Author: The Author

I knew Gordon Porteous as a fellow member of the Scottish Marathon Club – the difference was that he was a founder-member and I only joined in 1961!    The first time I was conscious of him in a race was my first long road race at Dunblane when the group refereed to by Emmet Farrell as ‘the geriatric rat pack’ came past me at about 11 miles with a query as to my well-being.   Emmet himself, Andy Forbes and Gordon were in the group of four or five.   I subsequently met him at various races and, of course, at SMC Presentation Dinners, usually held in Glasgow.   A fine runner when he was a young man he became a world champion as a vet and the following excellent profile was written by Colin Youngson.

When, at the age of 93, Gordon died on 18^th of January 2008, his club Maryhill Harriers published a respectful, affectionate and informative obituary. He was described as “a gentleman and a fine example to others in many ways. He was a courteous, caring individual and an ambassador for Maryhill Harriers and Scotland.” Anyone who was privileged to meet Gordon, or to receive one of his elegant, precise but witty letters, can only agree wholeheartedly.   The obituary continued: “Gordon’s contribution to and support for Maryhill Harriers was simply breathtaking.    A member since 1935, he held every senior office and did so for many years at a time. As well as support the club administration, he would still turn up to help out at those races in which he was not competing, whatever the weather. He had encouraging words for several generations of runners and was notable in never having a bad word to say about anyone. He was simply inspirational, always positive.   At the time of his death, Gordon was Honorary President of Maryhill Harriers and Honorary President of Scottish Masters Athletics (incorporating the Scottish Veteran Harriers Club).    He was a keen modeller who used to escape his female-oriented household to the loft to undertake this hobby for many hours at a time. He would only re-enter the house if there was a John Wayne movie on the TV!”

Gordon Porteous was born on the 20^th of February 1914. In the late 1930s he trained and raced with illustrious clubmates like the Olympians Dunky Wright and Donald McNab Robertson and the 1938 (and 1948) Scottish Cross Country Champion John Emmet Farrell. When the Second World War ended in 1945, despite a poor diet (which continued for years of severe rationing in Britain), Gordon wasted no time in returning to athletics at the ‘advanced age’ of 31. On 16^th June 1945 he travelled south to take part in the famous Polytechnic Marathon from Windsor to Chiswick, finishing 8^th in 3 hours and 14 seconds. That sounds like an inauspicious debut, although it did rank him in the top 70 in the world that year. Gordon’s excuse was that he “suffered severe stomach cramps around the 21 mile mark and had to actually stop – couldn’t even walk – so much so, that my clubmate Andy Burnside, who had been over four and a half minutes behind me at 20 miles, passed me before I could get going again. I probably lost about 5 minutes as a result. That was the only time cramp ever affected me during a marathon. (I never had cherry pie again for my lunch!)”

In 1946, after a trial race, Gordon Porteous was selected to run for Scotland in the ICCU Cross Country Championship in Ayr. He finished 43^rd as one of his country’s counting team.   That was the year when the first Scottish Marathon Championship took place, although Gordon did not take part. However he provided useful information which is quoted in ‘A Hardy Race’. “After the war, dietary problems included digesting dried egg and getting hold of enough food to sustain us. Runners lucky enough to be ‘possibles’ for the 1948 Olympics received food parcels from South Africa, courtesy of the AAA. Survivors of the Saturday long run replenished reserves with Bovril (served in special club Bovril mugs) and cream crackers or a pie. Maryhill road men had one advantage over their rivals. Dunky was a member of the Home Guard. The crafty fellow obtained a supply of heavy brown Army plimsolls, which had much thicker rubber soles than the usual ones. More cushioning and fewer blisters. The alternative was Dunlop Green Flash – a tennis shoe which would ensure blood on the road for its masochistic owner. This brand was still used in the 1960s!

