Alastair Aitken reports on .......
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Alastair Aitken
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| JIM McNAMARA an IRISH LEGEND (May 2013) |
| Mike Gratton Looks Back (April 2013) |
| Aldershot Champions Again (April 2013) |
| NATIONAL 12 STAGE ROAD RELAY (April 2013) |
| VICTORIA PARK WOMEN'S RACE (April 2013) |
| VICTORIA PARK 5 WITH MARTIN & HICKEY (April 2013) |
| World Trial and Inter-Counties Part Three (March 2013) |
| World Trial and Inter-Counties Part Two (March 2013) |
| World Trial and Inter-Counties Part One (March 2013) |
| Southern Cross Country Champs - Part Three (February 2013) |
| Southern Cross Country Champs - Part Two (February 2013) |
| Southern Cross Country Champs - Part One (February 2013) |
| MIDDLESEX CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS (January 2013) |
| HARRY TEMPAN RETIRES AT 87 (December 2012) |
| Running Still - 133 years of Highgate Harriers (August 2012) |
| FRANK SANDO (14/3/31 - 13/10/12) |
| GREG RICHARDS (October 2012) |
| THE MIDDLESEX & OPEN 10K (September 2012) |
| NINA ANDERSON (September 2012) |
| MO FARAH - HIS BREAKTHROUGH YEARS (August 2012) |
| WILLIAM SHARMAN (August 2012) |
| DWAIN CHAMBERS (August 2012) |
| JOB KINYOR from Kenya (JULY 2012) |
| CHRIS TOMLINSON (July 2012) |
| ARIES MERRITT (July 2012) |
| TYSON GAY in London (July 2012) |
| CHRISTIAN TAYLOR TRIPLE JUMP WORLD CHAMPION 2011 (JULY 2012) |
| DON TAYLOR (1936 TO 2012) |
| THE MAN WHO CHANGED 10,000m RUNNING HISTORY (JULY 2012) |
| THE LAST TWO BRITISH OLYMPIC WALK MEDALLISTS (July 2012) |
| JIM RYUN with MARTY LIQUORI and JOHN WHETTON (JUNE 2012) |
| TWO OF THE GREATEST OLYMPIC THROWERS - JANIS LUSIS and AL OERTER (JUNE 2012) |
| BASIL HEATLEY THE GREAT ROAD/CC/TRACK RUNNER (MAY 2012) |
| RON RODDAN COACH TO A 1992 OLYMPIC CHAMPION (MAY 2012) |
| BRONISLAW MALINOWSKI STEEPLECHASER '1960's to 81' (MAY 2012) |
| GASTON ROELANTS 'THE STEEPLECHASER OF THE 1960'S' (APRIL 2012) |
| JOHN DISLEY THE UK'S OUSTANDING STEEPLECHASER OF THE 1950'S |
| MEN'S NATIONAL 12 STAGE ROAD RELAY (April 2012) |
| Women's National 6 Stage Road Relay (April 2012) |
| THE 46th VICTORIA PARK '5' (April 2012) |
| SIX OUTSTANDING OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS- 800m to 10000m (APRIL 2012) |
| EIGHT AFRICAN OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS (March 2012) |
| McCain UK Inter Counties & UK Challenge 2012 - part 3 |
| McCain UK Inter Counties & UK Challenge 2012 - part 2 |
| McCain UK Inter Counties & UK Challenge 2012 - part 1 |
| THE ENGLISH NATIONAL 2012 - part 2 |
| THE ENGLISH NATIONAL 2012 - part 1 |
| THE LATE BMC COACH FRANK HORWILL (FEBRUARY 2012) |
| SEAA Cross Country Championships - Juniors (January 2012) |
| SEAA Women's Cross Country Championships (January 2012) |
| SEAA Senior Men's Cross Country Championships (January 2012) |
| Six Olympic 110 Hurdles Champions Talking (January 2012) |
| CHRIS FINILL'S RUN ACROSS AMERICA IN 2011 (January 2012) |
| 'HUSTLING HERB' ONE OF THE FIRST JAMAICAN OLYMPIANS (January 2012) |
| SEAA Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships 10/12/11 |
| Dick Taylor and Allan Rushmer (60's,70's & 80's) |
| Lynn Davies (Looking back in November 2011) |
| Scott Overall (October 2011) |
| Keith Gerrard (October 2011) |
| National Six Stage Relays (October 2011) |
| National Four Stage Women's Road Relay (October 2011) |
| David Hemery (1968 & 75, Updated October 2011) |
| Tony Simmons an Underrated 'Star' Performer (September 2011) |
| Kenya's First 'Great' Sprinter - Serapheno Antao |
| The Vets Athletic Club's Championship (August 2011) |
| Mel Batty (August 2011) |
| Tiffany Townsend (August 2011) |
| Coach John Smith (August 2011) |
| Jason Richardson (August 2011) |
| Lisa Dobriskey (August 2011) |
| Mark Lewis-Francis (August 2011) |
| David Rudisha - IAAF World Athlete of the Year 2010 |
| David Morwood (June 2011) |
| Rosemary Chrimes - A Star for 40 Years (June 2011) |
