Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson was a British middle-distance runner who became one of the best competitors in England in the mile during the 1960s. A member of the Rotherham Harriers Simpson won the British one mile title on three consecutive occasions from 1963-65, along with winning the mile event four times at the Inter-Counties. He set British records in the 1,500 metres, mile, and 2,000 metres, with him holding the national record in the 1,500 metres for five years and the mile record for seven years.

In 1964 Simpson was working in the steel industry when he was selected to represent Great Britain in the 1,500 metres at the Tokyo Olympics. He narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in a time of 3:39.7, just one-tenth of a second behind Josef Odložil (TCH) and John Davies (NZL), who finished second and third, respectively. In 1965 Simpson set an indoor world record for the 5,000 metres, won the Northern Three-Miles Championships, and set a British record in the mile. The following year Simpson won silver in the one mile at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, and finished fourth in the 1,500 metres at the European Championships. Following his athletics career, he worked as the manager of the Rotherham Leisure Centre for more than two decades.

Personal Best: 1500 – 3:38.4+ (1965).