Featured Member: 
Norman Marshall : Race Director, Team manager, Coach, Track Judge, Committee Member and Runner

Interview by Stephen Marshall

How long have you been a member of Southport Waterloo and what made you join? I've been in the club for over 20 years now and I think the main reason was that you (Stephen) and Lynda were members of the club already and I thought I might as well join as well. Peter (my brother) had also got into the marathons [he's done over 50 now] and that competitive instinct meant I had to have a go as well!!

20 years is a long time. You must have joined when the jogging boom was attracting a lot of people into clubs and road races. What changes have you seen over that period? I think the main change has been the Big City Races, i/e The Great North Run; locally we have L/pool Half in March. L/pool Ladies 10k. in the Autumn it's the L/pool 10k. There are lots of runners, this does not mean better. When I ran in the 1980s just under the 41 minutes, I never thought that was very quick, but nowadays it seems to be a bench mark for today's runners.

You have been the race director of the Southport Good Friday races for a good few years. Have you enjoyed that? I enjoyed it more now. When I started organizing races, we [that includes Sheila] started with the beach race, at that time it was a 10mile, and ailing somewhat, we changed it to a 10k, and it then became a race to run. Unfortunately we lost the sponsor, so that race came to an end. We then took over the Good Friday 10k. I remember when it was the year of the mad cow decease, runners couldn't find a race, so nearly 800 turned up, NOW that was stressful.

I think it was your idea to change the format of the Good Friday Races to have male and female only races. Why do you think that has been so successful? We had to make a change from a 10k. Due to the cost of running it. I/e police, and road closures to pay for. I'm we came up with this formula, as it's now a family event. Children run the Fun Run, mums run the ladies race, and then they watch Dad doing his run. I can see numbers on the increase for the Ladies Race, due to a boom of ladies running.

What distances did you do then when you first started? It was mainly distance races, I think I did a 15-mile race somewhere and then progressed to the marathons.

You've done a few marathons now and run quite a few abroad. Where have you run and what were your favourite races? Yeah, I've done Marathons in Malta, Benidorm, The Disney Marathon in Florida, London, Manchester and the original marathon in Athens finishing in the Olympic stadium amongst others. The Athens one was my favourite and probably my best ever marathon even though it wasn't necessarily my quickest. I remember you, Lynda and Rob (Berry) ran the last mile with me and I felt really good. Even though it was hot the heat didn't seem to bother me on that one. My best ever Marathon was the London in 1988 when I ran 3 hrs 34.

Although you are still running now you always seem to get involved in getting teams together. Which do you enjoy most? I'm not sure you can enjoy putting a team together for the Northern League as you are never off the phone!! Although the ladies team are a lot better to get out for competitions.

Everyone knows that you have put together a very good ladies Squad, have you been successful with any other age groups. Yes two of them that comes to mind. Laura Varrie our muti-eventer, I first saw Laura performing the High jump at Greenbank High Schools sports day, I thought she looks useful so a word from me, and that was enough, the latest was James Armstrong, the most promising sprinter we have, [for his age] I found James at Churchtown School while helping the teacher, for a forthcoming sportshall competition.

What other sports have you had a go at? I remember I had a go at sprinting when I was young and won the Sunday school sports sprint. May be I should have stayed doing that!! When I was in the army I had one boxing match which I won so I've got an unbeaten record and again when I was in the army in Singapore I played in a game of cricket and I scored 1 not out. So a hundred percent record at all three sports!!!

I know you like your horseracing and you were a stable lad how did you get involved in that? When I was younger they always used to say because I was small and that I would make a good jockey. The local potato merchant in Banks used to deliver his potatoes to a racing stable in Yorkshire, so I went and had a go for a few years. One of the other stable lads at the time was Jack Berry and he's gone on to be one of the top horse trainers in the country.

What do you enjoy most with athletics? I help out with the sports hall athletics and I think out of everything that's what I enjoy most. I also help out at Churchtown primary school. At that age the sports hall is about fun and everyone who goes spectators and competitors seem to enjoy it.

So you are a runner, a road race director, a track, road and cross country team manager, you get involved in schools with sportshall athletics, you coach youngsters, you're a graded track judge and you are a Committee member for the club. That must take up an awful lot of your time. Why do you do it? Some would say are you mad. Possibly so. When you say all that it does seem a lot, but it's not something you think about. You just do it.

Who are your idols? I've got to say Steve Ovett from the 80's, I'm not sure why but he was a great runner and maybe it's because he was a bit of an extrovert when he raced.

Who do you think epitomizes what club athletics is all about? In our club I've got to say Steve James and Sue Cooper as they support the club in all the team events and they train just as hard now as they did when they first started. They are both an example to any youngsters. The other person I would say is Dave Owen (ably supported by Cathy) he coached down at Crosby as well as helping out with different teams as manager or as officials and they are both always first to volunteer when you're organising races regularly putting themselves out to help others. They do this in the background but without them a lot of things would not be possible.

What do you want to do in the future? I'd like to win the Senior Northern League with Barbara May and also to win the senior Ladies Mid Lancs. X-Country Championship again which we won last year.

What about your own running? Will you keep on going forever? I once said I would stop racing, if it took me 1hr. to run 10k, which it has done, but again that's given another target to do, beat the hour. I've been last in one race this year.

What about the future of Southport Waterloo It's in good hands with our sec. Ron Scott, he will be trying to make the new track at Litherland a success, and I hope he gets plenty of help with this project. The people of Litherland should be happy having the track based there, it's not too far for our Formby members to go, but It may be a bit far out to help those athletes at the North End. They will have to be very keen to travel there twice a week. I just hope the athletes in Southport, don't get forgotten in the years ahead. At the moment we do have a good team of coaches at Southport. And long may it continue.

Thanks Norman
 

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