Featured Athlete and Volunteer 
Graham Pilkington: coach, team manager and 1/2/400m runner.

Tell us something about yourself.  I am 30, live in Southport and work for a firm of Surveyors in Liverpool specialising in the development and letting of out-of-town retail warehouse parks (No, I don't work for the council, I am not a teacher and I am not paid for coaching!) I have lived in Southport for nearly 5 years, living in Croston near Preston before this for about 10 years and before that I travelled the world with my family as my dad was in the army. I was born in West Germany and have lived in East Germany, Singapore, Cyprus and Northern Ireland . 

How did you get into athletics?  It was so long ago I find it hard to remember. I first started to compete when I was at boarding school at the age of 9 and have always enjoyed it. A friend from back then always reminds me that the first time I met him I challenged him to a race across the pitches and back. Some things never change! Luckily I then went onto Lancaster Grammar School where athletics was one of the main sports and I also trained with Lancaster and Morecambe A.C. on their old track. I ran for Lancashire as a cross country runner and also in the steeplechase. I bet that surprises a few people! 

So you have been competing for a long time? As I said I have been competing since I was 9 years old, so about 21 years. I have been coaching for about 7 years now, although it feels a lot longer than that! 

How long have you been a member of Southport Waterloo? I joined the Club when I was on a year out from College, about 10 years ago. Darryl from the Natterjack running shop in Southport recommended the Club, so I couldn't have looked that good a runner! I started at the old Southport Squash Club doing the interval sessions and initially ran road races for the Club. It was Martin Phillips who persuaded me to start on the track and the distances I was willing and able to run seemed to drop every year. 

As an athlete, what are your PBs? Most I can't remember but I have run 11.3 for the 100m, 23.0 for the 200m and 50.3 for the 400m; the dates I haven't got a clue. I have also done just over 4 hours for the Marathon, which nearly killed me. 

What has been the highlight of your career as an athlete?  I haven't really had what I would call a highlight, as I feel I never achieved what I was capable of, due to injury. The best day was probably either the Don Valley Games when I got second in the 400m or an anchor leg I ran at the Merseyside Champs, in the 4 x 400m, when all the Clubs used to enter teams. I ran the race of my life to hold off Bob Naylor from Elan to win Silver behind the Harriers. 

Tell us about why you became a coach and what coaching means to you?  I became a Coach after going out to Portugal warm weather training for two weeks. I was very fit after a very hard winter and was hoping to do well at least in the Northern Championships. BUT on what was supposed to have been an easy training day, myself and one of the other athletes started to show off during a plyometrics session - in front of some girls! Guess what - I tore my hamstring badly doing two footed bounds over 6 hurdles at full height! I was out for over 4 months and Bob Burrows persuaded me to help him coach and after training 7 times a week I needed something to do. Just as I started easy training again Bob stopped coaching leaving some athletes without a coach, so that is were I began. One of the athletes was Adam Chandley - I have photos to prove it [all bribes will be accepted]. As I tell the athletes, "learn by my mistakes!" 

So you had no ambition at all to coach? I never saw myself as a Coach but I can now not imagine not doing it. It is great to be involved with an athlete from a fairly young age and see them develop into a friend as well as an athlete, as well as seeing the squad mature and grow. I get so much back from the athletes in the laugh that we have and whenever I go down to training in a bad mood it always seems to get better. I bet if you asked all the coaches none of them imagined themselves doing it or giving up the time they do and none of them would have expected to enjoy it as much as they do. I have been very lucky to have had some great help over the years, initially from Martin Phillips, who now has a squad down in Salisbury, and now from Tom and Tina. 

You are also a team manager for both Southport Waterloo and Merseyside. How did you get into that?

I took over the management of our McDonald's Young Athletes boys team from Ray Bishop about 7 years ago. I did not realise what a time consuming job it was and can still not work out how Ray did as much as he did! That said I hope everyone will agree that we have a great laugh and that we have been very successful. We got promoted to the Northern Premier Division in my first year in charge, stayed up for 4 years and when we did go down we came straight back up in style, as champions. We are also looking strong for next year - but will need some more under 15s. 

I have only recently become involved with the management of the Merseyside team in the last two years. Last year I managed the senior team at the AAA at Bedford, as Mike Dooling the usual team manager was the track referee. This year as well as the AAA I have been the Men's team manager at the Northern Inter Counties as well as going down to the English Schools to coach and manage along with Barbara May. I was also lucky to be involved with the management team, as the sprints coach, for the North of England at an inter regional match in Birmingham this year. There seemed to be more managers than athletes! I was overjoyed when the teams got the batons round without dropping them! 

