Steve Jones (runner)

Steve Jones

Steve Jones speaking to a running group in Boston, August 2018
Personal information
Birth name	Stephen Henry Jones
Nationality	Welsh
Born	(1955-08-04) 4 August 1955 Ebbw Vale, Wales
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	137 lb (62 kg)
Sport
Country	Great Britain  Wales
Sport	Athletics
Club	Royal Air Force

Stephen Henry Jones (born 4 August 1955) is a Welsh athlete and set the former world record in the marathon, in his first completed race at that distance at the Chicago Marathon in 1984 with 2:08:05.

Biography

Jones grew up in Ebbw Vale, Wales and ran his first race at the age of 15 as a member of the Air Training Corps. Dissatisfied with working in a factory as a sewing-machine mechanic, he became an aircraft technician for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1974, and joined the RAF's running team in 1976. After receiving an invitation to the 1983 Chicago Marathon Jones began training for that distance; he previously had specialized in the 5,000 and 10,000 m,^[1] and on 6 Aug, 1984, he ran the 1984 Olympic 10,000 m event. He finished 8th with a time of 28:28.08.^[2]

Steve Jones winning the Swindon (UK) Half Marathon in October 1984

On 21 Oct, 1984, the following year after he dropped out of the Chicago Marathon because of injury, Jones won the event—his first completed marathon—with a time of 2:08:05, breaking the world record of Australian Robert de Castella by 13 seconds.^[3] Jones was unaware of the record and, since he never wore a watch, did not know that he might break it until two miles before the finish. He won the 1985 London Marathon in 2:08:16 despite stopping to go to the toilet during the event; Jones later said, "I didn't even train for [the race]", instead continuing to coach himself. Aware that he was "one hamstring tear away from oblivion", Jones remained with the RAF despite earning large sums per race. In August 1985, he broke the world record for the half marathon, running 61:14 in Birmingham. On 20 October of that year he achieved his personal best marathon time of 2:07:13 in winning the Chicago Marathon,^[1] only one second slower than the world record run by Carlos Lopes at the Rotterdam Marathon earlier that same year. This time was the fastest of any British runner for 33 years until Mo Farah beat it in 2018.^[4]

In 1986, he won a bronze medal in the 10,000 m at the Commonwealth Games. In the European Championships shortly after, he once again competed in the marathon. Leading from the start and breaking away from the pack, Jones ran a brilliant race up to the 20 mile mark. At that point he was leading by over two minutes and on schedule for another world record. However, he then "hit the wall" and suffered terribly in the final six miles. He slowed to a virtual shuffle, but refused to quit as he watched other competitors catch and pass him. Two years later, in the 1988 New York City Marathon, Jones won by over three minutes with a time of 2:08:20.

He was the first Welsh athlete to appear on the cover of the prestigious running magazine Running Times.

Jones lives in Boulder, Colorado.^[1]

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  United Kingdom and  Wales
1983	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	12th	10,000 m	28:15.03
1984	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:08:05
1985	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:08:16
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:07:13
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, West Germany	20th	Marathon	2:22:12
1986	Commonwealth Games	Edinburgh, Scotland	3rd	10,000 m	28:02.48
1987	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:12:37
1988	New York City Marathon	New York, United States	1st	Marathon	2:08:20
1990	Commonwealth Games	Auckland, New Zealand	4th	Marathon	2:12:44
1992	Toronto Shoppers Drug Mart Marathon	Toronto, Canada	1st	Marathon	2:10:06
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	13th	Marathon	2:20:04

Popular culture

In 2010, a video gone viral featuring the Welshman's dramatic, tenacious finishing to outrun the Tanzanian runner Gidamis Shahanga in the closing 80 meters of a 10000 meters race after got caught at the final 110 meters. The vivid commentary help enhance the dramatic experience and is often featured in videos of "inspirational sports moments" or "remarkable comebacks".

In the race, Jones was leading all day with 30 meters margins up until the last 400 meters, at which point the commentary noted "But they are closing. And of course he (Jones) got very little finishing speed". Then Shahanga closed in rapidly since then. At final 200 meters, Jones glimpsed back and saw Shahanga in sight, with the commentary famously noted, "Jones' looking for trouble and the trouble is there". Shahanga caught Jones at the final 110 meters, by then the commentary noted "the African is going to steal the race in the last 80 meters", yet soon the commentary is made, Jones managed to comeback, accelerate and win the race with the time 27:55.2s. This 10000-meter run is an invitational race held in Memorial Van Damme Stadium, Brussels, 1983, hence not recognised in official competitive records.^[5]

References

• Kubatko, Justin. "Steve Jones Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
• Runners World
• The Independent Bio

Records
Preceded by Robert De Castella	Men's Marathon World Record Holder 21 October 1984 – 20 April 1985	Succeeded by Carlos Lopes