David Bedford (athlete)
Encyclopedia
David Colin Bedford is an English
former long distance runner, a colourful character whose career spanned the early 1970s. He is now race director of the London Marathon
, and a representative for UK Athletics
on the IAAF Road Running Committee.
Bedford held the world record at 10,000m, improving it 7.6 seconds with 27 minutes 30.80 seconds in 1973. He held the British
record for 3,000m steeplechase
and 5,000m. He usually ran in red socks.
Bedford was a great distance runner of the 1970s but his achievements were against the clock; in championships his lack of a fast final lap left him trailing at the tape. He led for lap after lap in the 1971 European 10,000m final but the pack swept past him. He finished 6th to the Flying Finn Juha Väätäinen
, who won in a last lap sprint against the East German, Jürgen Haase. He came 12th in the 5,000m and 6th in the 10,000m at the 1972 Munich Olympics
.
His later career was hampered by injuries believed to have been caused by high training mileage. He never ran the great marathon of which many fans thought him capable. He did run the first London Marathon
but as a bet. He had been in his nightclub
the previous night and David Coleman
remarked on how unwell he looked.
In 2003, Bedford was in a legal dispute over the alleged portrayal of his image by the directory enquiries
company The Number for its 118 118
service. The company had used twin athletes wearing red socks and Bedford's distinctive moustache and hair cut. He was quoted as saying "The bastards! You can use that word and say I said it. [They] used my image then said they had never heard of me. When they were told they couldn't use it any more they said 'Oh no it was all a big misunderstanding'. To get to that stage took £60,000 in legal fees".
In 2004, Bedford crashed the launch of a new 118 118 TV ad campaign organised by the PR agency, Brazil
. Photos of Bedford being removed made the covers of The Times
and Financial Times
.
Bedford was president of the Road Runners Club
from 2003 - 2006.
David Bedford now hosts the Radlett Rotary Fun Run every year.
In 2011 David Bedford received an honorary doctorate
from Middlesex University
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former long distance runner, a colourful character whose career spanned the early 1970s. He is now race director of the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
, and a representative for UK Athletics
UK Athletics
UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials....
on the IAAF Road Running Committee.
Bedford held the world record at 10,000m, improving it 7.6 seconds with 27 minutes 30.80 seconds in 1973. He held the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
record for 3,000m steeplechase
Steeplechase (athletics)
The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...
and 5,000m. He usually ran in red socks.
Bedford was a great distance runner of the 1970s but his achievements were against the clock; in championships his lack of a fast final lap left him trailing at the tape. He led for lap after lap in the 1971 European 10,000m final but the pack swept past him. He finished 6th to the Flying Finn Juha Väätäinen
Juha Väätäinen
Juha Väätäinen is a former Finnish athlete. He is the winner of the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter gold medals at the 1971 European Championships held in Helsinki. He was the eldest of the successful Finnish runners Lasse Virén, Pekka Vasala, Tapio Kantanen, Martti Vainio, and Kaarlo Maaninka who...
, who won in a last lap sprint against the East German, Jürgen Haase. He came 12th in the 5,000m and 6th in the 10,000m at the 1972 Munich Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
.
His later career was hampered by injuries believed to have been caused by high training mileage. He never ran the great marathon of which many fans thought him capable. He did run the first London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
but as a bet. He had been in his nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
the previous night and David Coleman
David Coleman
David Coleman, OBE is an English former sports commentator and TV presenter who worked for the BBC for almost fifty years. In 2000, he was awarded the Olympic Order, the highest honour of the Olympic movement....
remarked on how unwell he looked.
In 2003, Bedford was in a legal dispute over the alleged portrayal of his image by the directory enquiries
Directory assistance
In telecommunications, directory assistance or directory enquiries is a phone service used to find out a specific telephone number and/or address of a residence, business, or government entity.-Technology:...
company The Number for its 118 118
118 118 (UK)
118 118 is a UK directory enquiries provider based in Cardiff that assists customers with telephone number enquiries and general queries.The service is provided by The Number UK Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of US directory enquiries provider Knowledge Generation Bureau , whose company motto is...
service. The company had used twin athletes wearing red socks and Bedford's distinctive moustache and hair cut. He was quoted as saying "The bastards! You can use that word and say I said it. [They] used my image then said they had never heard of me. When they were told they couldn't use it any more they said 'Oh no it was all a big misunderstanding'. To get to that stage took £60,000 in legal fees".
In 2004, Bedford crashed the launch of a new 118 118 TV ad campaign organised by the PR agency, Brazil
Brazil (public relations agency)
Brazil is an award-winning public relations, social and digital communications agency with offices in central London and Doha.Established in 2003, Brazil has clients in the following sectors: financial services, healthcare, e-commerce, technology, retail, telecommunications, manufacturing, sport,...
. Photos of Bedford being removed made the covers of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
.
Bedford was president of the Road Runners Club
Road Runners Club (UK)
The Road Runners Club is an association of road runners formed in 1952 to encourage the athletic discipline of road running in the United Kingdom.-History:...
from 2003 - 2006.
David Bedford now hosts the Radlett Rotary Fun Run every year.
In 2011 David Bedford received an honorary doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
.