher who drove us.
After the walk home from school, Richard presented himself at his parents' front door but his Mum wouldn't let him in the house for obvious reasons. He retired to the back garden to be hosed down, with his spikes and kit being left to soak in buckets, well outside the house. Now that's real cross country for you, eat your hearts out Orion!
Oxford vs. Cambridge 4th & 5ths Shotover Country park, Near Oxford November 1991
Richard had showed reasonable promise at cross country as a colt but whilst other boys shot up and grew bristles on their chins, the formerly average-sized Richard was soon the second-smallest boy in his class. He continued to compete at a reasonable standard in inter-schools races and even made the Bucks team for the Inter Counties as a youth and won the county schools steeplechase as a senior but had definitely dropped back in the team heirarchy.
Going to University, in 1986, was an even bigger shock to the system. The Oxford team back then included Richard Nerurkar and at 1500m the 'b' string runner ran a 4 minute mile. The feeling that he wasn't up to the task, plus being dropped and deserted miles outside the ring road on a OUCCC Sunday run persuaded Richard that perhaps football and hockey would be more fun. Hence, his sporting week usually comprised of three or four matches and a couple of runs, with on average a race every other month, just to keep his hand in.
By 1990 he was making his mark on College football but a horrendous groin injury, which saw him bedridden for a couple of months, saw football take a back seat and running, initially to get fit, come back to the fore. After three or four months of steady build-up, Richard realised that he was running far better than he had done as a teenager and when Oxford were short of a 3000m runner for their final match of the season, versus the Royal Navy, he went home and dusted off his spikes, went back to Iffley Road, and ran 9-19 in his first race for 6 months.
A solid summer's training saw Richard approach the cross country season with glee. He returned a good run in the opening race at Bristol despite all but one of his spikes snapping off or bending flat - 12mm needle spikes aren't designed for cross country, whatever the manufacturers may suggest! At this point he'd set his eyes on a place in the second team versus Cambridge but two knee injuries were to end those hopes within a week.
The first came whilst playing hockey for Queen's College vs. Magdalen in the inter collegiate "cuppers" competition. Queen's weren't great at hockey in those days and towards the end of a 5-1 drubbing Richard closed down on the opposing centre-half. The defender cleared the ball, undercut it and from a distance of about six feet lifted the ball straight onto Richard's left kneecap at a tremendous velocity. The knee swelled up remarkably and by the next day walking was uncomfortable and running impossible. Fortunately, cycling in a low gear was possible, and Richard hit the roads of Oxfordshire on his road bike totting up the miles to try and maintain his fitness.
Unfortunately, it was on one of these rides that he suffered his second knee injury, just as he thought he'd be able to run again. Heading out of Thame on a balmy autumn dinnertime, he approached a roundabout only for a white van driver to try and nip past on the ouside. The driver quickly realised he wasn't going to get past and pulled across, hitting Richard's back wheel and leaving him spread across the road, praying that no-one would run him over. Richard's fall had been broken by his head, elbow and knee and surprisingly his bike was only slightly scratched. In a concussed state he got the details of the driver but with no witnesses was unable to gain compensation for his injuries and damage to his clothes.
The next day, Richard realised his knee was in a worse state than before and this necessitated several trips to the physio. Unfortunately, cycling was now out and only the tedium of swimming remained to try to maintain any sort of fitness. After a month of relative inactivity running was possible again, and with ten days remaining before the Cambridge match Richard had a crash course of running to try and be vaguely prepared. Six days before the race Richard told the Team Captain that he didn't think he would be a wise selection for the thirds as he thought he wouldn't have the staying power for 7 miles, but he'd give a run in the 4ths and 5ths a go, as this was only 4.8 miles.
On the Wednesday of the week leading up to the race, he returned to his old school to run for the old boys team clocking 9-19 for his relay leg, which compared very favourably to the 10-26 he'd managed as a schoolboy (subsequently improved to 9-04 the year after). This gave him confidence about his speed but a nagging worry remained over his staying power, especially as the Shotover course is a tough muddy one with a ploughed field and huge hill per lap.
The race day came and both teams' runners piled forward over the first half mile and Richard moved himself up into the leading bunch after a mile, biding his time. On the entrance to the ploughed field the leaders headed for the shortest route along the inside of the bend but Richard opted for the outside of the bend where the going looked better. However, this necessitated running through the edges of the hawthorn hedge that skirted the field but on entering the wooded section an amazed Richard found himself with a fifty yard lead, gained in about a quarter of a mile. Encouragement, from former Oxford Captain Larry Matthews, saw Richard commit himself to trying to hold his lead and he worked up the long winding hill. At the top of the hill, there was no-one in ear shot and Richard's break had dragged through a large number of his team mates as Oxford runners dominated the front of the field, much to the shock of the Cambridge spectators, who'd been confident about their own team's strength.
