Paul Briggs C431

We are sad to report that Paul Briggs passed away at the age of 80.

Representing Yorkshire Race Walking Club, Paul embraced distance races like the London-to-Brighton walk, where he achieved a notable sub-10-hour finish. He qualified as a Centurion in the 1969 Leicester 24-hour track race, passing 100 miles in 22:24:50 and continuing on to 101 miles and 888 yards. He was in fact the 430th qualifier, but was passed in the 24-hour race by Paul Sargent and a minor mix up resulted in P. Sargent being awarded No. 430 and P. Briggs No. 431. The error was not noticed until 1997.

His second 100 mile completion was in the 1974 Leicester-to-Skegness 1oo miles. Competing without an attendant, Paul faced challenging conditions, battling the cold in the Lincolnshire countryside during the night. However, his Centurion perseverence, and the kind gift of tracksuit bottoms by Dave Ainsworth C540, saw him recover from the cold and finish in 23:14:03.

He is remembered for his unmistakable “foreign legion” headwear and, above all, his kindly and gentle soul.