I was on the Telly last night.... (Read 1779 times)

Bit of a shock. Anyway just by a fluke I was reading a local paper and it mentioned that ITV (one of the main TV channels in England) was showing a programme called "The Way We Were" and it would have a feature on the Louth Kennedy Memorial Test from the 1960's. I had no idea if I would be in it as the event was held over quite a few years in the 60's and 70's. However when the programme started it showed a newspaper placard with the date 'Sunday April 25th' (1965) and I knew from my Certificate that was the day on which I did it. First came a shot of the town clock showing just before 6.00 am and then 300 people came hurtling around the Cornmarket bend and who was that on the outside closest to the camera - ME!! Freeze frame and I was transported back to the day when as a 14 year old boy I ran 50 miles in 8 hours 39 mins. The film also showed me twice more - leading with 2 others up the hill out of Louth and 5 Miles further up the road in the village of Burwell. Spookily this piece of film included the house of a certain Jill Smith who 13 years later I would meet and marry. It was quite amazing to see the old cars, the empty roads and people of all ages taking part, many in ordinary day-to-day clothes quite oblivious of the mammoth task ahead of them. I must admit when I woke up today and thought about it I became quite emotional. I'm not quite sure why but perhaps since I started running again I have realised that what I did that day was something special - perhaps even spiritual. Seeing it on film brought back a lot of memories and emotions that I did not know I still had in me. I hope you don't mind me outpouring it all on to you. Anyone else been on the telly?? Me on the right out on the road At the end - the legs look gone but the spirit is still willing

Wow..what an amazing story..50 miles when you were 14, being part of something special..that's amazing, and finding out that it was documented decades later...that is awesome. What's better is that you've come full circle and started running again. Way wicked. As far as being on TV, me and my wife was featured on a Food & Network program called Surf N Turf, where they show us eating lots of food after surfing... we were on the show for like 5 minutes but the shoot took over 8 hours..what's funny is that the shoot takes place in two days separated by four months...we couldn't find the same shirt, my hair had grown, etc...must have done a lot of editing to make it look ok. aloha, steve

That's fantastic Chris! I didn't see the programme unfortunately as i was out running That is impressive though mate, a really special story. But how on earth did you run more than 50 metres in those shoes let alone 50 miles?!! Makes you realise how lucky we are to have the shoe technology we have today.

You were quite the handsome lad

Arlene - Thanks. I did manage to videotape it but better than that one of my neighbours got it on DVD so I will be able to put it on the computer. Steve - Thanks for the comments Vicki - I will try and catch your film when it comes on. Davey (RunningHammer) - fancy missing my debut The shoes - well the bottom line is that I had nothing else. I remember rubbing surgical spirit into my feet for 3 weeks or so before the run to harden them up. I have no idea if this actually did anything beneficial but I did only suffer one small blister throughout and that was managable. Kirsten - thanks Looks like quite a few of us have had our 15 minutes of fame!!

I think I recognize those shoes...OLD Balance is it? With all the stink we make over shoes and equipment these days, it's hard to comprehend running any distance, much less 50 miles in street shoes! Ah, back in the day...every run was up hill all the way out AND back, in the snow, barefooted or in leather street shoes with nails sticking up through the soles, bleeding nipples and frostbitten hinterparts...but kids these days...they won't listen! Congrats on the exposure! Cool to sort of see you relive the memories! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to the video! Lynn B

Thanks LAB. I have just realised that those shoes still had a reasonable shine on them after all those miles. I'm working on converting the dvd file to avi and then we can all get chocked up together. It really is an historical artefact - an early documentation of Ultra Running.

Amazing. You have my respect! Neil

Here is the video. I'm in the blue tracksuit top and bottoms - the top with a white band on the chest. At the start coming round the bend I am nearest the camera. Also in a couple of other shots during the film and just before the credits at the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klsMwTot8-M Stills from video below - . .