About us > Where we meet | History | Eccentricities | Cardiff
Once upon a time O my brothers and sisters, road running was the poor relation in the great family of athletics.
While the Track and Field competitors went to the ball together, the poor road runners would be left to their own devices. In those sad days a road race with a hundred participants was a major happening.
However, dissent and disillusion were afoot. Road running was growing in popularity, especially in the USA. The New York Marathon had grown in the 1970s from a hundred odd runners confined to running laps of Central Park (during the day time, things weren’t that bad), to the traffic stopping tour of the five boroughs we have today. Part of the growth can be attributed to Frank Shorter’s gold medal in the 1972 Olympics (and his team mates coming in 4th and 9th).
That success in turn inspired Chris Brasher (himself a gold medallist at the ’chase) to organise the London Marathon, itself given impetus by continuing British dominance on the track.
All in all, it was a good time to start a new running club. As noted before, regardless of personal merit, road runners were largely ignored by the established athletic clubs. Cardiff had several successful runners, including, among others, Bernie Plain and Gordon McIlroy, but the athletics establishment took no interest.
All in all, it was a good time to start a new running club.
The disaffected felt that they could only do better themselves, and along with Mick McGeoch from Barry and Vale, started to meet in the Old Arcade. The prime mover of the enterprise was Dave Walsh, and the original twelve also included Rob Atkinson, Phil Hexter, Rob Evans, Steve Todd, Stan Griscti, Errol Alexis, Jeff Wood, John Thorne, Maurice Prendergast and Dennis Gullidge.
No name was agreed at the first meeting. It was only because Gordon McIlroy was so enthusiastic at the time, and suggested "putting a few bob in" that Les Croupiers became out moniker.
Timing helped a great deal, with the interest in the London Marathon growing (7000 runners in the first year; 16000 in the second), and the new club’s reputation as open and non-elitist, membership exploded. Even more people requested to join when the Western Mail announced the first Cardiff Marathon.
7000 runners in the first year; 16000 in the second.
Obviously, more clubs have started to accomodate such demand, and things have quietened down a bit, but we remain what we always were - a club without stars, emphasising participation, and everyone is welcome.
There our little fairy story would have a happy ending, but for life being less tidy than fairy stories. There is no ending: the story, and the club, go on...
Adapted from original articles in Ace by Mick McGeoch.
Here is Maurice Prendergast’s first hand account of the club origins and London 1981.
About us > Where we meet | History | Eccentricities | Cardiff
Last updated 2 August 2006
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