Other kit comprised shorts, a vest, grey flannel trousers for the warm-up and a jersey with long sleeves to be pulled down over the hands on cold nights. Training was usually thirty miles a week. Maryhill Harriers (motto: ‘Good Fun – Good Fellowship – Good Health’) ran together from Maryhill Baths on Tuesdays and Thursdays – about seven miles a night. There might be a slow pack and a fast pack, each one with a Pacer and a Whip. A good deal of wisecracking could be heard, especially as the fast pack whizzed past, unless runners were breathless. On Saturdays, if there was no race, a pack of runners might cover fifteen or even eighteen miles over road and country, followed by tea, buns and a singsong to the music of mouth organs etc. An alternative was some serious hiking.

Not surprisingly, Sunday was considered to be the day of rest. However Dunky Wright and Donald Robertson (who was ‘a bit of a horse’) added a long Sunday run to the regime.”

By 1948, Gordon was ready to have another go at the marathon, and improved to 5^th in the Scottish Championship at Dundee, finishing in 2.54.11.

By 1962, aged 48, he hadn’t been doing much racing, when John Emmet Farrell, who was five year Gordon’s senior, suggested having a go at the Scottish Marathon. Consequently they trained together doing about 40 or 50 miles per week, with the odd 20 miler nearer the race. Gordon suspected JEF of “doing an extra run on the QT.” The race started outside Old Meadowbank Stadium, and went through Dalkeith, Cockenzie and back to finish on the ash track. “Since it was a warm day,” (Gordon wrote) “the two (not so old) warriors ran steadily together. This was a wise move since JEF was notorious for going off course. Then with 50 yards or so to go, the old b…. sprinted to hold me off at the line! I never let him beat me in a marathon after that.”

Now one of several reasons why Gordon Porteous must feature on this website, is that he was still breaking the three hour barrier in 1981 at the age of 67! (He stated that his so-called ‘failure’ to run as fast after then, was due to a hamstring injury sustained while track training for the 10,000 metres in the European Veterans Championship in Strasburg.) Between 1949 and 1969 he contested only eight marathons (PB 2.49.23) and dropped out of three of them. However he ran two in 1970 and never missed the Scottish Senior (or Veteran) Marathon Championship between 1972 and 1982.

At the age of 60 in 1974 he ran 2.53.08 and in 1975 two M60 World Marathon records: 2.51.35 in the Scottish Senior and 2.51.17 to win the inaugural World Veterans Championship in Toronto. This was nearly three minutes faster than his 1948 effort!   Gordon Porteous went on to achieve a truly marvellous series of successes. He set European and World age-group marathon records at: M65 (2.57.00); M70 (3.11.45); M75 (3.23.12); and M80 (3.47.04).

He won World Veteran Marathon gold medals in Coventry 1976, Berlin 1978, Hanover 1979, Glasgow 1980, and New Zealand 1981 plus Rome 1985.  A European Marathon gold medal was won in Brugge, Belgium in 1989.

In 1976 Gordon actually won an amazing four World Championships in ten days. As well as the marathon in Coventry, he was first in 10,000 metres on the track, 10k cross country and 25k road!

Of course he won many gold medals at shorter distances and in British championships too. Doug Gillon wrote about the occasion when in September 1994, at the age of 80, Gordon “added another title and record to a portfolio which, in its way, rivals that of Linford Christie.    Porteous took more than nine minutes from the UK over-80 10,000 metres track record, clocking 48.06, when he won his age group in the Scottish Veterans championships at Ravenscraig Stadium.”

Gordon enjoyed many glory days in the company of his close friends John Emmet Farrell and Davie Morrison. The three of them travelled together all over the world to championships and broke so many records. I remember in particular the splendid and well-deserved newspaper and television coverage of those three Scottish heroes in the 1999 British Veterans Championships at Meadowbank; and the subsequent World Championships at Gateshead.

Even when he was over 90 years old, Gordon said, in an interview “In a good week I manage to run 30 to 40 miles. The idea is to keep fit, although a little piece of pride also comes into it. When I began running, I didn’t imagine it would become as popular as it is today. Normally, you try to do a wee bit better each year, but eventually you reach a stage when you’re just hoping to finish!” He was married to Nettie for more than 60 years. She survived him for just two.

