The Early Days Remembered
Swinton Jog-Fit Club started as an idea in the minds of Swinton Rugby club Director, Brian Cooper and club coaches Eddie Cheetham and Rhys Thomas. They hoped that not only would it help the public become fitter but that the rugby club would benefit financially.
An introductory evening was held on Monday October 18th 1976, following an advertisement in the press that said, there may be many people who would like to get into better shape but may be embarrassed at having to run around the streets. Now they can do their jogging in the privacy of our ground. We do insist though, that everyone obtain a medical certificate from their doctor before they begin any exercise.
I remember that evening very well. The Executive lounge at Swinton RFC was overflowing with people of all ages, eager to find out all they could and to join a new club tailored to all-round fitness and strength (and using their legs for what they were intended for - jogging, running etc.).
The following Monday on October 25th, the club was born. Enrolment was £1.50 and session fees were 50p. Around 60 people turned up in varying styles of dress from old gardening jumpers, trousers and ordinary day shoes to renovated old school tracksuits and tennis pumps. The ages ranged from l0yr olds to people well into their fifties.
Warming up with Eddie and Rhys was agony! Twenty minutes worth of pain in finding out we had muscles we didn’t know were there, but were reminded within 48 hours when they stiffened. We followed this ‘warm-up’ with a jog around the pitch, lasting approximately 6 minutes when Eddie would yell, TIME! He and Rhys would then conduct a 20 minute 'warm-down'. Rhys could get us to do any amount of exercises. Full of welsh charm he was but a tyrant all the same.
Eddie would always explain in great detail why and how each exercise should be done and woe betide anyone not doing them correctly! Rhys told us often that we were trained every bit as hard as they trained the rugby team. Sessions were held four nights a week, Monday through to Thursday and later, Sunday morning was added. In those days Eddie attended every session.
As each week passed, just 1 minute was added to the jogging time. We always ran together around the pitch. No-one went out onto the roads for months. We were advised - nay told, to record our resting, working and recovery pulse rates in a small diary and to note distance as well as our sets. A set was usually half our maximum of particular exercise which consisted of sit-ups, press-ups and burpees. It was hoped that after months of continued work, an improvement could be seen on paper, if not in the mind.
To build on this, Eddie began organising the monthly ‘12 minute test’. It is a well known and respected controlled test where everyone ran as many laps of the track as they could in exactly 12 minutes. Unfinished laps were worked out to the yard and included in the time. Working with a partner we would then each do a personal maximum set of burpees, sit-ups and press-ups.
Eddie would evaluate all the information, include the age and sex of the person, calculating a score for each exercise and reach a total for each person's effort. He also wrote a short summary for each person. On this basis, the club now began to give awards for the ‘rnost improved jogger’, male and female over each quarter of the year. These were given at our famous quarterly discos…from the regular 90 to 100 who attended to the fantastic fancy dress outfits every New Year’s eve. ‘Lively’ doesn't describe them well enough.
By 1977 the club was still attracting large numbers of people so on Wednesday September 14; we held our first sports evening. It was a simple affair, mostly sprints, relays, sack races etc. On Wednesday October 26th, the club gave its first birthday party with as much blue iced cake as you could eat.
Around this time the club began to organise events like the annual 1 hour charity run, 4 mile team race, 4-3-2-1 mile relay race where enthusiasm as well as good humour was shown on the part of the competitors.
In the autumn of 1978 a coach filled with Swinton Jog-Fit members set off for London to take part in the National Fun Run held in Hyde Park. This event had to be seen to be believed. From 9.00am until 4.30pm separate races were run according to age groups and sex, over a 2 mile course. It was very inspiring to watch male and female octogenarians in running shoes giving everything they had to beat the times of the younger 75yr old group.
In 1979, I remember Bill Harding, Eddie and others discussing the possibility of running a race - possibly 13 miles long just for our club and having it start 13 miles away and finishing at the rugby club. Needless to say that the idea was adjusted to a circular route, starting and ending at the club. The Swinton Half-Marathon was now official. All the refreshments we had at the half way turn round point at four Lane Ends was a car bonnet full of water filled plastic cups. It was filmed for posterity - was it Brian Brookes' sense of humour I wonder?
In early 1980 after 3 years based at the rugby club it was, for various reasons, decided we should move and find new premises. A meeting was held at Swinton Cricket club on May 12th where we as the committee discussed the possibility of moving our base there. On June 2nd it was confirmed that the move was definite and the cricket club allowed us to hold our second half-marathon on July 27th.
