Roger Bean

Biathlete Roger Bean was born as Roger Clive Dunnell to a Norfolk policeman. Sadly, his mother died when he was aged two-and-a-half and he was subsequently adopted and later given his adoptive parents surname of Bean. Bean attended a local secondary modern school where his first love was football. After school, and a succession of jobs, including an ambition to become a pop star, Bean signed up for six years in The Army as a gunner and physical training instructor with the Royal Artillery. During his time in The Army, he took up the biathlon and made the 1968 British Winter Olympics team, finishing 16th in the 20km.

After “buying himself out” of The Army in 1968, Bean joined the Surrey Police Force. It was after joining the police that he developed his running skills and was in the national police team. He was a leading distance, steeplechase, and cross-country runner, and was a former Norfolk cross-country champion. Bean was regarded as the best distance runner in the British police force at the time. He won the 1977 national police marathon title in 2-31:15. It was his first ever marathon. He also won two silver medals with Cambridge and Coleridge AC in the national cross-country championships. After being badly assaulted while on duty in 1994 Bean was forced to retire from the police force at the age of 49.