Gerard Helme (born 28 March 1957, also known as Gerry Helme) is a runner from

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and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

who was a top

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 ...

in the 1980s. He was part of the British team of three (along with Hugh Jones and

Mike Gratton Michael Colin Gratton (born 28 November 1954) is a male former elite long distance runner from England who won the 1983 London Marathon. Biography A member of the Kent athletics club Invicta AC, Gratton finished third behind Hugh Jones in ...

) that completed at the 1983 Men’s Marathon World Championship race.

Early career

Helme went to Range High School and clocked a fast time in the Liverpool Corporate Cup. Later, he studied at

Liverpool College Liverpool College is a coeducational day and boarding school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, Headmasters' Conference. History Liverpool Coll ...

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

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. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, as most running was concentrated in club teams, Helme was a part of the

Ron Hill Ronald Hill MBE (25 September 1938 – 23 May 2021) was a British runner and clothing entrepreneur. He was the second man to break 2:10 in the marathon; he set world records at four other distances, and laid claim to the marathon world recor ...

Race Team that ran cross country and road races around the

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Professional career

In 1981, Helme won of the Freckleton Half Marathon and the Birmingham Marathon. The following year, after ankle surgery, he won several more road races, including the St. Petersburg Marathon in

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and second place in the Orlando Marathon. At the

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

in 1983, as the broadcasters covered the event on live TV, good weather and fast times moved the mass of 18,000 runners through the city streets. Helme, who had decided to run the race two days earlier, dueled with Henrik Jørgensen of

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and fellow

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runner

. Gratton took the lead in the end, and Helme finished second in 2:10:12, thirty seconds back. In the woman’s race that day,

Grete Waitz Grete Waitz (, 1 October 195319 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz ...

ran a blistering pace in the woman’s race to tie the world record. The following month, he was on the track in

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, for the 1983 UK Athletics Championships in the

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The r ...

. He ran a 28:13.04 to finish third behind winner

Steve Binns Stephen John Binns (born 25 August 1960) is a British former long-distance runner who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Biography Binns rose to prominence in 1979 as a junior athlete. First he took the individual and team silver medals a ...

. Still in great form, he traveled to the northeast shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

to run a point-to-point race called

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon (sport), Marathon (Grandma's) is an annual Road running, road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors, Minnesota, Two Harbor ...

(named after a restaurant). He started in

Two Harbors, Minnesota Two Harbors is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Minnesota, United States, along the shore of Lake Superior. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 61 serves as a main route i ...

with 7,000 other runners and out paced them all to cross the finish line in

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

in 2:12:09 for the win. His coaches had discouraged him from attending the race, as he was scheduled to run the World Championship marathon in August. The 1983 Men’s Marathon World Championship race in

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, did not go in his favor. As Rob deCastella ran to victory in 2:10:03, Helme fell back to 48th place. The following year, he focused on a shorter distance and entered the famous 11-kilometer cross-country race in Italy, the Cross di Alà dei Sardi. Over the grass and hills, he outran top runners such as Claudio Solone and

Adriano Pezzoli Adriano Pezzoli (born 21 May 1964) is a former Italian male long-distance runner who competed at two editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships at senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suf ...

to take home the first-place finish. By 1989, he was a major contender at large road races. He entered the

Rome Marathon The Rome Marathon is an annual marathon competition hosted by the city of Rome, Italy. History The competition has also doubled as the Italian Marathon championships on two occasions; in 1983 and 1986. The race date was shifted from the t ...

, and many favored him to win. But Italian Giuseppe Gerbi got ahead on the

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...

streets and took the win. Helme, in his pink singlet, finished second.

Personal life

Helme later worked as a runner’s agent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helme, Gerry 1957 births Living people British male long-distance runners British marathon runners English male long-distance runners Sportspeople from Merseyside