Christmas 1980 saw the first ‘mince pie run', held on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year. This became the only time in the year where the club would run en masse around a three mile route, and later with their families, to enjoy sandwiches, mince pies etc from a splendid buffet.
As we gained experience and improved as joggers quite a few men and women decided to have a stab at running the Pony marathon held in Bolton but covering Swinton & Pendlebury on August 23rd 1981. Inspiration had also come from a few of the club members who had completed the first Piccadilly marathon in the spring.
That year also saw our largest collection for charity, a figure of £1,700. The committee changed from a social one to one which took over more responsibility and to this end it was decided to arrange a marathon course for beginners to prepare new and established runners for the Bolton marathon in August 1982. There was a great response to our advertisement and the course began In February 1982. We even had Ron Hill MBE visit us to give advice. The club now ran in separate groups according to their training schedule, attracting new members and gaining a wider respect among dedicated runners.
The club changing rooms were due for improvement, so volunteers Mike Phillips and Bill Harding fitted benches to the quite stark unkempt changing rooms. The next thing to change was the club strip. We did have a dark blue ship but it didn't catch the eye. Designs were suggested from the membership and they voted in strength for the design by Mary Lloyd which is still our colours of red with a black and white chest band.
Seeing these colours in front of them during a race, especially with Swinton Joggers on the back vexed many a serious athlete. There have been many back-handed compliments from runners like 'Just how many of you Swinton Joggers are there - you're everywhere? or ‘I always seem to be behind one of you to’.
We had by now become affiliated to both the AAA's and the WAAA's enabling us to take part in cross country and road relays etc. Our club was growing in size and reputation and we had sufficient funds to plan more improvements. Two shower rooms became a reality in May 1984.
1983 didn’t finish without some sadness. Alan Roughley, one of our new members on the marathon course of 1982 died suddenly while out training on November 17th. The cause was not connected to the running. My father died that year in December. He had seen that first advertisement and asked me to go with him to join me club. In February 1984 our coach, Rhys Thomas, had a heart attack followed by a fatal attack on March 5th at the age of 57.
Entrants for our 1984 half-marathon numbered 450 and it seemed we could cater for larger numbers in 1985. Not so. We had set our date, sent out the entry forms only to find out that the Piccadilly marathon had changed its date, bringing it very close to our date. It was thought best to cancel our race and put it back to September. Many runners did not appreciate the change. New forms were rushed out but people had already made other plans and in consequence our race was not well supported. Though the Piccadilly race sank without trace several years ago, our race is still going strong through the efforts of all club members.
We had more success in 1985 when our club hosted the Manchester area Women's Own 10K race which was held for five years. Although they are no longer involved we still continue the women's race on a nearby course in November each year.
In summertime a junior jogger's session was encouraged every Wednesday evening. From tots to teenagers, it was well attended. They probably have children of their own now. We wanted to improve the track at Swinton CC so money was successfully obtained from the Council, using money from the Community Chest which gave us not only a fresh track but a new car park too.
The club was changing not just physically but in character. We were becoming more like an athletic club but the ‘die-hards' were quick to remind new members how important to running all round fitness is. On the social side, which has always been good, we were the envy of many similar clubs. This was pointed out by new members who said they had joined us for the camaraderie they saw in outside, and later, social events.
In late 1985 at our October AGM, Eddie, our founder, coach and club president resigned the position of coach, saying the club was becoming more competitive to the detriment of that part of the club membership who may be overlooked. He also missed the support and friendship of his fellow coach, Rhys. I am certain that there hasn't been anyone since who could have filled either Rhys' or Eddie's shoes, but the club is and always will be bigger than the individual and new coaches were found and trained so we carried on.
When runners got the odd injury it was thought beneficial to buy equipment for them to use to help them maintain maximum fitness, and this was put to regular use by grateful members.
Every spring the club commemorates the memory of Alan Roughley by giving a trophy to the member who epitomises the spirit of the club. Every quarter Rhys is remembered in a trophy awarded to the most improved joggers.
We no longer journey to London for the Fun run. We travelled to Barn's Green in Sussex over a number of years to run with nearly 1200 others in their half marathon, our club competing against theirs for a separate trophy, great fun!
More funds in 1988/1989 allowed us to install floodlights around the track which was fantastic in the wintertime, especially for club events. Bigger sports days were a hit. In the summertime, becoming seriously competitive - apart from the race involving the pint of beer to be drunk every 100 yards over one lap.
These were the early years, fondly remembered. All that happened, all the friendships made and still enduring, even all the love matches made at the club, sometimes resulting in marriage and babies, could not have been without the sheer dedication of Eddie and Rhys.
