Title
'I was rather a determined sort of person': Stephen Holliday, Kent Race Walking Champion thirty times over
Subject
Stephen Holliday
Description
An excerpt from a recording of an oral history interview with Stephen Holliday. Here, Stephen tells us that he was race walking champion for Kent an incredible thirty times, at both a senior and veteran level. He also recalls the moment he knew it was time to hang up the racing shoes for good. Transcript attached.
Creator
Michael Romyn; Stephen Holliday
Source
Stephen Holliday Oral History Recording
Publisher
Kent's Sporting Memories
Date
Interview recorded on 13 June, 2019
Rights
Kent's Sporting Memories
Relation
Stephen Holliday Oral History Recording
Format
MP3 (2:21)
Language
English
Identifier
Stephen Holliday
Transcription
Kent’s Sporting Memories Oral History Transcript (Excerpt)
Interviewee: Stephen Holliday
Interviewer: Michael Romyn
Date: 13 June, 2019
Location: Stephen Holliday’s home in Ashford, Kent.
Recording Time: 21:32 – 23:55
SH: I was Kent champion thirty times. I did from junior, I didn’t win any at junior but I won at senior level. My first senior championship was at Crystal Palace, three thousand meters, I did 13:34, yeah only about a second or two seconds in front of the second guy over three thousand meters. And then I won at ten thousand meters, 48:03, at Ladywell Park in London, for the Kent Championship. And then the other ones were all over the place – they were all, some were senior, they were three thousand, the others were all virtually veteran.
MR: When was the most recent Kent title?
SH: When I was sixty, yeah, ‘cause I’ve got medals, on the track, three thousand, and a lot of that was done at the Julie Rose stadium.
MR: You must have made quite a name for yourself then?
SH: Oh yeah.
MR: People knew who you were in the race walking scene…
SH: Yeah, yeah.
MR: Quite a formidable opponent…
SH: Yeah, not now! But yes, I was rather a determined sort of person.
MR: And you kept up the training throughout?
SH: Yes.
MR: Everyday?
SH: Yes. That’s probably why I’ve got compartment syndrome.
MR: Tell me about the later stages of your career.
SH: Well I did a race up in, near Rochester, for Ashford, and I did, what was it, thirty-seven something, and that’s when I knew it was time to pack up. Then I decided to retire after that.
MR: Were you feeling pain?
SH: Yeah, but it’s nit that because, if you look at the times I was doing as a junior and top-class senior, twenty-three minutes odd, and then ending up at thirty-seven and a half minutes on the last race, there’s a big difference.
--Ends
Interviewee: Stephen Holliday
Interviewer: Michael Romyn
Date: 13 June, 2019
Location: Stephen Holliday’s home in Ashford, Kent.
Recording Time: 21:32 – 23:55
SH: I was Kent champion thirty times. I did from junior, I didn’t win any at junior but I won at senior level. My first senior championship was at Crystal Palace, three thousand meters, I did 13:34, yeah only about a second or two seconds in front of the second guy over three thousand meters. And then I won at ten thousand meters, 48:03, at Ladywell Park in London, for the Kent Championship. And then the other ones were all over the place – they were all, some were senior, they were three thousand, the others were all virtually veteran.
MR: When was the most recent Kent title?
SH: When I was sixty, yeah, ‘cause I’ve got medals, on the track, three thousand, and a lot of that was done at the Julie Rose stadium.
MR: You must have made quite a name for yourself then?
SH: Oh yeah.
MR: People knew who you were in the race walking scene…
SH: Yeah, yeah.
MR: Quite a formidable opponent…
SH: Yeah, not now! But yes, I was rather a determined sort of person.
MR: And you kept up the training throughout?
SH: Yes.
MR: Everyday?
SH: Yes. That’s probably why I’ve got compartment syndrome.
MR: Tell me about the later stages of your career.
SH: Well I did a race up in, near Rochester, for Ashford, and I did, what was it, thirty-seven something, and that’s when I knew it was time to pack up. Then I decided to retire after that.
MR: Were you feeling pain?
SH: Yeah, but it’s nit that because, if you look at the times I was doing as a junior and top-class senior, twenty-three minutes odd, and then ending up at thirty-seven and a half minutes on the last race, there’s a big difference.
--Ends