| Paul Dickenson Commentator and Athlete (June 2011) |
| Larry Achike (May 2011) |
| Three of Histories Greatest milers - Part 3 - SEB COE |
| Three of Histories Greatest milers - Part 2 - JOHN WALKER |
| Three of Histories Greatest milers - Part 1 - SYDNEY WOODERSON |
| Three very great curve runners of the past and their views |
| Derek Ibbotson (Interviewed Oct 1962 - updated 2011) |
| Walter Wilkinson (Interviewed Summer 2000) |
| Dave Chapman (Interview Autumn 1998) |
| 'Never Say Die' Les Roberts (April 2011) |
| David Cannon (Interview April 2011) |
| Bruce Tulloh (Interviewed April 2011 and September 1962) |
| Geoff Harrold remembered (Born 25/5/39 died 1/4/11) |
| Nick McCormick at the Victoria Park '5' (March 2011) |
| The Victoria Park '5' A World Renown Road Race (March 2011) |
| Bernard Plain MBE (March 2011) |
| South London's Historic Mob Match (March 2011) |
| World Trials and Inter-Counties - report 3 (2011) |
| World Trials and Inter-Counties - report 2 (2011) |
| World Trials, Inter-Counties and Mike McLeod (2011) |
| North of the Thames Championships - Kingsbury (Feb 2011) |
| Memories of Peter Hildreth (1928 - February 26th 2011) |
| Jonny Hay and Richard Goodman at the English National Junior 2011 |
| Louise Deman and Hatti Dean at the English National 2011 |
| Steve Vernon - English National Champion 2011 |
| Chris Smith and Serpentine - Outstanding in the Met League Final (2011) |
| Nielson Hall and others at the the SEAA Championships 2011) |
| Dave Clarke (The Great Runner from Hercules Wimbledon) |
| Chris Finill the Outstanding Ultra Distance Runner |
| Three New Stars at the 'PREMIER LEAGUE' Jo Smith Cup (Sept 2010) |
| Gladys Bird - Woodford Green & Essex Ladies |
| Bob Smith - Newham and Essex Beagles |
| Richard Thompson - August 2010 |
| Danielle Carruthers - August 2010 |
| Angelo Taylor - August 2010 |
| Michael Rimmer - August 2010 |
| British M45 javelin record holder Roald Bradstock |
| James Shane with his Coach Martin Brown JUNE 2010 |
| Tony Jarrett JUNE 2010 |
| Andy Turner Interview JUNE 2010 |
| Southern Counties Track & Field Championships at Crystal Palace JUNE 2010 |
| The Aldershot National Womens 4 Stage Champions 2010 |
| Grenville Tuck Interview (May 2010 and in 1975) |
| The stage winners at the National 12 Stage Relay - Sutton Park - April 2010 |
| Anthony Whiteman Interview - April 2010 |
| Bill Adcocks Interview - 13th March 2010 |
| Wendy Sly Interview - 13th March 2010 |
| Peter Clark A Forgotten Hero |
| Dic Evans A Runner for Wales for 45 years interviewed in 2009 |
| Douglas Alistair Gorden Pirie (Born Leeds 10th February 1931 Died 7th December 1991) |
| Peter Browne: British Milers Club and Racing Against Ovett and Coe |
| Peter Browne: Born 3rd of February 1949 |
| Six of Belgrave's Winning 12 Stage Team |
| Newham & Essex Beagles 6 Stage Winners and Course Record Breakers 2009 |
| John Salisbury |
| Dave Moorcroft Through the Years |
| Bob Smith the Successful Newham & Essex Beagles Manager August 2009 |
| Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie Interviewed in London Summer 2009 |
| Martyn Rooney at Croydon July 2009 |
| Felix Sanchez in London 2009 |
| Kerron Clement interviwed on 24th of July 2009 |
| Simeon Williamson in London (July 25th, 2009) |
| Dayron Robles interviewed in London 2009 |
| Irie Hill at the British Master Championships 2009 |
| Andy Baddeley |
| Roy Fowler - The Red Fox |
| John Snowden |
| John Hall - Race Walker |
| Mara Yamauchi - Outstanding British Performer in the London Marathon 2009 |
| Nick Goolab - The Revelation of the UK Cross Country Season 2008/2009 |
| Joyce Smith M.B.E |
| Mike Barratt The 'Evergreen' Running Legend |
| David Bedford |
| Clare Elms A Revelation of Age Athletics |
| Harry Tempan The Rennaisance Runner |
| Maureen Bonanno-Smith |
| Kermit Bentham - A man who has run over 500 one lap races in his life! |
| Andretti Bain 2008 Olympic 4x400 relay silver |
| Bernard Lagat in London July 2008 |
| Usain Bolt in London |
