John Thomas Holden (13 March 1907 – 7 March 2004) was a

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 ...

from England, who won four consecutive national titles in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

(1947–1950).

Athletics career

Holden finished second behind John Potts in the 3 miles event and second behind James Wood in the 10 miles event at the

1932 AAA Championships The 1932 AAA Championships was the 1932 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 1 to 2 July 1932 at White City Stadium in London, England. After 19 consecu ...

. Holden then became the national 6 miles champion after winning the British

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 ...

title at the

1933 AAA Championships The 1933 AAA Championships was the 1933 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 7 to 8 July 1933 at White City Stadium in London, England. The Championship ...

. After retaining his 6 miles title and becoming national 10 miles champion at the

1934 AAA Championships The 1934 AAA Championships was the 1934 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 13 to 14 July 1934 at White City Stadium in London, England. The Championsh ...

, Holden competed for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in the 3 and 6 miles at the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

in London. Holden continued to gain success in British long distance running, winning the 6 miles AAA title at the

1935 AAA Championships The 1935 AAA Championships was the 1935 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 12 to 13 July 1935 at White City Stadium in London, England. The Championsh ...

. He competed for

England at the 1938 British Empire Games England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It shares a land border with Scotland to the north and anoth ...

in the 6 miles and marathon. He represented Great Britain at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

in London, but abandoned the race due to foot blisters. He won the 1950 Empire Games marathon in Auckland, running the last nine miles barefoot after his shoes fell apart during the race. He was also a successful

cross country runner Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

, becoming the first man to win the

International Cross Country Championships The International Cross Country Championships was an annual international competition in cross- country running. It was created in 1903 by the International Cross Country Union (ICCU) and it marked the first time that an annual international ch ...

four times, which he did between 1933 and 1939.International Cross Country Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 14 February 2011.

Personal life

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Holden served with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. In the 1950s,

Coseley Coseley ( ) is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, Dudley district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is situated north of Dudley itself, on the border with Wolverhampton and Sandwell. It f ...

Urban District An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

named a new road on the

Woodcross Woodcross is a residential area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. The area traditionally existed within the boundaries of Sedgley and later Coseley until 1966. History The first known record of the name was in 1614, where it was reco ...

housing estate Jack Holden Avenue. On 23 July 1952, Jack Holden's Gardens were opened on Queens Road, Tipton.. tiptoncivicsociety.co.uk Holden died in March 2004, at age 96. He was survived by daughter Joan and son-in-law Brian.Marathon and Cross Country legend Jack Holden passes away

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

(10 March 2004). Retrieved on 2011-01-27.

References

External links

Jack Holden Obituary
''The Times''. 26 March 2004 * Simon Turnbull (11 January 2004

''The Independent'' 1907 births 2004 deaths Military personnel from Wolverhampton Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force airmen Sportspeople from Bilston Sportspeople from Tipton English male marathon runners British male marathon runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games European Athletics Championships medalists International Cross Country Championships winners Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games 20th-century English sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics {{England-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub