If you’re an Australian distance runner who is still living in the ‘70s, you are probably aware of Brian Lenton. Indeed, there’s even a chance you are in them.
Back then, Lenton hit on an original idea for ‘his’ first book. He wouldn’t write it himself; he would send out letters – snail mail the most common form of communication back then – to Australian runners inviting them to contribute a short article on their training. The only financial incentive involved was a stamped, self-addressed envelope in which to send the completed work back to Lenton.
Amazingly, quite a few did. In fact, quite a few contributed more than a few paragraphs. Thus was born Distance Running in Australia, followed a little later by Distance Running in Australia -Part II. DRA I – to reduce its title to an acronym as beloved by Canberra bureaucracy – came with an acknowledgement of the contributors who had done the miles and penned the words: “Wholly written by the distance runners of Australia”.
Encouraged – or perhaps not greatly deterred – by these successes, Lenton dived headlong into a book of running interviews with (mainly) Australian and New Zealand athletes and coaches. Off the Record was the first, Through the Tape came next, launched in 1983 at the peak of the ‘Deek wave’ by none other than the prime minister, Bob Hawke. Pat Clohessy lived across the road from Hawke’s chief of staff, which helped secure the PM’s involvement, though the fact ‘Deek’ (aka Robert de Castella) had won the Brisbane Commonwealth Games marathon, the Rotterdam marathon and the world championships marathon and politicians love a winner may have helped, too!
Sandwiched between the first two interview books and subsequent ones came The Incomplete History of Australian Distance Running (1970-95). The self-deprecatory title notwithstanding, the incomplete history did boast interviews with two subjects only – de Castella and Steve Moneghetti: ‘Deek’ and ‘Mona’. Perhaps Lenton was hinting these two were the last word – to that stage, anyway – in Australian distance running.
Now, however, comes another Lenton project – Past Champions and Changing Times – which this writer is going to suggest could be appropriately titled: An (almost) Complete History of Australian Distance Running. (Disclaimer: this suggestion must be followed by the admission that the writer is a major contributor.)
PCCT (reverting to acronym-speak) is a compendium of Australian distance running. According to Britannica, a compendium is a collection of things (such as photographs, stories, facts, etc) gathered together as a group, especially in the form of a book. This book has plenty of the first two and, arguably, facts enough to tick the third box.
From the time Brian started on his book projects his close friend John Gilbert has played a key – maybe the key – role as exhorter, collaborator, editor and producer. Virtually from the time I met Brian we have talked of a joint writing project. With Past Champions and Changing Times there finally is one.
It’s worth recounting that first meeting. Having already published his two DRA volumes, Brian was in Melbourne mid-1979 for a group interview at Chris Wardlaw’s place. Chris invited me and I joined Bill Scott, Tim O’Shaughnessy and Deek as we sat around talking distance running. Brian sat cross-legged on the lounge room floor nursing a cassette recorder.
Being an inclusive fellow, Brian made sure I got one question. The brief answer was my sole contribution then but the start of a continuing support role in future works, I also got a mention in an article Brian wrote about the interview for Mike Agostini’s Australian Athletics magazine. From there, things just snowballed though not without a few meltdowns.
Anyway, PCCT, the purported subject of this ramble. Brian has edited a selection of his historic interviews – mainly to remove jarring anachronisms. I contributed a profile on each subject by way of introduction, Brian added anecdotal commentary postscript.
But we had a women problem. Namely, most of Brian’s interview subjects were male. Lisa Ondieki was the only female. Largely this was historic. Through the 1960s, 70s and most of the 80s, there were no women distance runners to write about. By the time Kerryn McCann, Benita Willis and others were at their peak he had ceased doing interviews – any writing, indeed, as he and his wife Linda dealt with the aftermath of losing house and possessions in the disastrous 2003 bushfires (as did de Castella).
Which is where the third part of the book kicks in. John Gilbert and I did pen pictures and complied numerous statistics detailing progress in more recent times. The rapidly changing middle-distance scene made this a pleasurable problem as deadlines loomed but – I think – the only stat we have missed is Claudia Hollingsworth’s national record 800 metres and Abbey Caldwell’s #2 all-time which occurred just a couple of days after the book went to the printer.
There is also a comprehensive review of Australian women’s participation in the world cross-country written by Anne Lord, that participation virtually running stride for stride alongside the gradual (too slow) adoption of a full championship program for women. Few are better qualified to write on the subject; Anne Lord was a four-time world cross-country representative between 1981 and 1987, has been a team manager and physiotherapist and, as a member of the IAAF (now World Athletics) cross-country committee played a major role in getting the world cross-country to Bathurst in 2023 (declaration of interest: we’re married).
Only symbolism, I know, but the front cover photo captions identify 11 individual women as against 10 men.
Notes:
Past Champions and Changing Times is available at the Runners Shop in Canberra or inquire at lentonl616@gmail.com.
The book is dedicated to Ron Clarke, who inspired us all, including Brian’s and my writing specifically.