Even now in 2010, Gordon Porteous continues to hold three world age group records: M85 5000m (24.51.7); M90 5000m (31.25.45); and M90 10,000m (69.27.5). He should be remembered as a great champion and a wonderful role model.

Following Colin’s profile of Gordon above, it might be appropriate to finish with a contribution from outside Scotland as an indication of how he was seen from outside Scotland.   The following comes from www.mastersathletics.net and the World Famous Athletes directory. 

“The Flying Scotsman” has finally come to a halt.   Our oldest competitive athlete, Gordon Porteous, Scottish Veteran Harriers, was laid to rest in Barrhead on 25th January, weeks short of his 94th birthday.   His last major race was at Coatbridge in October 200 when he smashed the M90-94 age category World 10000m track record, winning in 69 min 26.92 sec.

He won 23 World and European age groupmedals, including the marathon in 2 hrs 51 min aged 60, at the first ever World Veterans Track and Field, Toronto, in 1975.   He remained unbeaten over this classic distance by any one of his own age.   He returned home from the World Championships in New Zealand in 1981 with four gold medals.   He currently holds the following records:

• World M 90-94  5000m in 31:25.45
• World M90-94  10000m in 69:26.92
• European records as above, plus the M85-89 5000m
• British 1500m records from aged 80 through to age 93
• British M80-84 3000m indoor

His many friends and admirers will have fond memories of meeting a great amateur athlete and a true gentleman

Graham MacIndoe sent a copy of the Athletics Weekly article about Gordon by Jimmy Christie of Victoria Park and it is reproduced below.

Donald McNab Robertson and Dunky Wright lead the Fiery Cross Relay from Edinburgh Castle

With six AAA’s marathon championship victories and the winner of the first two SAAA marathon championships, two Empire Games selections and an Olympic selection, Donald MacNab Robertson of Maryhill Harriers has to be considered one of Scottish marathon running’s greats.    When you consider that all, except for the the SAAA wins, were done in the period between 1932 and 1939 his claim to greatness is enhanced even further.   Born in 1905 he came late to the sport and first came to the notice of the wider athletics world when he won the AAA’s marathon title from club mate and friend Dunky Wright.   Arriving at the track together Robertson won the sprint – as he was to do in many races – to be victorious by by only 1.4 seconds.    This was only the first of a series of wins in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937 and 1939 and in 1946 (the first post war race) he was only just outsprinted to finish second in what was virtually a dead heat.    In other words he failed to get a seventh AAA’s title by 0.2 seconds.

In 1932, having won the AAA’s he was selected for the Los Angeles Olympic Marathon where Dunky Wright, whom he had beaten at home, was fourth but unfortunately work and family commitments meant that Donald could not accept the selection.  His winning time in the AAA’s of 2:34:32.6 placed him eighth fastest in the world that year and was to be his lifetime fastest time. He won again in 1933 in 2:43:13.6 and in 1934 his winning time was 2:41:55.   He also ran in the Empire Games for Scotland that year and finished second only one place ahead of Dunky Wright.   He did gain selection for the Berlin Olympics in 1936 after possibly the most exciting of all his victories in the AAA’s marathon championship.   This time he entered the White City Stadium with Ernie Harper of Hallamshire Harriers but Robertson again showed his sprinting strength and skill to win by 1.2 seconds in 2:35:02.4 which ranked him twelfth in the world at the end of the season.   In Berlin he  was always up with the race although he never took the lead at any point and finished seventh in 2:37:06.2 which was the twenty third time in the world.  The times are an indication of how tough the competition was – there was only a two minute gap between the times but a ranking difference of 11 places.   Incidentally  Ernie Harper was a close second in the race.   In 1937 his best time of 2:37:19.2 was good enough for thirteenth in the world.