Eddie gave his time and love for what he was doing so that we can still enjoy the fruits of those unselfish labours. We lost Eddie in October 2003 and this account shall be his epitaph.
Mary Lloyd
Founder Member 1976
An introductory evening was held on Monday October 18th 1976, following an advertisement in the press that said, there may be many people who would like to get into better shape but may be embarrassed at having to run around the streets. Now they can do their jogging in the privacy of our ground. We do insist though, that everyone obtain a medical certificate from their doctor before they begin any exercise.
I remember that evening very well. The Executive lounge at Swinton RFC was overflowing with people of all ages, eager to find out all they could and to join a new club tailored to all-round fitness and strength (and using their legs for what they were intended for - jogging, running etc.).
The following Monday on October 25th, the club was born. Enrolment was £1.50 and session fees were 50p. Around 60 people turned up in varying styles of dress from old gardening jumpers, trousers and ordinary day shoes to renovated old school tracksuits and tennis pumps. The ages ranged from l0yr olds to people well into their fifties.
Warming up with Eddie and Rhys was agony! Twenty minutes worth of pain in finding out we had muscles we didn’t know were there, but were reminded within 48 hours when they stiffened. We followed this ‘warm-up’ with a jog around the pitch, lasting approximately 6 minutes when Eddie would yell, TIME! He and Rhys would then conduct a 20 minute 'warm-down'. Rhys could get us to do any amount of exercises. Full of welsh charm he was but a tyrant all the same.
Eddie would always explain in great detail why and how each exercise should be done and woe betide anyone not doing them correctly! Rhys told us often that we were trained every bit as hard as they trained the rugby team. Sessions were held four nights a week, Monday through to Thursday and later, Sunday morning was added. In those days Eddie attended every session.
As each week passed, just 1 minute was added to the jogging time. We always ran together around the pitch. No-one went out onto the roads for months. We were advised - nay told, to record our resting, working and recovery pulse rates in a small diary and to note distance as well as our sets. A set was usually half our maximum of particular exercise which consisted of sit-ups, press-ups and burpees. It was hoped that after months of continued work, an improvement could be seen on paper, if not in the mind.
To build on this, Eddie began organising the monthly ‘12 minute test’. It is a well known and respected controlled test where everyone ran as many laps of the track as they could in exactly 12 minutes. Unfinished laps were worked out to the yard and included in the time. Working with a partner we would then each do a personal maximum set of burpees, sit-ups and press-ups.
Eddie would evaluate all the information, include the age and sex of the person, calculating a score for each exercise and reach a total for each person's effort. He also wrote a short summary for each person. On this basis, the club now began to give awards for the ‘rnost improved jogger’, male and female over each quarter of the year. These were given at our famous quarterly discos…from the regular 90 to 100 who attended to the fantastic fancy dress outfits every New Year’s eve. ‘Lively’ doesn't describe them well enough.
By 1977 the club was still attracting large numbers of people so on Wednesday September 14; we held our first sports evening. It was a simple affair, mostly sprints, relays, sack races etc. On Wednesday October 26th, the club gave its first birthday party with as much blue iced cake as you could eat.
Around this time the club began to organise events like the annual 1 hour charity run, 4 mile team race, 4-3-2-1 mile relay race where enthusiasm as well as good humour was shown on the part of the competitors.
In the autumn of 1978 a coach filled with Swinton Jog-Fit members set off for London to take part in the National Fun Run held in Hyde Park. This event had to be seen to be believed. From 9.00am until 4.30pm separate races were run according to age groups and sex, over a 2 mile course. It was very inspiring to watch male and female octogenarians in running shoes giving everything they had to beat the times of the younger 75yr old group.
In 1979, I remember Bill Harding, Eddie and others discussing the possibility of running a race - possibly 13 miles long just for our club and having it start 13 miles away and finishing at the rugby club. Needless to say that the idea was adjusted to a circular route, starting and ending at the club. The Swinton Half-Marathon was now official. All the refreshments we had at the half way turn round point at four Lane Ends was a car bonnet full of water filled plastic cups. It was filmed for posterity - was it Brian Brookes' sense of humour I wonder?
In early 1980 after 3 years based at the rugby club it was, for various reasons, decided we should move and find new premises. A meeting was held at Swinton Cricket club on May 12th where we as the committee discussed the possibility of moving our base there. On June 2nd it was confirmed that the move was definite and the cricket club allowed us to hold our second half-marathon on July 27th.
Christmas 1980 saw the first ‘mince pie run', held on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year. This became the only time in the year where the club would run en masse around a three mile route, and later with their families, to enjoy sandwiches, mince pies etc from a splendid buffet.
