John Thomas Holden (13 March 1907 – 7 March 2004) was a long-distance runner from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, who won four consecutive national titles in the marathon (1947–1950).

Athletics career

He represented

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at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, but abandoned the race due to foot blisters. He won the

1950 Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

marathon in Auckland, running the last nine miles barefoot after his shoes fell apart during the race. He competed for

in the 3 and 6 miles at the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events we ...

in London. He competed for

England at the 1938 British Empire Games England competed at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, from 5 February to 12 February 1938. The athletes that competed are listed below. Athletes Athletics Boxing Cycling Diving Lawn bowls Rowing ...

in the 6 miles and marathon. He was also a successful

cross country runner Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

, becoming the first man to win the

International Cross Country Championships The International Cross Country Championships was an annual international competition in cross country running. It was created in 1903 by the International Cross Country Union (ICCU) and it marked the first time that an annual international champ ...

four times, which he did between 1933 and 1939.International Cross Country Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 14 February 2011.

Personal life

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Holden served with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. In the 1950s,

Coseley Coseley ( ) is a village in the north of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the English West Midlands. Part of the Black Country, it is situated approximately north of Dudley itself, on the border with Wolverhampton. Though it is a part o ...

Urban District Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

Council named a new road on the Woodcross housing estate Jack Holden Avenue in honour of this local sporting legend. On 23 July 1952, Jack Holden's Gardens were opened on Queens Road, Tipton.Brief History of Tipton
tiptoncivicsociety.co.uk Holden died in March 2004, six days before his 97th birthday. He was survived by daughter Joan and son-in-law Brian.
IAAF (10 March 2004). Retrieved on 2011-01-27.

References

External links

Jack Holden Obituary
''The Times''. 26 March 2004 * Simon Turnbull (11 January 2004

''The Independent'' 1907 births 2004 deaths Military personnel from Staffordshire Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force airmen People from Bilston Sportspeople from Tipton English male marathon runners Olympic athletes of Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games European Athletics Championships medalists International Cross Country Championships winners {{England-athletics-bio-stub