His only run of significance in 1938 was in the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney where he was fourth in 2:42:40.0.    In 1939 he won his sixth AAA’s title in 2:35:37  (good enough to be twelfth in the world) after which there was an unfortunate career break until 1946.    By 1946 the Scottish Marathon Club had been founded and had forced the SAAA to hold a Scottish Marathon Championship.    Needless to say the almost 40 year old Robertson won from 50 year old Wright in 2:45:39.     In the AAA’s marathon that year he was second after another last lap sprint at the White City only losing out by 0.2 seconds to Squire Yarrow in a time of 2:43:14.6.   Remember that this was just after the War and food was still quite severely rationed and shoes in particular were hard to get.   First of course you needed the money but in the second place clothes could only be bought if you had enough clothing coupons.   Coupons used on running shoes could not be used on other items of everyday clothing and it was a case of ‘make do and mend’ to quote a slogan of the times.   A year on and he again won the Scottish title, this time in 2:37:49 and was third in the AAA’s in 2:37:58.   These two times were the nineteenth and twentieth in the world that year.

A couple of comments: (1) It should be noted when looking at rankings in the post war period that the principal rivals in endurance events – the Scandinavians and the Americans – had not suffered the privations of the war and were not enduring rationing.   If you read Joe Gallo’s columns from Australia or read George Barber’s columns in ‘The Scots Athlete’ you will have read of food parcels being sent to Scottish athletes from Australia and from America so that they could compete on equal, or nearly equal terms.   In that situation to be ranked in the top twenty in the world was no small feat.   (2) When looking at times remember that marathone as a sun screen!   Venue?  Centre Parcs!

So what training was Donald McNab Robertson doing?   It’s hard to get it exact because (1) so little was published and (2)reports of what runners were doing by themselves and other runners were often unreliable.   The base training on club nights is easy enough to get a grip on with steady runs of between five and seven miles done as pack runs although the Maryhill fast pack must have had a different idea of what was a steady run.  I know that at inter club runs in the late fifties there were runners who asked if the medium pack was a ‘fast medium or a slow medium’.   I have a little about it on the Dunky Wright page.    Probably the most reliable account that you can get is that in ‘The Hardy Race’.   “Not surprisingly Sunday was considered a day of rest, however Dunky and Donald (who was considered a ‘bit of a horse’ by Gordon Porteous) added a long Sunday run to the regime.   Donald McNab Robertson was reputed to be the first of the ‘hundred miles a week’ men, perhaps twenty mile runs up to four times a week, a twenty five mile run on Saturday and a thirty mile hike on a Sunday; and Dunky certainly managed to put in more ‘six minute miles’ than many of his contemporaries.’

Regardless of the miles put in or the number of titles won or major Games medals, he was reported to be a thoroughly nice man, like by everybody.   I knew many Maryhill Harriers and none of them had an even mildly critical comment on him as a person.

He was training as hard as ever and looking forward to a good summer’s racing and a possible, maybe even probable, place in the team for the Olympics twelve years after his last run at the Games when he died suddenly in his sleep after a good training run that day.   I finish this piece with the obituary printed in the ‘Scots Athlete’

Charles Robertson

Charles Robertson – known by almost everybody as ‘Chick’ – was another who came into running from cycling.   The introduction below comes from a Photoflash feature in ‘The Scots Athlete’ and outlines his road into the sport and early successes.   The Services teams were all very good with the Army, Navy and Air Force all looking after established athletes who had joined up or been conscripted as well as discovering new talent.   Derek Ibbotson, Alastair Wood and Joe McGhee were all in the RAF and the Army Team was renowned for its excellent teams.   The British Army on the Rhine after the War had teams that were the equal of many National squads and to be in that team says a lot about his cross country ability.

“Seldom indeed does a long distance runner make a name for himself without serving a long and hard apprenticeship, but this has happened in the case of ‘Chick’ Robertson of Dundee Thistle.   Previous to 1945 Chick’s whole interest lay in cycling but while in Germany with the 7th Black Watch he did so well with his Battalion’s cross-country team (which won its Brigade, Divisional and Corps Championships) he was chosen to represent the B.A.O.R  [British Army On the Rhine] Team against the Belgians and the Americans at Brussels in March 1919.   In this race he finished tenth.   Against the Home Army he captained the Rhine Army Team and in this race he finished sixth.   By the time he was demobbed the sport had made another convert and he joined Dundee Thistle.   Since then he has won the Eastern District Junior Championship  but had a setback in the National when he had to retire through injury.   Fully recovered by May 10th he won the Brechin 12 Mile Road Race.   In his best yet, the Perth to Dundee 22 Mile road race he finished second to Marathon Champion Donald Robertson beating some of the best distance runners in the country.”