As we gained experience and improved as joggers quite a few men and women decided to have a stab at running the Pony marathon held in Bolton but covering Swinton & Pendlebury on August 23rd 1981. Inspiration had also come from a few of the club members who had completed the first Piccadilly marathon in the spring.
That year also saw our largest collection for charity, a figure of £1,700. The committee changed from a social one to one which took over more responsibility and to this end it was decided to arrange a marathon course for beginners to prepare new and established runners for the Bolton marathon in August 1982. There was a great response to our advertisement and the course began In February 1982. We even had Ron Hill MBE visit us to give advice. The club now ran in separate groups according to their training schedule, attracting new members and gaining a wider respect among dedicated runners.
The club changing rooms were due for improvement, so volunteers Mike Phillips and Bill Harding fitted benches to the quite stark unkempt changing rooms. The next thing to change was the club strip. We did have a dark blue ship but it didn't catch the eye. Designs were suggested from the membership and they voted in strength for the design by Mary Lloyd which is still our colours of red with a black and white chest band.
Seeing these colours in front of them during a race, especially with Swinton Joggers on the back vexed many a serious athlete. There have been many back-handed compliments from runners like 'Just how many of you Swinton Joggers are there - you're everywhere? or ‘I always seem to be behind one of you to’.
We had by now become affiliated to both the AAA's and the WAAA's enabling us to take part in cross country and road relays etc. Our club was growing in size and reputation and we had sufficient funds to plan more improvements. Two shower rooms became a reality in May 1984.
1983 didn’t finish without some sadness. Alan Roughley, one of our new members on the marathon course of 1982 died suddenly while out training on November 17th. The cause was not connected to the running. My father died that year in December. He had seen that first advertisement and asked me to go with him to join me club. In February 1984 our coach, Rhys Thomas, had a heart attack followed by a fatal attack on March 5th at the age of 57.
Entrants for our 1984 half-marathon numbered 450 and it seemed we could cater for larger numbers in 1985. Not so. We had set our date, sent out the entry forms only to find out that the Piccadilly marathon had changed its date, bringing it very close to our date. It was thought best to cancel our race and put it back to September. Many runners did not appreciate the change. New forms were rushed out but people had already made other plans and in consequence our race was not well supported. Though the Piccadilly race sank without trace several years ago, our race is still going strong through the efforts of all club members.
We had more success in 1985 when our club hosted the Manchester area Women's Own 10K race which was held for five years. Although they are no longer involved we still continue the women's race on a nearby course in November each year.
In summertime a junior jogger's session was encouraged every Wednesday evening. From tots to teenagers, it was well attended. They probably have children of their own now. We wanted to improve the track at Swinton CC so money was successfully obtained from the Council, using money from the Community Chest which gave us not only a fresh track but a new car park too.
The club was changing not just physically but in character. We were becoming more like an athletic club but the ‘die-hards' were quick to remind new members how important to running all round fitness is. On the social side, which has always been good, we were the envy of many similar clubs. This was pointed out by new members who said they had joined us for the camaraderie they saw in outside, and later, social events.
In late 1985 at our October AGM, Eddie, our founder, coach and club president resigned the position of coach, saying the club was becoming more competitive to the detriment of that part of the club membership who may be overlooked. He also missed the support and friendship of his fellow coach, Rhys. I am certain that there hasn't been anyone since who could have filled either Rhys' or Eddie's shoes, but the club is and always will be bigger than the individual and new coaches were found and trained so we carried on.
When runners got the odd injury it was thought beneficial to buy equipment for them to use to help them maintain maximum fitness, and this was put to regular use by grateful members.
Every spring the club commemorates the memory of Alan Roughley by giving a trophy to the member who epitomises the spirit of the club. Every quarter Rhys is remembered in a trophy awarded to the most improved joggers.
We no longer journey to London for the Fun run. We travelled to Barn's Green in Sussex over a number of years to run with nearly 1200 others in their half marathon, our club competing against theirs for a separate trophy, great fun!
More funds in 1988/1989 allowed us to install floodlights around the track which was fantastic in the wintertime, especially for club events. Bigger sports days were a hit. In the summertime, becoming seriously competitive - apart from the race involving the pint of beer to be drunk every 100 yards over one lap.
These were the early years, fondly remembered. All that happened, all the friendships made and still enduring, even all the love matches made at the club, sometimes resulting in marriage and babies, could not have been without the sheer dedication of Eddie and Rhys.
Eddie gave his time and love for what he was doing so that we can still enjoy the fruits of those unselfish labours. We lost Eddie in October 2003 and this account shall be his epitaph.
Mary Lloyd
Founder Member 1976