| Charlie Williams - Outstanding Master Sprinter |
| Where Are They Now - John Greatrex |
| The Truly Remarkable Tony Bowman |
| Stan Eldon |
| Ian Stewart |
| Pam Davies |
| Avard Moncur |
| Ken Norris |
| Gerry North - The Most Consistent cross-country runner of the 60's |
| Peter Hildreth |
| Robert Slowe - Outstanding Clubman |
| Anthony Noel - World Masters Champion |
| Franics Obikwelu |
| Alan Webb |
The Alan Webb Interview by Alastair Aitken
The United States of America have not had any middle distance runners seriously challenging the World's Best over 1500m, since Steve Scott and Jim Spivey in the late 1980's but, they did find one in the shape of 21 year old, Alan Webb, who won the 1500 in the USA Championships in 2004 and 2005. Her ran a 13:10.86 5000 in 2005 too. In 2004 in the Olympic trials in Sacramento he won the 1500 by over two seconds in 3:36.13 but was unplaced in the Olympic Final writes Alastair Aitken.
Aitken interviewed Webb in London before he ran in the Emsley Car Mile at Crystal Palace in 2004.
How did it all begin for Webb, who has run at the University of Michigan, George Mason University and now competes for Nike. .
"I started running in my first year at High school when I was 14 but I already knew I could run a little bit. We have physical fitness testing at elementary school and I remember we had to run a half a mile and I found I could do that quite well but I was also a swimmer.' He added ' In the area where I lived in Rutherford, Washington DC we really had no running clubs like you do in England but we did have swimming clubs and so, I was drawn to competitive swimming, as much as I liked to run too. I really did not know much about running or who was the best in the World in those days. Nobody pushed me into athletics. My parents just encouraged me with whatever I decided to do. I was totally self-motivated and I think, it is fatal for parents to push their kids into a sport as they will lose interest later on.'
'I was 2nd in the Virginia State Cross country when I was 15 years old and ran the mile in 4.25 and the 2 miles in 9.30. My first coach was Mark Hunter but it was in the next year I started being coached by my present coach Scott Roscoe. We sat down and decided together, it was best I specialise and do athletics and drop the competitive swimming and then, improvements started to come quite rapidly.'
He points out the most significant race that gave him the confidence for a future in the sport. That was on the 27th of May 2001 in Eugene in the Prefontaine Classic. Although he was only placed fifth in the mile, his time was 3:53.43 which was an American High School Record which took the great Jim Ryun's mark off the books. He was just behind Moroccan, Adil Kaouch, who ran 3:53.40 and the winner was Hicham El Guerrouj in 3:49.92.
"That was a huge PR for me and I was doing it behind, a world record holder and big games medallists and, it really made me feel I could do something good in the future"
Unfortunately, that form did not continue for him during the next two years.
'I struggled right up till 2004 but, stuck to sensible training and hard work under my coach. I had a handful of good races in 2004 which included the American Championships but, having so much success at a young age and then building up my expectations in my mind for what, I thought I should be doing and then finding I was unable to fulfil that potential was 'rough' but I knew, as long as I kept on working hard, I would eventually come through. and now I am moving in the right direction'
He concluded 'I love running and I like most distances. Anything from 400 to cross-country. I just like to compete"
Alastair Aitken
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| Andre Bucher - 2001 World 800m Champion |
| Wallace Spearmon (2006) |
| Derek Johnson (1985) |
| James Carter - USA 400m hurdles Champion 2002 and 2004 |
| Dorothy Manley - Silver medalist London Olympics 1948 |
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