Beryl Randle
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 16 December 1928 Tamworth, England |
| Died | 28 November 2023 (aged 94) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Race walking |
| Club | Birchfield Harriers |
Beryl E. M. Randle née Beryl Day (16 December 1928 – 28 November 2023) was a British race walker and an athletics administrator.[1][2][3]
Biography
[edit]Day took up competitive walking in 1946, after coming last in a 100-metre sprint,[1] and was coached by Doris Nelson Neal.[4] To train, she would walk from her home in Walsall to her workplace in Digbeth, Birmingham, and back - 18 miles (29 km) each day.[3]
Day became the national 1 mile walk champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1952 WAAA Championships.[5] Beryl Day married Ronald Randle in Birmingham during the latter part of 1952 and would compete under her married name of Randle thereafter.
Randle retained her 1 mile walk title at the 1953 WAAA Championships.[6]
On 29 May 1954, she broke the world record for the one-mile walk, with a time of 7 minutes 49 seconds.[4] On 19 June 1954, she shaved over ten seconds from her own record, at the White City Stadium, with a time of 7 minutes 38.4 seconds.[4] In doing so, she became the Women's Amateur Athletic Association Champion.[3] She was honoured for this achievement with a brooch depicting the stag logo of Birchfield Harriers in solid gold, commissioned by G.H. Alexander, then president of the club.[4] She later said:[4]
I remember finishing the walk with a last gasp supreme effort. I had no idea I was going to break the world record because Nelson our coach was the sort of person who would not give away any times in training which meant that I had no idea what sort of shape that I was in that day... I just went for it from the start.
Randle won her third and fourth 1 mile national titles, after winning the WAAA title at both the 1954 WAAA Championships and the 1955 WAAA Championships.[7][8]
Randle was a six-time Midland mile track champion, and three-time Midland road-walking champion.[3]
After winning £1,000 for coming in second in a 1960 John O'Groats–Land's End walk sponsored by Billy Butlin – she lost the lead to Wendy Lewis after twisting her ankle – she had to relinquish her amateur status, though it was later restored, and she resumed competing.[1][3] During the 1980s, she coached Birchfield Harriers' girls' teams.[1]
At the age of 71, she broke the over-70s age group world record for the 3000-metres walk.[1]
Randle was Honorary General Secretary of the Race Walking Association from 1988 to 1991, and its president from 1996 to 1998.[9] She was subsequently made an Honorary Life Member,[9] and was given their lifetime achievement award in 2014.[1]
In 2009, she was elected President of the Midland Counties Athletics Association.[10]
Randle died on 28 November 2023, at the age of 94.[11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bowen, Amy (14 March 2014). "Race walker Beryl 'gobsmacked' to receive top achievement award". Great Barr Observer. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ↑ "Athlete – Beryl Randle". Racewalk UK. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Morris, Tom (September 2012). "The Long Walk" (PDF). WordPress.com. Midland Masters Athletic Club. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hancox, Kyle; McCook, Tom (29 May 2014). "Beryl & Diane Celebrate Anniversary of Their Record Breaking Performances". Birchfield Harriers. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ "Dorothy Tyler changes style and shocks world champion". Sunday Express. 15 June 1952. Retrieved 15 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ↑ "AAA Championships (women)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ↑ "Margaret Doubles To It - Loses Record". The People. 3 July 1955. Retrieved 19 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- 1 2 "Past officers". The Race Walking Association. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ↑ "Committee and A.G.M. decision sheets". The Race Walking Association. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ↑ "Beryl Randle RIP – one of our sport's great characters". Lancashire Walking Club. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.