The above was taken from a ‘Photoflash’ by Robert Robinson in the ‘Scots Athlete’ and it will be quoted again in this review of Robertson’s career.    He went on the next year to win the Scottish Marathon for the first time and the race itself is described in ‘A Hardy Race’ as follows.   “Charlie always gave the impression of being in ‘control’.   This impression is emphasised by Gordon Porteous who actually competed on 11th September 1948 over the Perth to Dundee course (extended to full distance) during Charlie Robertson’s first success in the SAAA Marathon.   Gordon writes that “The first few miles were rather sedate, there being a pack of six or seven runners, yours truly among them, none of whom wanted to take the pace, till Charlie decided to go at five miles.”   The break was clean and Charlie (2:45:12) won by over three minutes from John Emmett Farrell.”    Charlie’s first attempt to make the Olympic  marathon, the first being in 1948.   In the trial that year he led to 23 miles before his legs gave out and the great marathon man Jack Holden won admitting later that Robertson had had him worried for a time.

In 1949’s Scottish Championship, Jack Paterson won over the Gourock to Ibrox course and in 1950 Robertson finished second to Harry Howard, defeated by only 13 seconds and in August set a new record for the 22 mile Perth to Dundee race.   In 1951 Jack Paterson won the Championship held for the first time in conjunction with the Scottish Track and Field Championships.   Charlie Robertson had had his best winter in season 1950-51 and finished third in the Scottish Cross Country Championships.   He set a new course record to beat his own standing record and then only two weeks later won the Edinburgh Marathon and it was reported in great detail in the ‘Scots Athlete’ as follows.

 CITY OF EDINBURGH MARATHON, 1951

CHARLIE ROBERTSON WINS CLOSE RACE WITH A NEW COURSE RECORD

“This race at Edinburgh was one of the most interesting I have seen for some time.   There was an unfortunate incident at the onset.   The race started before the advertised time and for some unknown reason Charlie Robertson and Harry Howard were left in the Invitation dressing room although the main dressing room where the other marathon runners were had been cleared.   After the first lap of the track these two runners joined the race with the knowledge that they would have to run the extra lap when they returned.   When the race was clear of the park, B Murray (Teviotdale H) was in the lead followed by J Kelly (Bellahouston H), A Brown (Motherwell YMCA) and F O’Kell (Liverpool).   Murray remained in the lead until just before five miles when Charlie Robertson (Dundee TH) took the position  and Murray faded out of the picture.   Five miles in 29:57 found Robertson leading with JW Stone (RAF), O’Kell,  J Thomson (Carlisle), Harry Howard, J Winfield (Derby) and Jack Paterson (Poly) all in a bunch.   It was a perfect day, cool with no wind.

At 10 Miles the Scottish Champion Paterson, not looking too happy, was in front in 1 hour 0 minutes and 4 seconds followed close by Howard, Stone, O’Kell, Thomson, Winfield and Robertson.   Winfield, a veteran track and cross country internationalist who was third in this year’s British Championship was not going too well.   Stone the RAF boy was looked exceptionally  fit and well  and seemed to be the only one enjoying the race.    At 15 miles in 1 hour 29 minutes 35 seconds Howard was in the lead with Stone and Robertson.   There was a gap of 30 yards with Paterson and 25 yards behind came Winfield  who pointed to his ankle and then dropped behind.   At this period Stone went into the lead and very soon drew away and it looked as if the race was all over he looked so fit and well.   At 20 miles in 1 hr 59 mins 35 secs Howard decided to do something and strode out with Robertson following close behind and Paterson some 50 yards away.   After almost sprinting down a long hill at Sighthill, Howard passed Stone, who was also passed by Robertson, who was now looking very tired.   At the 24th mile Robertson made his effort and passed Howard who looked all in and Robertson then made no mistake running strongly to the park he ran the course – including the extra lap – completing in the fastest time of the series in 2 hrs 38 mins 15 secs.   JW Stone (RAF) who had passed Harry Howard only outside the park was second in 2 hrs 38 mins 33 secs, Harry Howard was third in 2 hrs 40 mins 50 secs .   J Paterson who was an excellent fourth in 2 hrs 41 mins 59 secs was the liveliest at the finish and almost sprinted the last lap to show how fresh he was.   The handicap race was won by J Bell (Kirkcaldy).

