He has walked enough miles to have circumnavigated the globe more than once but still won't call it a day. KEVIN BURCHALL found out what keeps Ron Powell going

There comes a period in an athlete's career when it is time to hang up those spikes. Your times become slower and the younger generation are on your heels.

Well, that's the conventional theory but Ron Powell is far from being a conformist.

For after 50 years of competition the evergreen veteran just can't stop walking.

Ron is a racewalker and, despite hitting the age of 65 this year, he's showing no signs of packing it in yet.

"I started when I was 15 in 1951. My father and my father-in-law both did racewalking and they asked me to have a go," he recalls.

The Mill Hill speedster has had one of his most successful years in 2001 scooping 13 medals in his veteran category. In his half-century of competition he has won 310 medals at club, county and international level, but Ron admits that his racing career has really flourished since he started competing at veteran level.

"I have won more medals as a veteran than as a senior because every five years you go up into another age group and you get people retiring," Ron says modestly.

This year Ron picked up a bronze in the over-60's 30k European Veterans' Championships in Malta and was also third in the British track 3,000m contest at Eaton and second over 5,000m.

But it is not just the shorter distances the Rushden Gardens resident tackles: "I do all kinds of distances from 3,000m up to 52-and-a half-miles, which is the London to Brighton road race. I competed in it this year the day before my birthday and it took me ten and a half hours.

"I think I finished about sixth and obviously I was knackered afterwards," he added.

The sight of racewalkers in action is more akin to a waddle but as Ron explains, it's all about the rules. "You cannot jog or break into a jog and one foot must be in contact with the ground at all times. It places a great emphasis on your hips," he said.

However, despite this the times of the world's top athletes are far from slow. "The top British and Russian boys are doing 12 miles in almost one-and-a-half hours. I would say I walk about six and three-quarter miles an hour."

Ron's dedication to the sport he loves does not just entail gruelling training of up to four or five hours at a time, it hurts financially too.

Receiving no funding for his exertions, Ron has to pay for his travel and expenses when competing abroad at the highest level. He said: "I have to pay for everything myself but when I worked for London Buses the boys at work paid for me to go to Japan for the World Veterans' Championships."

But self gain is not the sole reason he competes.

Ron has selflessly raised thousands of pounds for charity and in particular MENCAP, the charity his wife works for.

Ron is looking forward to the European Championships in Germany next year and is determined to carry on for as long as he can.

"I have just got dedication and keep myself fit. I get the hump if I cannot go and train because I just love it.

"I've been doing it all my life and I don't know any different," he said.

"I want to keep on going as long as I can. We have still got boys who are 75 or 80 so I think I can go on for at least another five years."

The rate Ron's going few would argue with that.

October 10, 2001 18:56

KEVIN BURCHALL