Bert Couzens walks 1000 miles – 1946

Bert Couzens – 2,652 miles in 1000 hours

Bert Couzens completes 3000 miles

Bert Couzens Profile

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954), Monday 10 March 1947, page 1

Thanks to Jonathon Such for passing on the news.  This piece below is borrowed from the Road Runners Club in the UK. My condolences to family and friends.

http://www.roadrunnersclub.org.uk/

We have received the very sad news that Cavin Woodward, RRC Member 3467, passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday 26th February, aged 62.

Cavin was one of the greatest British Ultra Distance runners ever. He set a World 100 Mile Track best of 11hrs 38mins 54secs in October 1975. He won the London to Brighton race that year as well as twelve other finishes. He also ran World class times at various othe Ultra distances on the track and on the road.

No other details are available at this time.

Cavin was a long time and loyal RRC member, a lovely man and a very great runner.

The photo shows Cavin at the London end of the London to Brighton route in 1975, the year he won the race in 5hrs 12min 7 secs (52miles 1172 yds). This was one of his 12 Brighton finishes spanning the years 1971 to 1998.

Not a book about ultrarunning, but I think that it will interest a lot of you.

Hello

About me:-

I am a  UK Senior Citizen , with  a long and strong family connection to athletics going back into the 19^th Century .  A former  track athlete , Rugby player , Health and Fitness Professional , I  commenced coaching from the late 1950s and gained a Diploma in Physical Education (1964) along the way followed by , firstly the Amateur Athletic Association (1969) Honorary Coaching Award  , then since 1972 have  held the British Amateur Athletic Board accreditation as a Senior Sprints Coach ; I produced  several works on athletics skills and conditioning , including the widely acknowledged  “Sprinting and Relay Racing”, I  was co-architect  of the Body-Tec System of physiological assessment used in fitness testing  leading European and Commonwealth Gold Medalists .  In the early 1980s  I  was invited to be interviewed for the position of National Athletics Coach .

The Northern Council for Sport and Recreation made use of my knowledge and ability in production of the Regional Recreational Strategy 1981 and  , also in the ‘80s  , I  was  consulted  on   behalf of  The Sports Council in regard to Coaching / Teaching / Instructing for National Vocational Qualifications

I am trying to announce   my  recently   published book (synopsis below) and have included a copy  of a locally circulated poster, and I wonder if you could see fit to announce the availability of the book on the Ultra Legends website?

I suppose that you would not class marathon as exactly Ultra but as an ancient sprint coach it’s a hell of a long way !  I think  your site visitors would be interested in my book .

Sincerely ,

Ray Hewson

Synopsis:

“Dalton’s Marathon Man – From Iron Ore To Gold”

(Ray Hewson 2010)

Arthur Preston (1879 – ) a truly historic but until now unrecognized name in the annals of the marathon race  . This third Son of Lancashire Iron Ore Miner Roger Preston and his Wife Elizabeth , one of  a family of nine boys and one girl , was to become a class athlete but it would take 101 years for this fact to be acknowledged .

“Dalton’s Marathon Man – From Iron Ore To Gold”  (Ray Hewson 2010)

Tells the story of a Lancashire man , born in the latter quarter of the 19^th Century , emigrating at the age of 26 to South Africa , already a fine athlete in both amateur and professional events , an iron ore miner , an adventurer , eventually a gold miner  , who turned out to be one of the best marathon runners in the World ( arguably the best ) and whose exploits , because of his choice to run as a professional athlete , have been ignored by an athletics “fraternity” that chose not to acknowledge the achievements of such athletes  -  largely due to the fear , widespread during the period which this story covers , that to recognize them would entice “amateurs” of the day to follow in their footsteps .  Many , of course did !

In the land of  the  Springbok  he competed over varying distances , but  it was in March 1909 in Johannesburg  that  he produced two historic marathon wins – the subject matters of this book .

Related are the many factors with which the runners in those and similar races  had to contend ;  read about aspects such as the effects of altitude as related by Jack Daniels , PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Wisconsin and altitude consultant for a U.S. Olympic Track and Field team ; the opinions expressed by acknowledged leading authorities on marathon David E. Martin PhD and Roger W.H. Gynn regarding the one hundred years of experience from which modern Marathon exponents benefit due to the pioneering efforts of Arthur Preston and his like who experimented and learned by the doing .

Arthur Preston was  obviously in the upper echelon of the participants , on a World – wide basis, in the Marathon during his career . He was certainly one of the very best in the World in his day – but it’s taken 101 years to recognise his  talent . Of that there can be little  doubt  !

101 YEARS LATE !

“Dalton’s Marathon Man – From Iron Ore To Gold”

By Ray Hewson

(Author of the widely acknowledged “They Could Catch Pigeons”, “Sprinting & Relay Racing” and “Let’s All Go Down The Strand”)

Dalton’s Marathon Man .. the Arthur Preston story…in his day arguably the best marathon runner in the World…..a notion until now unrecognised ! Foreword by Peter Wood (South Africa)

Available strictly to order.

Book format UK £9.99 inc. CD-Rom format UK £6.00 inc.

Abroad £12.00 inc. Via Airmail   Abroad £7.00 inc. Via Airmail

Adobe Acrobat Document (.pdf)

Order from:-   M. Hewson ,   2, Cumbria View , Walney Island, Barrow in Furness , Cumbria , LA14 3HP, England .

Cheques payable to M. Hewson .

Enquiries to :- Penbloc@aol.com