"Records are made to be broken" - Steve Jones
Is it really 25 years since this happened? As far as we are concerned at MST running legends are running legends and although most of Steve Jones’ success was achieved at the marathon, the Newport-flyer was a highly skilled cross country man…
I had the privilege of running in the same RAF team as Steve Jones once. He was a senior, and I was a junior, at an Inter-Services champs. Steve lined-up with the likes of XC legend Julian Goater and 3-times Olympian Roger Hackney.
The mid-1980’s were a pretty amazing few years for Jones and it is 25 years this month since his amazing effort in winning the 1985 Chicago marathon – clocking the (then) world record and (still) British record of 2:07:13.
Not only did he rise to prominence on a global stage through his marathon exploits, but he also took bronze at the 1984 World XC champs in New York, ran at 10 World XC champs and was a 9-time Welsh cross country champion!
Jonesey in 2010
Hailing from Ebbw Vale in South Wales Steve has been in the limelight recently, with the Chicago organisers recognising what he achieved in those halcyon years of 1984 and 1985. We thought these recent interviews also deserve an airing on this site:
Steve Jones, still a British record holder 25 years on
Marathon man Steve fears for future racing talent
…as they demonstrate what a true great of British endurance running Jones was, and how time has not extinguished that competitive light in the Welshman’s heart.
