London on Saturday 08/03/1969 (Senior Men)
The eighty-second English Cross-Country Championships took place at Parliament Hill Fields, London. The muddy course consisted of three laps and covered nine miles and attracted 1043 starters.
Prior to the race Roy Fowler, 35-year-old English international cross-country runner, stated if he won the English championship, he would retire. Fowler said "I want to finish at the top and this would be an Ideal way to bow out " If I do win there will be nothing else to go for. If I am unsuccessful, I shall carry on in the hope of winning the title in future years."
At 14:30 Desmond Plummer, leader of the Greater London Council, set the runners off. Mike Turner (Liverpool Harriers), Trevor Wright (Hallamshire Harriers), Mike Tagg (Norfolk Gazelles), Dick Taylor (Coventry Godiva Harriers) and Bob Richardson (Blackheath Harriers) went to the front after two thirds of the first lap.
Trevor Wright (Hallamshire Harriers), Dick Taylor (Coventry Godiva Harriers) and Mike Tagg (Norfolk Gazellese)
At the end of the first lap Mike Tagg had opened up a three-yard gap lead on Dick Taylor.
By the halfway stage Tagg was 2 yards in front of Taylor with Wright 60 yards adrift. Taylor caught Tagg but this just inspired Tagg to go for broke and he unleashed a powerful drive and made light work of the heavy conditions. Tagg went on to win by 40 seconds from Taylor with Trevor Wright a further 19 seconds behind. Mike Tagg, the 22-year-old, said after the race "It was easy. Most of the races I win are easy, it's only when I lose it's hard. The conditions were not the worst I have experienced but nine miles is the furthest I've run at Parliament Hill, the race is usually over by halfway in any case. I've been running 100 miles a week through the winter and have been planning the whole season for this race."
Mike Tagg (Norfolk Gazelles) breaks the tape
The team title went to Tipton Harriers, a club strong in cross-country tradition since it was formed in 1910, had waited 59 years to win the English senior cross-country championship. A crushing 256 point victory over Leicester College of Art & Technology, Tipton worked hard to land the richest prize in English cross-country racing.
Winning Tipton Harriers team - Alan Richards, Doug Fownes, Jim Wright, John Bygott, Keith Boydon, Allan Rushmer, Billy Carr, Mick Orton and Alan Hodges
The win was delivered in a powerful two-pronged attack - three men in the first 20, and another three similarly spaced out not far behind, the order at the finish read 11. Jim Wright: 14. Allan Rushmer; 19. Alan Richards; 33. Doug Fownes; 45. Keith Boydon and 53. Bill McKim. 902 runners finished the race.