Dr Mike Turner: A Celebratory Lunch

By Owain Bristow

On September 9th a special gathering took place at Peterhouse College, Cambridge. Despite the wide range of ages and residences of the people who travelled to be there, they all shared one thing in common: at some point in their lives and most frequently in their University days, they had come into contact with Dr Mike Turner. And now, forty-seven years after Mike came up to read Estate Management at Queens' and thirty years and six months to the day since he began his presidency of Cambridge University Hare and Hounds, the club was holding a "surprise" lunch for him. This was to mark his retirement from the position in March and celebrate his enormous contribution to endurance running over the years as an athlete, a mentor and an administrator.

Among those attending were athletes who had achieved great honour in the past, including numerous winners of the Varsity Match. They included Tim Briault, who represented England over the country, '68 Marathon Olympian Tim Johnston, international marathoner Chris Garforth and Sue Bevan (née Parker), Great Britain International and ranked 6th on the Scottish 800m all-time list. Also present were current GB internationals Andy Baddeley and Huw Lobb, who competed in the 1500m and marathon respectively at this year's European Championships. Apologies for absence were received from many, including former England International Bruce Tulloh and Herb Elliot, the winner of the 1500m at the 1960 Olympics.

In terms of athletic success, Mike stands right up there alongside those mentioned above. Together with Tulloh, Briault, Elliot and Johnston and also Harry Minshall, he represented Cambridge at the highest level in the Varsity Cross Country Match. Donning the Blues vest the then-limit of four times beginning in '59, he finished joint fourth, equal second (a dead heat with Elliot) and was twice victorious. The Light Blues were undefeated during this time, with several "crushing" wins. The winning-streak was finally broken in '64. Whether he was representing Queens', Cambridge, Lancashire or England, Mike led by example and the success of the team and the general camaraderie of the runners were just as important to him as individual gains. This is reflected in the extreme efforts he made to help the Hare and Hounds establish world records in the John O'Groats to Land's End Relay (JOGLER) in '60 and '62. In the latter he ran a five-mile stretch with what seemed to be a dislocated hip!

During his time as a student Mike also managed to win the forerunner of BUSA twice. In '64 he won the Inter-counties and in both '64 and '66 he finished a close 2nd in the national the latter being so close that many felt Mike and the declared victor -- Mike's eternal foe Ron Hill -- should have been awarded joint gold. Mike then went on to captain the English Cross Country team, representing the country in several internationals. This included a memorable race against former mile world record holder Michael Jazy, in which the Frenchman took advantage of the nature of the course to turn the race into a set of 500m repetitions. Later, Mike held positions of authority in British Athletics, managing the team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Back at Cambridge Mike was a Club Vice President from 1963 to 1976, when he became President, and he sat on many university committees. He played an important part in helping to establish the Ladies' Cuppers race and Varsity Match, at a time not long after the inception of the female section of the club. It was therefore fitting that at the Club's annual dinner in March this year, a new trophy -- the Mike Turner Trophy to be presented each year to the winner of the ladies' Cuppers race -- was presented to Claire Day, the first ever female Captain of the Club. It is also fitting that Mike hands over the Presidency to Joan Lasenby, twice a winner of the Varsity Match herself, and the first female President of CUH&H.

Having myself only arrived in Cambridge at the tail end of Mike's career it is difficult for me fully to describe and appreciate what he has done for the Hare and Hounds. Looking back over the memories of the years though I have found that many of the things that happened then are not so dissimilar from what goes on now. There were long runs, gruelling reps, tea runs and university races back then and of course, the Varsity Match. Today's Harey generation may be less aware of Mike, but his achievements and the length of his winning margins are very familiar. It is clear from reading all the recollections and results of old that his approach and performances epitomise the spirit of cross-country running and university competition. The descriptions of some of his training sessions, multiple relay legs, record-breaking runs at Hyde Park, and the stint in JOGLER with only one fully-functioning leg, make Mike fully deserving of his "Iron man" nickname.

Although in the early 2000s Mike is perhaps less known for his running exploits and more for his presiding over club committee meetings, his enthusiasm for running in Cambridge is still evident. He has always supported the teams at the Varsity Match and has regularly travelled to far-flung corners of the UK to shout for Cambridge in the BUSA Cross Country Championships. He still runs twice a day and in November 2005 raced his final Cuppers as an active member of the Club. I wonder how many of the undergraduates who ran at Wandlebury that day realised that the man finishing in 80th place had spent twenty-four years inside the top ten and, between 1959 and 1980, posted twelve wins, six second places and one third!

With the guests assembled Mike duly arrived, sticking to his daily routine as always, and was pleasantly surprised to find so many former team-mates and fellow Hareys present on his college lawn. He hinted, however, later on that when one has been in the job for the length of time he has been, one can sense when something is afoot. As Ben Hope commented in his message to Mike though, the club certainly wasn't going to let him retire with just a small mention at the Annual Dinner!

A series of speeches followed after the buffet lunch. The speakers were Tim Johnston, Rees Ward, Chris Garforth, Sue Bevan and Ifan Lloyd; runners whose time spent at Cambridge took us all the way from the early '60s to the mid '80s. All of them spoke of a man with a passion, a sense of humour and an eagerness to share it with others, whose innumerable breakfasts, help with accommodation at Cambridge and words of advice and support had touched many. A general theme highlighted by Tim was Mike's liking for challenging training, especially the steady run over a ploughed surface and his belief in its supremacy in toughening up the legs. From Chris we heard of an unorthodox training session involving the regular insertion and removal of thermometers, while Ifan described his confusion at being greeted with Mike's "eye balls out" comment in his training log. When he reached the last mile at Roehampton, he said, he knew what those words meant, just as Mike had done twenty-five years before him.

After these fascinating recollections, Mike was presented with a special book. It is no ordinary volume, being packed full of photos, newspaper articles and, most importantly, reams of recollections, anecdotes and personal tales of support and encouragement from the runners who knew Mike. That the eras of the contributors span nearly fifty years is a testament to the longevity of Mike's enthusiasm and dedication to the sport. It certainly is a mammoth and inspiring read! Hopefully this mini piece of history will provide him with many happy memories in retirement. In this we wish Mike and Glenda all the best.

All that remains is to thank (in alphabetical order) Andy Bell, Lucy Cundliffe, Lyn Davies, Leika Gooneratne, Andrew Hope, Ben Hope, Alison Lasenby, Joan Lasenby, Robert Lasenby, Simon Molden, Roman Roth, Si Rutherford, and Glenda Teasdale for all their work in organising the event and compiling the book. All the help given by the current and ex-committee members on the day is also much appreciated. The staff of Peterhouse deserve thanks too, for both their efforts in ensuring that the lunch was a surprise and their excellent catering job.

Finally, a thank you to Dr Mike Turner for being Freshers' Representative, Honorary Secretary, Club Captain, Vice President and President of Cambridge University Hare and Hounds and for giving so much to running and runners, both at Cambridge and beyond. Your acceptance speech at the lunch sums it all up quite simply, really:

"Talk less, run more."

Last modified: Friday November 10 2006 22:41:49