Adrian Royle (born 12 February 1959) is a retired English

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. He is notable for running exceptional times on difficult courses, making race organizers think the course had been mis-measured.

Early life

Royle moved to

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

as a child and took up running as an 11-year-old at

Wintringham School Oasis Academy Wintringham is a secondary school (academy) on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is just off the A16 road (England), A16 Peaks Parkway just south-west of the A46 road, A46 crossroads next to the Lisle ...

, joining Grimsby Harriers as a 17-year-old. He then moved back to Manchester and joined Manchester Harriers & AC whilst working as a clerk in a rubber factory. In 1980, aged 21, he moved to the United States to attend the

College of Southern Idaho College of Southern Idaho (CSI) is a public community college in Twin Falls, Idaho. It also has off-campus programs in Jerome, Hailey, Burley and Gooding. Together with the College of Eastern Idaho, College of Western Idaho and North Ida ...

and he enjoyed most of his success in America. He easily won the US Junior College Championship later that year.

Athletic career

Matriculating to the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is the state's flagship public university and prim ...

, in 1981 he shocked much better known athletes like

Alberto Salazar Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, where ...

, Steve Scott,

Henry Rono Henry Rono (12 February 1952 – 15 February 2024) was a Kenyan track and field athlete who specialised in various long-distance running events. Although he never competed at the Olympics, Rono is remembered as one of the most prolific collegia ...

and countrymate Nick Rose by winning the TAC National Cross Country Championships. His time for the 10,000 metre course was over 2 seconds faster than the listed World Record for the distance on the track (set by Rono). A few weeks later he ran the Lasse Viren Finnish Invitational, an elite 20 km cross country race on hills and dirt trails. His time of 58:38 also surpassed the standing World Record for the distance on a flat course. It was not beaten until 1994 His time still stands as the British 20 km road record. The following year, he also set the British 12 km record. Nearly four decades after his peak athletic years, he is still ranked number 16 on the British all-time list for 10,000m. The time was set in his first attempt at the distance on the track on a rainy day in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

running behind a stirring duel between Salazar and Rono that exacted revenge for the previous defeat. The picture of the three competitors appeared on the cover of the May 1982 issue of ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includ ...

''. A mystery illness, probably Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, struck in October 1983 and lasted for 18 months. He returned to the UK in 1983 where he joined Charnwood AC and ran a sub 48 minute 10 mile in 1987 before retiring the next year. Royle now lives in

Louth, Lincolnshire Louth () is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000): Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of east ...

England and has been a prolific photographer and voluntary litter picker.

References

External links

Adrian Royle's Flickr page

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Royle, Adrian 1959 births Living people Athletes from Manchester Sportspeople from Grimsby English male long-distance runners British male long-distance runners College of Southern Idaho alumni