1. CD Robertson   2:38:15;   2.   JW Stone   2:38:33;  3.   H Howard   2:40:50;   4.   J Paterson   2:41:59;  5.   A Kidd (Garscube)   2:47:39   6.  J McGhee (St Modan’s)   2:48:19;   7.   J Bell (Kirkcaldy YM)   2:52:11;   8.   JE Farrell (Maryhill)   2:57:16; 9.   J Winfield (Derby)   2:58:16   10. A Brown (M’well)   2:59:40;   11.   H Haughie Springburn)   3:01:07; 12.  L Hollingsworth (LP) 3:03:50;   13.   R Jackson (Winton H) 3:08:47;  14. F Clarke (Glasgow YM)   3:16:31;   15.  PH Ward (York)   3:18:40 16.   A McLean (Greenock GH)   3:18:40; 17:   17.  R Donald (Glasgow YM) 3:29:03; 18.  JR Scott (Glasgow YM)   3:34:32″

GS Barber ‘The Scots Athlete’.

If you look at this cast list it contains no fewer than four future champions, four future record holders and eight cross country internationalists.

Charlie Winning The Race in Fine Style

The following pen portrait was written and published in the ‘Scots Athlete’ in March 1952 by George S Barber under the heading “Charlie Robertson (Dundee Thistle Harriers).”

“Here is an athlete who has studied all aspects of the running game and found health and joy in it.   He has made running his hobby and like any hobby it has taken up all his spare time, if he has any, being a teacher of Art in Dundee, father of four bonnie children – two boys and two girls – and a keen enough gardener to keep his family in fruit and vegetables.   Charlie who is 32 years of age was pre-war a 100% cyclist and did long distance touring and time trials from 10 to 50 miles.   In May 1939 he was in the Territorials and on outbreak of war was introduced to running via Army PT and curiously enough he liked it so much that by the winter of 1945-46 he finished up by being captain of the BAOR team and the Army team in the Inter-Services Championships – by the way with the rank of Major in the Black Watch.

When he was demobbed he joined Dundee Thistle Harriers and has since been a stalwart for the club.   He was soon bitten by the long distance bug and since then he has had 29 firsts over all the various road races that are now so popular in Scotland.   These include 4 Perth to Dundee and 5 Brechin races.   He has won two full distance marathons in Scotland, the Championship in 1948 and the Edinburgh Highland Games marathon in 1951, which he thinks is his best win.   He has been twice second in the Morpeth to Newcastle race, 1948 and 1950 and was fourth in 1951.   He feels he ruined his chances for selection in the 1948 Olympics by trying to race Holden in the trial and he retired when lying third at twenty three and a half miles.   He won the Eastern District Cross Country Championship in 1947 and 1950, was fifth in the National in 1948, seventh in 1950 and third in 1951, and ran in four International Cross Country Races finishing 20th in 1948 (2nd Scot), 44th in 1950 (2nd Scot), 51st in 1951 (8th Scot) and ran at Sheffield (14th) in 1951 being 3rd Scot.   His track running includes 2nd in the Scottish 6 Miles in 1951: his time was 31 minutes 40 seconds.   Finishing 6th in this year’s National he was honoured with the captaincy of the team to be 6th counter in 34th position.  

I remember well his first appearance in the Perth-Dundee Road Race with Donald Robertson in opposition.   Charlie ran against the advice of his friends but I can say now that I was ahead with Donald and he was very doubtful if he would win.   If Charlie had made an effort going down to the Esplanade it is possible he could have won the race easily.  