Over the second lap a completely isolated Richard ran alone, gradually tiring but still maintaining a reasonable tempo. On the ploughed field he had a quick look over his shoulder and was relieved to see his nearest challenger over 150 yards behind. The second hill was hard, very hard indeed, with Richard hoping that each bend would be the last. Eventually, he left the woods and crossed Shotover plain with no-one else in sight. There was no need for any sprint and a very tired but happy Richard came home for his first ever cross country win.
Loughborough University vs West London Institute vs London University Loughborough June 1993
The long standing and fiercely competitive Loughborough vs. West London Institute (formerly Borough Road College) match was joined by the addition of the once mighty London University Team. Whilst Loughborough has relatively recently fielded athletes such as Paula Radcliffe and Seb Coe (once booed by a partisan West London crowd) and West London Institute has fielded Kathy Cook and Iwan Thomas, London has to look back to the 1950s and Roger Bannister for its glory days. It was with this kind of background that the London team arrived at Loughborough, feeling rather nervous.
Before the meeting, Richard met his uncle, who works at the University, and his comments regarding the keeness of the Loughborough athletes, didn't help to inspire confidence. Richard now merely hoped for a reasonable time in his event, the 3000m steeplechase, rather than aiming to be particularly competitive.
On the start line, the competitors were introduced to the crowd: "wearing No.1, for Loughborough, Spencer Duval, former AAA champion, 1993 UK Inter Counties Champion, 1993 British Students Champion" but then Richard knew this having been in the same heat as Duval in both these last two events.... although not really in the same race. The commentator continued: "Wearing No.2, for Loughborough, Dave Lee, UK Champion in....." at that point Richard stopped listening and nervously stared down the track. Also lining up were four more non-scoring Loughborough athletes, two from West London and Richard's team mate Laurence. It was definitely going to be a tough race and rather different from the Southern League procession that he'd enjoyed leading from gun to tape the week before.
The gun went and straight away the two Loughborough scorers went to the front, with the rest of the field settling down for their own race. After four laps Richard had moved up to second place out of the rest, with only one powerful West London still in front. Richard then moved up into third place down the back straight of lap 5, with the West London runner sitting in behind.
With just less than 2 laps to go, the announcer, who'd been giving a running commentary throughout the race, slipped in a mention of the battle for third place. He informed the spectators that the West London runner, tucked in behind "Newbold of London University", had recorded 1-47 for 800m in a previous match. As soon as these words had come from the tannoy Richard was off like a startled rabbit, making his move a lap earlier than he'd anticipated. This was extremely prudent as Richard's 400m pb of 53.5 was exactly the split times achieved by his competitor over twice the distance! The move was decisive and the West London runner was soon left nearly 10 seconds behind.
Coming past the 1500m start on the last lap, Richard was able to look across the track and watch Spencer Duval outkick Dave Lee, whilst also snatching a quick glance, inside, at his nearest rival. Richard maintained his form over the last water jump and came home in an excellent third place, the best position gained by a London University runner during the meeting. To cap it all, he was rewarded with a new pb, recorded down to hundreths of a second by the electronic timing. Sadly, in terms of looking good on paper, it only lasted a few days before a couple of seconds were shaved off at the next Southern League match.
If you would like to learn more about Richard and his Athletics Career, you can read his bio by clicking here
Southern League Division 5 Mile End Stadium June 1993
Four Southern League Individual Track Wins in an Afternoon
After an increasingly successful summer, Victoria Park Harriers hosted a home fixture at Mile End Stadium with the hope of a second successive win. The return of multi-eventer Wayne DuBose from the USA had boosted the team hugely and the arrival of steeplechaser Richard Newbold saw the middle distances strengthened. At this meeting, Richard was pencilled in for three events, the 400m hurdles, 110m hurdles and 1500m, which was a fairly normal afternoon's work.
The hurdles was a light warm-up. Despite not training for the event, Richard's natural 400m flat speed (53.5 seconds earlier that season) was fair and with an adequate hurdling technique he was able to breeze round in 62.8 seconds for a comfortable 'b' string win.
Next up was the 110m hurdles, and this was a rather different challenge. This wasn't helped by a fall during warm-up, when he mistimed his take-off hit a hurdle and landed badly, bruising his lower back. Fortunately, for him, once again Richard was only the 'b' string and with reasonable technique off 5 strides he comfortably won race two with a personal best time of 20.1.
