A interview with runner Alan Davies of Swansea Harriers who is the current world record holder for the over 70s age group for 5k which he ran in 18.17. Alan talks about the race in which he broke the world record, his winning of the over 65s British Master cross country championship and other subjects including his weekly training schedule.
So I was right in the um prom in Swansea and um just through the trees there you can see the mumbles and um and there’s a couple of Runners coming the other way and uh one of them I recognize it’s umis swans Aras no Allan and I over there years we
Had a few ding-dongs we that oh yeah good yeah Tim they were great yeah yeah and enjoy that he’s um he’s the top man and and and we were talking about we were talking about uh how Fitness and how we are doing now and um we Martin re cropped up in the
Conversation and I done a couple of interviews with Martin so um Martin owns 59 World Records or Hell 59 Rec World Records but I understand you might have one of those now all is that right yeah dressed but one’s you enough one’s enough I’m of the opinion okay that
That you can be you could be a world champion okay but but a world champion winning a world championship is just winning a race on a day right yes but if you hold a world record that means you’re the best in the world because everybody in the world can
Have a chance of breaking that record but not everybody in the world can have a chance of winning a world championship so I reckon you’re the best in the world obviously for your age group maybe yeah yeah yeah supp if you put it that
Yes 7 71 71 71 last August and tell us about your world record winning or your world record breaking uh Affair oh well event when where where did you do it it was in black pill in mid August it was so it’s only just just over
71 and uh was on in the night Thursday night and be honest I messed this up from sou I I just never got into it at the start um there was a group in front I let him go and I shouldn’t have and from then on that was after about the
First C and for the last 4K I was just chasing all the way to the end and at the end I didn’t manage wasn’t too bad I wasn’t very happy but I did get 18 17 but I wasn’t happy with that really I should have done closer to 18 if I got
The race right done the night and You’ done 1812 in a in a par and two weeks later later I went down then cuz I wasn’t happy with that night on 1912 in the parkr park don’t count Park no cuz you’re in the park is it the same course
It’s on the front no it’s a different it’s different course it was on the front yeah but they don’t they don’t this is the front but I do think I can uh I can still I could get close to that again you could get under under yeah on
On the day I think I could I’m doing wed church now okay in May next year all right yeah now hopefully on the night there I will get closer to and is is that a midweek series or is that a 5k Ser that’s a sa
Thing isn’t it that’s gar fin it’s a big one in in church Okay C in church in does that where does it a road thing or do it Go Road well two years already done it it was a world championship yeah yeah I was I was 69 then when I done it
Last yeah and uh I don’t 1802 yeah yeah so I think I could still get but he was in his 60s there was you I was 69 69 but I’m sure I could get close to that now yeah yeah you know cuz you what what sort of mileage you doing a week
Now I’m only doing about 35 miles a week okay you know so I got a guy who’s asked me a question about Mar and he said what a what what are were we know what age you are now what what weight are you my weight yeah yeah just over eight stone
Okay and how how how tall are you 5′ s cuz people want to know these things yeah seven eight stone do you do you think it’s in do you think it’s in the air do you think cuz M was a Swansea area okay and he’s broke broken 59
Records now you you you got one now I reckon you’re going to get more well I know the 10K is 37 about 37 and a half I think okay and you yeah and I done 38 in August 3810 in bar in August all right okay is that H course or oh
Yes isn’t it yeah bar done 3810 there yeah so I was in August beginning of August yeah well I was I was just coming up to 71 then yeah so uh I think if I can get it right on the day yeah I could ins me in May get
Closer to 18 yeah so how did you get 59 or just think if he broke if he did Martin’s 59 do you know about Martin’s 59 sorry don’t Martin I’m going to stop about you now we’re going to go back to Island right cuz cuz it’s too
Complicated so you how long how long have you been cuz I remember I think I remember you started running about 80 I started in about 80 4 85 something like that yeah just after me yeah and um were you 3M then I was with SW when I first started oh yeah
Yeah and then have you always been swansey no I left swans went to 3M then I went to thle yeah now I come back to swansey yeah because reason I come back to I haven’t got many years left in me so go back where you started yeah yeah
Yeah it’s a good one I mean I I I I um I started with Taria so so it’s you know I’ve considered going back to PBA you know um cuz I joined I first joined PBA in ‘ 68 or ‘ 69 you know all right yeah
Um so that I did consider it 3 or four years ago um so that you know to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my first join in B to go back to areas you know um yeah as you do it’s a it’s a it’s it’s a generic it’s a generic thing you
Want to go back to where you started it makes a full circle then isn’t it it mix a c yeah it makes the circle to go back so what do you put your um I mean what is your key session in the week I mean I
Well given to many Secrets away you know I do you do about 35 you say about 35 a week I do the long run on a Sunday about 12 that’s all yeah uh I do the speed SAS and Saturdays they the two main ones and
The rest end of the week is just eight so s eight so they they are back to back do you have problems with or you use the long one as a recovery do I only have two days I don’t train on a Monday and a Friday yeah but I train the togethers
And on a Sunday I do a 12 nice and steady with the boys in or what no on my own on your own on your chares yeah and will it be hilly or oh Hills yeah take as many Hills as I possibly yeah I try
To keep away from the flat on the long runs as much as possible okay stay up on the Hills as many many as you can do right okay you know I think that just make giv keeps you strength yes you know don’t lose too much yeah so what I want
You to do now all right okay is that I got I I rewatch it watch the F with okay all right can I got a hit say yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah all the time right okay so what I want to do
Okay I want you to punch me you hear me saying you hear me saying that right okay to to uh to sort of break things up than cuz cuz I know you won’t punch me out really much no no no cuz we’re not racing just stra
Do we ever do we ever no we never we never fell out RAC did we no sh at me all the time no yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah well I was I was a lot old there a lot older than you AR I you were yes yes
You were yes but there’s not many my running no no they can’t be very very few who’s in um who’s who’s still running is Jeremy Colin still running no he’s he’s younger isn’t he there’s nobody in running anymore no your age no no so you’re going to win the Swansea
Harriers over over over 70 Championship how many W championships you got oh God I don’t know so I don’t know so many I can you must I don’t know do you count them up no I don’t count them what’s your finest Racer oh night done the British Masters yeah in Singleton Park
All right okay cross country yeah run for Wales yeah and uh I won a gold medal tonight over 65 ni and on the day I beat Nigel o he never lost an age group race never no and he went in single done and over 65 in the British master in 25 years he
Never lost an age group race all his age groups coming up he never lost one a wow Singleton that’s incredible yes and it was a it was a great race the way I run it yeah was we done have many races that was perfect yeah I run with him and I
Was with him first lap when I looking at him I not today and I just went past him never seen him again just went away from him yeah never come me nothing yeah yeah that’s that’s the best race I had yeah brilliant Master gold thank you let good you look well
I you’re looking so well you wouldn’t think you were fit no no