Veteran turns back clock by winning medal -- 42 years after his last

Veteran runner Mark Hazelhurst turned back the clock when winning a medal at the Nottinghamshire Fell-Running Championships for Worksop Harriers.
Mark Hazelhurst with fellow Worksop Harriers winners, Tracy Hamilton, Sally Staveley and Camilla Mercer.Mark Hazelhurst with fellow Worksop Harriers winners, Tracy Hamilton, Sally Staveley and Camilla Mercer.
Mark Hazelhurst with fellow Worksop Harriers winners, Tracy Hamilton, Sally Staveley and Camilla Mercer.

For his bronze in the over-60 veterans’ age category came fully 42 years after he last won a medal at a county event.

After the race, in which he clocked a fine time of one hour, 12.30 minutes, a tired but delighted Hazelhurst said: “I’m so chuffed to have won my first Notts AAA medal since June 1975 when I took a bronze in the junior 400m and a third successive gold as part of the junior 4X100m relay team.

“I still have a picture of the ‘legends’ that are Gerald Moore, Chris Beswick and Paul Scott, who helped me get that gold. They also won plenty as individual athletes and, as always, our successes were mostly due to the coaching and guidance of Peter Collier.

“One thing I have learned from 45 years of running is that racing 400m is a lot easier than a 5.7-mile fell race in Derbyshire!”

The championships were held in difficult wet and windy conditions at the Wolf’s Pit Fell Race. And Hazelhurst wasn’t the only Harrier to come home with a medal. Tracy Hamilton won an individual gold in the over-50 veterans’ class after clocking a time of 1.06.08, and she led the ladies’ team to a bronze medal, alongside Sally Staveley (1.19.15) and Camilla Mercer (1.23.15).

Also competing were Carol Laughton (55.45), John Harrison (1.01.17), Steve Hazelhurst (1.02.30), Lyndon Stocks (1.08.41) and Kerry Dickinson (1.33.28).