William Arthur Adcocks (born 11 November 1941, in Coventry) is a British former

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competed in the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

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. He started at school at the age of 12. He works as an information officer for UK Athletics. He wrote a book about his marathon performance in Greece in a book titled "The Road to Athens". () He was invited to start the Athens Classic Marathon in 2002.

Athletics career

He joined the

Coventry Godiva Harriers Coventry Godiva Harriers (CGH) is an athletics club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England and was established in 1879. The club name refers to the notable Lady Godiva of Coventry and the sport of "hare and hounds" cross country running. ...

at the age of fourteen. In 1964, he ran his first marathon, in Port Talbot, finishing second in a time of 2:19:29. In 1965, he won the

Amateur Athletic Association of England The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

title in the marathon, held in Port Talbot, beating nearest rival

Brian Kilby Brian Leonard Kilby (born 26 February 1938 in Coventry, England) is a retired marathon runner from Great Britain. Athletics career In 1962 when he won gold medal in the men's marathon at the European Championships and at the 1962 Commonwealth Ga ...

by over 40 seconds. In 1966, he represented England and won

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in the Commonwealth Games marathon, finishing 5 seconds behind Scotland's Jim Alder. In 1968, he competed in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, finishing in fifth. He also medalled for a second and final time at the AAA Marathon Championships in Cwmbran, losing out on the title by 15 seconds. 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. He is the only Briton to have won the Fukuoka Marathon. In 1969, he ran in the Athens Classic Marathon, which is run over the same course as the original marathon run by Pheidippides. He set a course record, clocking 2:11:07, which was not broken until 2004, when Stefano Baldini broke the record. He also raced in the CAU (Counties Athletics Union) 20 Miles Championships, winning the title. In 1970, he won the Midland Counties 10,000 metres title. He also won the Lake Biwa Marathon that year, setting a new course record in 2:13:46. He represented England in the marathon, at the

1970 British Commonwealth Games The 1970 British Commonwealth Games (Scottish Gaelic: Geamannan a 'Cho-fhlaitheis Bhreatainn 1970) were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first tim ...

in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1972, he won the CAU 20 Miles Championships again, running 1:39:01, setting a British record. 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. Adcocks ran 10 marathons under 2:20. In 17 total marathons, he won 5 times and placed second 5 times.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adcocks, Bill 1941 births Living people Sportspeople from Coventry English male marathon runners British male marathon runners Olympic male marathon runners Olympic athletes of Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Japan Championships in Athletics winners