Maurice Benn

When you consider who might have been the north-east’s first sub-four-minute miler, the names of Brendan Foster and Steve Cram would immediately come to mind. Neither of them held that distinction, however, as it fell to Wallsend-born Maurice Benn. It happened on 3 June 1968 at the inter-county championships final at the White City, London, when 21-year-old “unknown” Benn ran 3:59.9 behind Walter Wilkinson. In beating his previous best by five seconds, Benn finished ahead of established international John Whetton. This run, along with good results throughout the summer months, saw Benn selected for the Mexico Olympics, although it caused some controversy amongst the British press.

Benn struggled in Mexico because the high altitude affected his anaemia and, despite a personal best in the 1,500 metres, he was eliminated after finishing eighth in his heat, won by the eventual silver medallist Jim Ryun of the USA. After the Mexico Games, Benn spent a year at the University of Nevada, where he ran for them in the NCAA cross-country championships. He won the individual title and helped Nevada win their first ever team championship. Unfortunately, they were stripped of their title a few months later after it was discovered that some members of the team were ineligible, having studied for some of their classes in England.

After his year in the States, Benn returned to England, joined Cambridge Harriers, and won the 1971 Southern Counties 10,000 metres title at Crystal Palace. He also won the Southern Counties 3,000 in 1975. His anaemia continued to cause him problems, however, and a dip in form effectively ended his competitive career, although he did run for fun with the Woodford Green Athletics Club. Benn also competed in Masters events, and at the age of 42 in 1988 won the Veterans Athletic Club Cross-Country Championship, thus taking him back to his roots, as he started out as a cross-country runner with Heaton Harriers in the mid-1960s. Benn’s son Tim was an Essex schools’ pole vaulter and hurdler.

Personal Bests: 1500 – unknown; Mile – 3:59.80 (1968).