It is a reflection of how well the Club is doing that we are noticed as team managers and asked to do these events. It is also nice to see how many more of our athletes from the different squads are now involved. 

You are involved in athletics in many different ways. Can you give us some idea of how many hours a week voluntary work you do?  I think the hours I put into athletics are not measurable. It falls on all too few people to do the majority of the work. If I and others within the Club wish to progress up the different ladders, to help the Club, then we need more help on the day to day jobs. At a guess, I would imagine including coaching and all the other things I do within athletics I must put in between 20 and 40 hours each week. 

Would you encourage others to get involved? Yes. It may cost you some of your leisure time but the satisfaction you get far outweighs the cost. The Club needs help in everything, from organising the road races, to production of the news letter etc. All too often the only volunteers are those who are already overburdened. If others can help with even a little time they should speak to one of the committee members or Ron. A nice notice is one in the Liverpool Harriers Club House, which says "Don't ask what your Club can do for you, ask what you can do for your Club". We are ALL volunteers and the Club is a group of like minded people working for one Goal. 

Of all the different ways you are involved, which gives you the most satisfaction? Without doubt I get the most satisfaction from coaching. It is great to see an athlete you coach and know well achieving more than they imagined, it is also frustrating to see the opposite. All we as coaches want is the best for the athletes we coach, not just in athletics but also at school and for the rest of their lives. Without doubt I get the most satisfaction from coaching. 

What has been your worst experience in athletics?  The worst on a personal level would be the injury which stopped me competing when I knew there were faster times to come. But I am always disappointed to lose an athlete from the squad. I always try to do my best for all the athletes, as do all the coaches within the Club. I know we cannot be everything for everyone but I hope generally we do a good job. All I hope is that all the athletes within the Club can discuss anything with their coaches. I think that is what marks us out from all the other Clubs that we do care about individuals and we do try to keep things fun. 

Do you still have ambitions in athletics? I am still ambitious for both myself, the Club and the athletes in the squad. The squad that now trains at Ormskirk is great; they certainly keep you at it. Also all the other volunteers and coaches within the Club work well together helping each other out. I have seen the Club get stronger over the last few years with more people becoming involved and the road runners and athletics squads all doing well. I want to stay part of that and hopefully one day say I helped! I would like to carry on moving up the Coaching ladder and carry on learning from more experienced coaches. I also have hopes for the athletes whether it be PBs or getting to a major championship. When I cannot get to meetings I spend the whole day wondering how they are doing. I hope both they and I can learn and improve together. I would love to see the Club and its athletes go from strength to strength and who knows one day get our own track! 

You've progressed to Senior Coach. Would you like to progress as a Team Manager as well? I enjoy the team management side, but am still trying to get to know all the Merseyside athletes. Who knows, if I can do a good job for Merseyside there might be another step up? Like competing you have to work hard to get improvements and I know that I will need to put time into the management and coaching to get the rewards. Hence the need to drop other jobs. (No one ever gives you something for nothing.) 

What do you see as the Club's strengths and weaknesses? Our main weakness is that we don't have a track of our own to call home. We do however achieve absolutely unbelievable results on both the track and road, as well as organising some great running events. This is where our strengths come in - the Club members. Our Coaches all work closely together and there is a great committee who work behind the scenes. It is probably not fully appreciated what work people like Ron Scott, Mike Wilkinson, Barbara May, Dave Owen and Norman Marshall do for the Club, to name just a few. There is also a great feeling in the Club. Just take a look around the next time you are at a track meeting and look at how much more fun our Club seems to have. I have worked with a number of Clubs and I still cannot think of one that achieves what we do right across the board. 

Finally, what do you do in your spare time - if you have any? I do occasionally get some free time and as most people know I love a pint! I have to break the myth that I only drink when I am ironing!. I also enjoy going climbing up in Scotland around Glencoe, which I think is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I am aiming to try and get up there a bit more this winter. I am also currently trying to organise a climbing trip around K2 or Everest (not to the top) for people who do the same type of job as me. We will be looking to do this for charity and will, therefore, be looking for companies to sponsor us. I have recently joined a gym to try to build up my shoulder after the operation (stupid event that pole vault) and am swimming about 4 times a week which is really boring me. My other hobby as most know is watching Preston North End (don't laugh - someone has to). With all of this fitted in around a full time job! 

Thanks Graham, nice one!

Other interviews:
John Burnett, Sam Moran, Graham Pilkington, Helen Taylor, Rick Bowker, Adam Chandley, Sue Cooper, Paul Record Rob Berry Rhea Ellis Norman Marshall Eddie Simpkins James Armstrong