Ian Ray (born 28 August 1957) is a British former marathon runner who won the 1981 Berlin Marathon.

Biography

Ray was born in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, England. In 1979, Ray won the Southern Counties marathon championship in Harlow, in a time of 2:16:04. Ray won the 1981 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:15:41. The top three in the race were all British, as were five of the top 10 finishers. The race was the first to be held in central

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

, and the finish line was in

Kurfürstendamm The Kurfürstendamm (; colloquially , ; ) is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former (prince-electors) of Brandenburg. The broad, long boulevard can be considered the of Berlin and is lined with s ...

near to the

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (), mostly known simply as the Memorial Church (German: ''Gedächtniskirche'' ) is a Protestant church affiliated with the Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia, a regional body ...

. It was also the first Berlin Marathon with a cash prize for the winner. Ray was awarded 1000 DM. Ray was selected to represent England in the marathon event at the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia, after performing well at the

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

. Ray came eighth in the race, in a time of 2:15:11. He was the second Englishman to finish, behind

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 ...

. He finished third behind

Steve Kenyon Stephen Kenyon (born 16 September 1951) is a retired male long-distance runner from England, who competed in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the men's marathon (sport), marathon and half marathon. Biography Kenyon was raised in Bolton, E ...

in the marathon event at the

1982 AAA Championships The 1982 AAA Championships (sponsored by Robinsons Barley Water) was the 1982 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 24 to 25 July 1982 at the Crystal Pal ...

and also competed at the

1983 London Marathon The 1983 London Marathon was the third running of the annual marathon race in London, United Kingdom, which took place on Sunday, 17 April. The elite men's race was won by home athlete Mike Gratton in a time of 2:09:43 hours and the women's rac ...

References

External links

ARRS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Ian 1957 births Living people British male marathon runners Berlin Marathon male winners Sportspeople from Salisbury Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games athletes for England English male marathon runners