Arthur Puckrin - Life Before Triathlon

I was born on 5th May 1938, just one year before the outbreak of the Second World War. My earliest memories are of nightly visits by the Luftwaffe across the North Sea from Germany, attempting to reduce Middlesbrough to rubble. The nearest they got was the fish and chip shop about 500 yards away, a dastardly attempt to cut off our food supply. However, the tide of war soon turned and I remember one beautiful summer’s day watching the Flying Fortresses assemble in the skies above as they got into formation to reduce Germany to rubble in return. We were always hungry, rationing lasted until 1952, seven years after the end of the war. We ate mainly bread and potatoes, even now, I can complete a triple Ironman without eating very much and not feel hungry.

I always loved to run, I played football, cricket, any sport, but mainly I ran. At the age of 5, I ran to school and back home for lunch at mid day. About 1 mile each way. I joined the wolf cubs and later the boy scouts. We would go each year to summer camp and whilst there I would regularly run round the field at top speed, just to burn off my energy. My values were from scouts and also the Methodist Church at which I am a regular attender.

At the age of 11, I passed the “scholarship” for Middlesbrough High School where I was introduced to Rugby which remains a life long passion. I had my own football and cricket teams which I called the “Willows Road Rovers”. We would play matches against teams of boys from nearby estates. I arranged a game of cricket against a team from Acklam which contained the brothers “Old” who later played for Durham, Yorkshire and England. Needless to say, we lost. Two streets away lived the Hatfield family, I would run past their house nearly every day. I remember the youngest in short trousers would wave to me. 50 years later, Dick Hatfield and I became closer friends when I joined Cleveland Triathlon Club. I still remember him as that small boy in short trousers.

Neither my family nor any of the neighbours had any money, and I mean NONE. It was essential that I find work and help the family. Once I was working, things improved. When I was 16 years of age, I sat my G.C.E examinations and became G.C.E (failed) I joined the police force as a cadet. After work, I would run 4 miles to Stewarts Park and back. There was a police Cross Country Championships, although as a cadet I was not allowed to run in the team, I managed to persuade them to let me run. The following year, there was a cadets championships which I won and later the Police team won the area championships 7 years in succession. We also twice came 5th in the Police National Championships. I did play rugby for Middlesbrough as a police cadet, but at the age of 19 I joined the regular force and as a regular shift worker had to give up the rugby. The police would allow me to run on Saturdays and I joined Middlesbrough and Cleveland Harriers and one year we won the North Eastern and also the National Cross country championships for the only time.

In those days training was irregular, maybe twice a week. Bannister broke the 4 minute mile and I studied all the books on athletics and training which I could find in the library. I started to train daily by the age of 16. I had 2 younger brothers and a sister. They all wanted to run with me so I would do my normal training and then take them all out running. Over the years we developed quite a numerous training school and they all joined the Harriers in due course.

In later years both boys became good runners and my sister Eleanor was twice Ladies World Champion over 100 Kilometres. We all had bicycles as no one had cars in those days, we cycled everywhere. I would try to ride 100 miles to Scarborough and back, after that 200 miles in 2 days to Scotland and back, but mainly I ran and I walked miles over the moors with the scout and with my own circle of friends. My habit of daily training lasted though my life even when I was not competing I still ran daily about 6 miles.

In 1955 the first party walked over the Lyke Wake Walk, a 40 mile crossing of the North Yorkshire Moors from Osmotherly to the North Sea. In the summer you could do it kicking up the heather pollen at every step. I was running quite long distances and I thought “I could do that”. The difficulty was transport, but after one failed attempt when I was lost in thick fog, I did the walk and the following day my Police colleagues were disappointed by my poor showing in the1/2 mile at the Police sports.

I decided that I could set the record for the Lyke Wake Walk. At that time, 1957, there was no track at many places, the route was waist high in heather and bracken. I managed in 10 hours and 10 minutes. And later did a double crossing in 23 hours and 20 minutes. My report caused some amusement when I said that there was snow on the way out, but on my return it had melted. I later reduced the double crossing record to 14 hours which lasted for 30 years and made a 3 way record which still stands.

In the 1960+ years there was a race over the walk which I won 5 times with 5 2nd places. My brother Philip also won the race 5 times. My Lyke Wake Walk record stood unchallenged for 10 years. I also added records for the Cleveland Way – 80 miles and Pennine Way – 250 miles. I also won the Four Inns Walk – 45 miles, in Derbyshire 3 times in succession about this time.
I decided that I could transfer my Fell running to road races and ran London to Brighton, then the Ultra Running World Championships, finishing 17th and drove back overnight to Middlesbrough, crashing the car on the way, got a lift to Osmotherly where I had promised to do a Lyke Wake Walk for Tyne Tees TV – successful but tired. Other long distance road runs - 3 times Liverpool to Blackpool – 50 miles, Exeter to Plymouth – 44 miles (5th) and Edinburgh to Glasgow (4th). I had decided that I was wasting my time in the Police, so I studied “O” levels and “A” levels to go to university in London which I did in 1963. I had to travel overnight, because the day before I competed and won the 21 mile “Chevy Chase” fell run. My sister Eleanor won the ladies race aged 16.

Whilst in London, as well as studying, I ran cross country and road races for the YMCA, 5th in the National Championships and also won a 40 mile overnight cross country race in Epping Forrest. I ran to college and back each day, a distance of about 22 miles with a 23 mile on Saturdays over Hampstead Heath. In 1966, I qualified for as LL.B (hons) and Barrister at Law. I joined Dorman Long as Legal Advisor and as Assistant to the Company Secretary.

My running continued and I beat 50 horses over 44 miles at Wolsingham Horse Trials. They refused to let me run the National Championships as I did not have the required number of legs. In the Windermere Marathon, I overtook Jack Haslam from Bolton, an Olympic runner the previous year in the final 100 yards, (he was not pleased) but Middlesbrough won the team race.
I also came 2nd in the World Coal Carrying Championships. (Run 1 mile carrying 1 cwt. of coal on your back). I was leading with 20 yards to go, but lost on the sprint. However, I did win the mile at Kildale sports in 4 minutes 12 seconds, beating a competitor who had won a silver medal in the European Championships the year before. (A tactical victory, but most satisfying as he was a much faster runner than I was). In 1967, my final long distance track race – 40 miles in Cardiff. The world record was broken, I came 6th and I still have the trophy. I did not run again competitively for 30 years.

I started to play Bridge (the card game equivalent of Chess). Later I played in 2 World Championships and 8 European Championships for Great Britain. The best moment was probably in New Orleans in 1978 where my team G.B second string was in 4th place after 2 days play. (yes, I do know Omar Sharif and all the other big names in World Bridge).

I still continued to run, 6 miles a day, but I was concentrating on building my business. During breaks in play in Bridge competitions, I would often run around the block to try to keep my brain at full stretch!