Bill Adcocks

William Arthur Adcocks (born 11 November 1941 in Coventry) is a British former long-distance runner who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics.[1]

Bill Adcocks
Personal information
Nationality England
Born11 November 1941
Coventry
Medal record
Athletics
Representing  England
British Empire & Commonwealth Games
1966 Kingston marathon

Biography

He was introduced to athletics at his primary and secondary schools – at secondary school he competed in both cross-country and track and field.[2] He started at school at the age of 12.[3]

He works as an information officer for UK Athletics.[4]

He wrote a book about his marathon performance in Greece in a book titled "The Road to Athens". (ISBN 0954789601)[5] He was invited to start the Athens Classic Marathon in 2002.[6]

Athletics career

He joined the Coventry Godiva Harriers at the age of fourteen.[2]

In 1964, he ran his first marathon, in Port Talbot, finishing second in a time of 2:19:29.[2]

In 1965, he won the Amateur Athletic Association of England title in the marathon, held in Port Talbot, beating nearest rival Brian Kilby by over 40 seconds.[7]

In 1966, he represented England and won won silver medal in the Commonwealth Games marathon, finishing 5 seconds behind Scotland's Jim Alder.[8][9][10][11]

In 1968, he competed in the marathon at the Olympics, finishing in fifth.[12] He also medalled for a second and final time at the AAA Marathon Championships in Cwmbran, losing out on the title by 15 seconds.[7] Later that year he ran his personal best for the marathon distance while winning at the Fukuoka Marathon, running 2:10:48, a time which was just a minute outside the world record (which had been set on the same course a year previously) at the time, and was a new European record.[13][14] To date he is still the only Briton to have won the Fukuoka Marathon.[15]

In 1969, he ran in the Athens Classic Marathon, which is run over the same course as the original marathon run by Pheidippides.[16] He set a course record, clocking 2:11:07, which was not broken until 2004, when Stefano Baldini broke the record.[14][17][18] He also raced in the CAU (Counties Athletics Union) 20 Miles Championships, winning the title.[19]

In 1970, he won the Midland Counties 10,000 metres title.[20] He also won the Lake Biwa Marathon that year, setting a new course record in 2:13:46.[21][22] He represented England in the marathon, at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.[23][24]

In 1972, he won the CAU 20 Miles Championships again, running 1:39:01, setting a British record.[19] He currently holds the 20 miles British National, British Domestic and British All-Comers record for times set during a race over that distance, although faster intermediate marks have been set in races over longer distances.[25][26][27][28]

Adcocks ran 10 marathons under 2:20. In 17 total marathons, he won 5 times and placed second 5 times.

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References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bill Adcocks". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  2. Holloway, Chris. "Bill Adcocks". birminghamccleague.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  3. Aitken, Alastair (13 March 2010). "Interview with Bill Adcocks" (PDF). Road Runners Club Website. Road Runners Club. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  4. Lewis, By Mike. "Olympics: King of the road recalls his Athens epic". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  5. "Episode 217 – Bill Adcocks (Part Two) – Marathon Talk". Marathon Talk. Marathon Talk. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  6. "ADCOCKS IN ATHENS :: News ::: SCC | EVENTS". www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  7. "British Road Race Championships". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  8. "Commonwealth Games Medallists – Athletics (Men)". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  9. "1966 Athletes". Team England.
  10. "Kingston, Jamaica, 1966 Team". Team England.
  11. "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
  12. "Athletics at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games: Men's Marathon". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  13. "福岡国際マラソン | 大会結果・記録". www.fukuoka-marathon.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  14. "Bill Adcocks Marathon Career Summary". Mansfield Harriers & AC Website. Mansfield Harriers & AC. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  15. "British Medallists/Placings in World and European Road Race Championships/Cups". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  16. "The Athens Marathon". athensguide.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  17. "My Marathon training and career by Bill Adcocks – Clubhouse on Tuesday 21 November at 8:15 pm". mcs.open.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  18. "Bill Adcocks Speaks Honestly". Active Training World. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  19. "CAU (Inter-Counties) Championships (Other)". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  20. "Midland Counties Championships". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  21. "Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon : Former Champions". lakebiwa-marathon.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  22. "International Marathons". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  23. "1970 Athletes". Team England.
  24. "Edinburgh, 1970 Team". Team England.
  25. "UK All-Time Lists: Men – Distance, Road and Ultra". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  26. "UK All-Comers Records and Best Performances". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  27. "UK National Records and Best Performances". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  28. "UK Domestic Records". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
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