Guest Post: FORMER EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPION (AND SUB-4 MILER) TAKES TO THE ROADS AT KINSALE… by John Walshe

Simon Mugglestone (#1386) - 1st M55 & 27:53 in the 2023 Kinsale 5-mile

FORMER EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPION (AND SUB-4 MILER) TAKES TO THE ROADS AT KINSALE… by John Walshe

Probably not too many of the 500 or so runners taking part in Friday night’s Kinsale Regatta five-miler were aware that in their midst was a former European Junior 5000m champion and sub-four-minute miler.

Finishing in 17th position overall (in a time of 27:53) and easily winning the M55 category was Simon Mugglestone from Bideford AC in Devon. Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Simon was one of the leading distance runners in the UK and won gold in the 5000m at the European Juniors held in Birmingham in August of 1987.

A member of the famous Westbury Harriers at the time, he was coached in his early days by George Blackburn, a native of Wexford. George, who died in November 2020 at the age of 82, was instrumental in bringing a number of Westbury teams to the Ballycotton ‘10’ in the early days. Their most successful athlete at the time, Welsh international Chris Buckley, finished second to Liam O’Brien in a thrilling race in 1988 which the East Cork man won by six seconds, 47:57 to 48:03.

That same year George himself won an equally-close tussle in the M50 age-group when defeating Derry O’Driscoll, 54:55 to 55:11. However, the following year the St Finbarr’s athlete turned the tables to take the honours by 10 second with his time of 55:37.

The year of Simon Mugglestone’s European win – 1987 – also saw him dominate the domestic English junior cross-country scene with victories in the Midlands, Inter-Counties and National championships.

Simon Mugglestone (L) pictured post race at the Kinsale 5-mile with John Downes (R), one of the top Irish cross country runners in his day

A year later he recorded 7:47.12 for 3000m in a race at Belfast, along with 13:28.29 for 5000m at Crystal Palace. The latter still places him in the top six on the all-time UK junior rankings.

In 1990, while a student at Oxford University, Simon ran a mile in 3:58.9 on the famed track where Roger Bannister achieved the world’s first sub-four-minute mile in May of 1954, his time improving on Bannister’s iconic 3:59.4 mark.

Showing his versatility over a wide range of distances, Simon won the Cabbage Patch ‘10’ at Twickenham in the autumn of 1991 in a time of 47:41 before persistent injuries brought a premature end to his international career.

Holidaying in the Glengarriff area of West Cork with his family for the past number of years, Simon’s name has appeared in the results of the local parkrun on a number of occasions. He has also got to know local star Darragh McElhinney and was fulsome in praise of the now-UCD athlete who is currently ranked seventh on the Irish all-time 5000m list with his 13:17.17 from May of last year.

This year, Simon Mugglestone is in top form in his new category as, along with Kinsale, he also headed the M55 age-group at the Great Manchester Run 10km back in May, winning in a time of 35:48.

No doubt, if the improvement continues – and should he decide to run – he will be a contender for this winter’s British & Irish Masters C-C which takes place in Glasgow in early November.

A list of previous guest posts from John Walshe can be seen HERE