From the age of 5 Steve represented Great Yarmouth in swimming, moving all the way up through to the National Squad where he became County and Regional Champion until, at the age of 12, running entered his life.
The first race 12 year old Steve ran was the Yarmouth Cross Country School Trials and, since the whole school football team, of which he was a member, was entered, didn’t have much of a say about it; he ran the race in his football boots – and won! From this, Steve went on to the Norfolk Schools and East of England races, managing to finish high up each time. Consequently, Steve was invited to join the local Athletics Club and running became part of his everyday life.
As a Junior 800m and 1500m Track Runner, Steve gained County and Regional titles in several age groups. He competed in the English Schools Championships for both distances as well as the Welsh Championships (thanks to Steve’s Mum’s Welsh nationality). Steve’s greatest achievements as a Junior athlete were representing Wales at Home Country events on Track and Cross Country, and also the privilege of representing GB in the under 20s Cross Country. His PBs on the track were 1:55 for 800 and 3:56 for 1500.
In his 20s, Steve, now a police officer in the West Midlands, stopped running for several years as it was hard to manage the work-life balance, but with his move back to Norfolk and starting a family, he started to run again. It didn’t take long for the competitive side to come back and Steve joined Norwich Road Runners. Since Steve’s return to running, he has raced Road and Cross Country, the highlights so far being: top 20 placing Amsterdam Half Marathon; gaining more County Cross Country vests; 1st Wymondham 20 mile; 1st Bungay 20k; 2nd Yarmouth Marathon. For the last 3 years Steve has also qualified for the Championship start of the London Marathon, where he will be again this year, aiming for a sub 2:30. More recently, Steve came 5th in Coventry Half and 7th at North London Half Marathons.
Steve’s current PBs:
Parkrun 16:30
10k 32:55
20k 1:11
Half Marathon 1:10:53
Marathon 2:41:06
Steve is now the Manager of Sportlink, the only specialist running store in the Norfolk area, which has allowed him to train better than ever and he aims to return to Track and earn more National and, hopefully, International vests.
Steve – I see being on the TORQ Performance Running Team as a real privilege and want to thank everyone at TORQ and the team’s sponsors for their support.
The TORQ Performance Running Team is sponsored by the following and without them, we would not be able to do what we do, thank you:
Scimitar – Triathlon and Cycle Apparel
Zero Point – Compression Wear
USE Exposure – Running Headtorches
Dunerunner – Races & Events
ODO Sport – Kit Revamp & Refresh Products
Amphibia – Equipment Bags
