Andy Holden (athlete)

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Andy Holden (actually John Andrew Holden; born October 22, 1948 in Leyland , Lancashire , † January 4, 2014 in Dudley , West Midlands ) was a British steeplechase and long-distance runner .

Holden became the British Junior Cross Country Champion in 1969 . In addition to sports, he studied dentistry at the University of Birmingham .

In 1970 he was starting over 3000 m obstacle for England at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh fifth and won silver at the Universiade . At the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 1971 , however, he did not get past 6th place in his preliminary run. He was also eliminated from the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich as fifth in his preliminary run.

In 1970 and 1971 he was the English champion over 3000 m obstacle. In 1972 he set a British national record in this discipline with 8: 26.4 minutes.

He took part in the World Cross Country Championships three times: in 1976 in Chepstow he came in 112th place, in 1979 in Limerick he ran in 20th place and won with the English team, and in 1984 in East Rutherford he came in 69th place.

From 1979 to 1981 he won the Bermuda Marathon three times in a row. At the English marathon championships he was third in 1980 and second in 1981. At the European Cup marathon in 1981 he came in 26th place. In 1982 he won the Hong Kong Shenzhen Marathon, in 1984 he was seventh in the English Championships in 10K road running , and in 1986 he was second in the Belfast Marathon .

After his active career, Holden coached the youth teams for his club Tripton Harriers . He continued to work as a dentist, opposing the privatization of medical practices. He stayed on to work for the National Health Service . He also supported the charity Crisis , which took care of the homeless.

In 2011 he suffered an aortic aneurysm , of which he died in 2014 at the age of 65. He left his wife Paula and three sons and a daughter.

Personal bests

  • 3000 m (hall): 8: 01.6 min, November 21, 1970, Cosford
  • 10,000 m : 29: 03.2 min, September 5, 1973, London
  • 10 km road run: 28:29 min, April 28, 1984, Birmingham
  • Marathon: 2:15:18 h, May 3, 1980, Milton Keynes
  • 3000 m obstacle: 8: 26.4 min, September 15, 1972, London

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personal data
SURNAME Holden, Andy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Holden, John Andrew
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British obstacle and long distance runner
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Leyland , Lancashire
DATE OF DEATH 4th January 2014
Place of death Dudley , West Midlands