Les Croupiers Running Club Forum

Thanks for posting this, Terry. It is impossible to overstate Don's contribution to our sport.
I first met him at the Aberdeen Marathon in September 1980. Aberdeen was a hotbed for marathon runners at the time, and Don, as a 2:22 man was just another marathoner. He improved to 2:19:34 in 1983, but as an ultra runner he was without equal. I was fortunate enough to run in the World 100 km champs in Italy in 1991, and was a team mate of Don on the fearsome Del Passatore course. Everywhere we went, people wanted to come up and shake his hand, such was the respect he generated. Always modest and courteous, he was an incredibly courageous runner.
It was a great thrill as an organiser to have Don travel to Barry, as he did on many occasions. He first came in 1995, aged 50, setting new world age group records and coming within 4 minutes of winning. His influence was massive, and many outstanding Scottish runners followed him, including race winners Simon Pride, Alan Reid, and more recently Grant Jeans. The adjective "legend" is overused these days, but Don was most certainly a legend in everyone's eyes.