About
Mike Gratton
Mike Gratton has been running since 1968, when he finished second in the British Forces Schools Germany Junior 800mts Champs in 2 mins 10 sec (age 13). He went on to win an English Schools title at 5,000m.
As an artist he applied to art school but didn’t get in due to colour blindness, so instead he did a joint Physical Education and Art teaching degree at West Sussex College (now Chichester University).
While there he trained with Steve Ovett at Brighton & Hove and with Rab Heron, who was the College librarian, a 2:17 marathon runner. The training mix, of big interval sessions at Brighton & Hove and lots of long and steady runs with Rab Heron, set the framework for the type of training that resulted in winning the London Marathon.
Progress to winning the London Marathon was never a straight line. On leaving college, he worked part time on a building site while applying for teaching jobs. He was run over by a truck while jobbing there, and his left foot crushed, resulting in 5 metatarsal breaks and a dislocated ankle.
“I believe coaching is about an understanding of the basics of endurance physiology but mostly it’s understanding the athlete you are working with”.”
— Mike
2:12:30, 2:12:06 and 2:09:43
Nine months later (1979) he ran his first marathon in Essonne (Paris) finishing 11th in 2:21:30. He went on to win the Poly Marathon in Windsor, third in the 1982 London Marathon with 2:12:30 and took bronze in the Brisbane Commonwealth Games with 2:12:06. Seven months later he won the 1983 London Marathon in 2:09:43.
For most of my running career I was self-coached. When I got to 2:16 for the marathon I spoke to a long time friend and club mate, Cliff Temple, a Senior Coach, author and the Sunday Times athletics correspondence, for help to reach the next level – within a year of pro-active coaching with Cliff I ran 2:12:30, 2:12:06 and 2:09:43.
I have coached most of my adult life whilst running as an elite runner.
At age 16 I took the Assistant Club Coach award, as it was then called, so I could help at my first club Folkestone AC. As part of my degree I read books by influential coaches like Arthur Lydiard, I also read the stories of great runners of the generation before me; Dave Bedford, Brendan Foster and Ron Hill, who I have had the good fortune to also meet.
Once propmoted to the GB team I was invited to a number of squad weekends and lectures, listening to Dr David Costill, Bill Adcocks (5th in Mexico Olympics & 1968 world leader) , Joyce Smith (1st female in 1981 & 82 London Marathons), and my British contemporaries like Hugh Jones and John Graham, who had already run very fast.
Make it stand out.
“I believe coaching is about an understanding of the basics of endurance physiology but mostly it’s understanding the athlete you are working with”.
Now in the Masters age groups, Mike still trains and runs competitively as well as his coaching. A director of the travel company he founded, 2:09 Events, he has had the good fortunate in recent year’s to have been invited to some amazing places to race; this includes finishing first outright in the Thunder Dragon Half Marathon, high in the Himalayan Mountains of Bhutan, as well as 7th overall in the Petra Desert Half Marathon in Jordan - as a 60+ year old.
Mike Gratton Running CV:
1968: British Forces Schools 800m - 2nd
1970: English Schools 1,500m - 7th
1974: English Schools 5,000m - 1st
1976: British Colleges 1,500 - 1st
1978: Foot crushed in accident - 5 breaks on metatarsals
1979: Essonne Marathon (Paris) - 11th (2:21:31)
1979: Polytechnic Marathon (Windsor) - 1st (2:19)
1980: Olympic Trials (Milton Keynes) - 12th (2:18)
1980: First Marathon for GB (Otwock, Poland) - 7th (2:17)
1981: National Marathon Champs (Rugby) - 3rd (2:16)
1982: National Intercounties 20 Miles (Finchley 20) - 1st (1:42)
1982: London Marathon - 3rd (2:12:30)
1982: AAA English 10 Mile Champs (Reading) - 1st (47:40)
1982: Commonwealth Games (Brisbane) - 3rd (2:12:06)
1983: London Marathon - 1st (2:09:43)
1991: Last Competitive Marathon (Cleveland USA) - 7th (2:17)