Next up was the 1500m. Richard was looking forward to this race, having mainly concentrated on steeplechasing for QMWAC, ULAC, Bucks AA and VPH that season, and was keen to record a new personal best. Despite moving uncomfortably because of his painful back, Richard was in the leading group after 2 laps and as the pace began to slow he moved up towards the shoulder of the leader. Just as he was alongside leader, the leader spat across the track and hit Richard in the face. Richard responded by glaring across at his opponent and then he he was off! With 500m to go, it was a long break for the tape and as Richard relaxed round the first bend a Thurrock athlete came onto his shoulder. With 300m to go an animated Keith Lowe, at trackside, shouted at Richard to "use your kick". Richard responded and increased his pace again. However, his change of pace was matched by the Thurrock runner. Off the final bend and into the straight and they were still neck and neck. With 80 yards to go the Thurrock runner went again, and gained a foot advantage. With less than 40 yards to go Richard found an extra gear and pulled past again, leaning into the tall Thurrock runner as his larger rival tried to crowd him out. Richard's sharp elbows and year's of playing centre-half paid off as he started to shove his opponent back into lane 2, remembering to dip as he went across the line for a very hard fought win in 4-10.0, a new personal best.
So, with a hat-trick of wins, Richard's afternoon should have been over. However, Team Captain Phil Hampshire and Track Secretary Keith Lowe were plotting on the sidelines. Phil told Richard that "the points situation was really tight" and "would you do the steeplechase to help us win the match?". At this point Keith chipped in saying that "you could just have an easy run round and get us some points". Richard said he would and about 20 minutes later found himself lining up for his fourth race of the day.
Richard trotted off and found himself in the lead. After the 1500m, the pace felt easy. He settled into a rhythm and after a couple of laps the splashes of his competitors in the water jump grew quieter. Running well within himself all the way round but feeling a bit tired, Richard just jogged through the finishing line for win number four and a remarkable time of 9-50.6, only six seconds outside his best.
In the end VPH won the match by over 15 points, so Phil and Keith must have got their sums wrong. However, they gave Richard the oportunity to have his glory day of an unprecedented (for VPH) four individual track wins.
City Charities Match 3000m West London Stadium July 1993
In years gone by the City Charities Match was one of the biggest trophy meetings in London, with a top class mile and highly competitive 2 mile/3000m team race. However, by 1993, the event had reduced in importance, overshadowed by the League system. Hence, an event that had once seen athletes like Roger Bannister and Gordon Pirie take part remained a big event only in terms of the size of the shield that is still competed for.
The 3000m team race saw a strong University of London AC team, comprising of 5000m runner Jerome Brooks, steeplechasers Laurence Rudge and Richard Newbold and cross country runner Jamie Pringle, with three or four assorted oppponents from the London Business Houses.
The race got off to a frighteningly fast start and at the end of the first lap the timekeepr read out "64". To those on the sidelines, this seemed like a suicidal pace and the athletes agreed and slowed down to regularly clock 72 second laps. Leading for the middle part of the race was Richard Newbold, running only his second flat 3000m and confident of improving his 9-19 p.b. After 4 laps, they had recorded 4-40 and the pace continued at around 72 seconds for the next lap.
At the end of lap 6 an athlete for Hercules Wimbledon cut in front of Richard and he was forced to cut his stride, which also let his team mate Jerome Brooks past. With one lap to go Brooks had taken the lead with Richard following close on the heels of the HW runner. With 370m to go Brooks accelerated and Richard was caught behind the second place runner. By the time Richard was able to get past, Brooks had a 8 yard lead and Richard sprinted hard to try to get back on terms.
Down the back straight Richard made a little impression on the lead but coming round the final bend Brooks relaxed, readying himself for the final sprint. This gave Richard his chance to get back in contact and coming into the straight he was only a yard off his team mate's shoulder. Both athletes kicked and with ten yards to go before the line Richard came past to win the race in 8-44.9, one tenth of a second ahead of Jerome. The time for the last lap was just over 64 seconds, matching the opening fast pace and leading to almost identical splits for the first and second halves of the race!
Talking to Jerome afterwards, Richard had asked him why he'd relaxed round the last bend, enabling him to get back in touch. The reply was that he was getting himself relaxed for his big kick. Unfortunately for Jerome, and luckily for Richard, Jerome had usually seen Richard steeplechasing and finishing very tired and hadn't seen much of Richard's reasonable (for a middle distance runner) sprinting ability.