Main content

Coventry's Bill Adcocks on coming second in one of the most controversial races in the history of the Commonwealth Games

Aged eight Bill ran the streets of Foleshill in Coventry, he swapped pavements for fields at Woodlands School in cross-country events. Running became his life.

Bill Adcocks has run hundreds of marathons over his career as a runner. His fastest time ever being just under two hours and eleven minutes coming first in the Fukuoka marathon, making him at the time, the second fastest marathon runner in history. He achieved that in the same year he came fifth in the 1968 Olympic Games, in Mexico. It's believed the altitude contributed to Bill's time of just over two hours and twenty five minutes.

It was in 1969 where he set the record for the Athens Classic Marathon, a record he held until 2004. A lifetime member of Coventry Godiva Harriers, Bill regularly ran and spent time with notable runners including Basil Heatley, Brian Kilby, Dick Taylor, David Moorcroft and Sheila Carey.

Bill's Commonwealth Games story started in 1958 as a school runner in the Baton relay for the Empire Games as they were then known, competing in Jamaica and Edinburgh before being a baton bearer at the 2002 Manchester Games where he was also an officiator in the games.

His advice to athletes taking part in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham is to take the time to enjoy it and to soak up all the experience that it brings.

Release date:

Duration:

4 minutes