Charlie adopts a common sense and fresh approach to this athletic game.   He has his own ideas and says every man should work out his own requirements and methods and apply them diligently and conscientiously.   He believes in his own training programme and does not favour coaches or text books.   He maintains the desirability from the psychological angle, of varying roads, country, training time, methods and everything that can prevent training becoming a monotonous grind.   He feels that the average runner does not work enough.   No use running 3 miles for a 3 miles race, run for 40 minutes to an hour.   If you train for stamina, speed will come.   Distance work makes you much more supremely fit for any distance than you could be otherwise, and his tip for marathon runners “find what you can do, then ignore what the rest of the field are doing, you have plenty of time in a marathon race to run to your own requirements.”

Charlie is a strict non-smoker and teetotaller with no food-fads, believes eggs, cheese, milk and fish are as valuable of meat – which is good advice these days.   After long experimenting he finds that his pre-race meal should be scrambled eggs with toast or brown bread and butter followed by breakfast cereal with honey and milk.   This short meal should be taken 2-3 hours before a short race and 1-2 hours before a full marathon race.  He feels that it’s a mistake to run a long distance race without food inside.    Young runners do not study pre-race feeding enough, consequently the result is tummy trouble.

His views on coaching, training and massage are interesting.   He never used massage and says of training is regular it is unnecessary.   He abhors the smell of oils and embrocation in dressing rooms, one cannot oil legs like cycle wheels.   On a wet day on the roads he puts a smear of vaseline on the legs from calf to ankle and on a cold day, to the knee caps.   How can the skin breathe with pores filled up with oil or grease?   He takes very little body exercise – maybe shoulder loosening only so that arm movement should be independent of any body movement.   Charlie does not think walking is an efficient part of training but useful from a general health point of view.   His idea is entirely opposite from Dunky Wright who considered long distance walking an essential part of his training.   He has no regrets at taking up long distance work but often wonders what he may have done at 1 mile or 3 miles.

His method of training is very elastic.  He runs as to his mood, weather and time.   He feels that the biggest training fallacy is that distance blunts speed.   He repeats that distance makes you fitter and if you are fit, speed will be there.   We spoke of whether the time spent in the Services would take the edge off athletic fitness – thinking of any boy going up for training.   Charlie thought that he should gain in  general physical development and with widened outlook on his return should be a better athlete than when he went in.  

Finally his last word.   He said that the amount of work done was the sole criterion for success or otherwise and athletes who wonder why they are not getting results shouldn’t have to look for a remedy, if they think they have it in them and though they train quite hard it isn’t enough for results.   It largely amounts to the fact that “two club nights and a Saturday run” aren’t enough.”

In March 1952 the AAA’s Marathon and Olympic trial was held over the Windsor to Chiswick course and is remembered mainly for Jim Peters’ winning time of 2:20:42 which was a world best.   He was followed by Stan Cox and Geoff Iden and the three of them moved off pretty early in the race.   Charlie was determined this time not to go off too quickly and started fairly steadily and came through strongly at the finish to be fourth in 2:30:48.   He was really unlucky this time to run so fast and so well and miss out on selection for Helsinki.   The Scottish Marathon on 9th August was again over the lengthened Perth to Dundee course.  Charlie was the clear favourite given his form and the course that he knew so well.   There was a genuine contender though in the Anglo Scot John Duffy from Broxburn who was living in Essex and was friendly with Jim Peters.   In the actual race, Joe McGhee (who had been nine minutes down on Robertson in March) stayed with the leaders early on but it was soon a two horse race between Robertson and Duffy with the Anglo over 20 seconds ahead at one point.  By 24 miles Robertson had a 100 yard lead but felt that he had cramp and stopped to touch his toes and do all the usual exercises to relieve it before moving off and then having to stop again.   Nevertheless he won the race by 25 seconds from Duffy in 2:38:07 with Emmett Farrell third.

Because of business commitments he faded from the athletics scene in 1953 after his wonderful 1952 because of business commitments.      He had had a wonderful career and was unfortunate not to take part in any major Games but he left a mark on Scottish athletics and his name should maybe more familiar to today’s marathon men than it is.

‘Athletics Review’ also published information about Charlie Robertson.