Ian Ray

Ian Ray
Personal information
Born (1957-08-28) 28 August 1957 (age 67)
Salisbury, England
Sport
SportAthletics
Medal record
Marathon
World Marathon Majors
Gold medal – first place 1981 Berlin Marathon

Ian Ray (born 28 August 1957) is a British former marathon runner who won the 1981 Berlin Marathon.

Career

Ray is from Salisbury, England.[1] In 1979, Ray won the Southern Counties marathon championship in Harlow,[2][3] in a time of 2:16:04.[1] Ray won the 1981 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:15:41.[4][5][6] The top three in the race were all British, as were five of the top 10 finishers.[6] The race was the first to be held in central West Berlin, and the finish line was in Kurfürstendamm near to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.[4][5] It was also the first Berlin Marathon with a cash prize for the winner. Ray was awarded 1000DM.[4]

Ray was selected to represent England in the marathon event at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, after performing well at the AAA Championships.[7] Ray came eighth in the race,[8][9] in a time of 2:15:11.[8] He was the second Englishman to finish, behind Mike Gratton.[9] Ray also competed at the 1983 London Marathon.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Marathon men press claims". The Guardian. 3 May 1980. p. 21. Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Last long run to Moscow". The Observer. 20 April 1980. p. 30. Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Southern Counties Marathon Champions (England)". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Three weeks to go! Looking back in history - Countdown part III". Berlin Marathon. 9 August 2003. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b Santella, Chris (2018). Fifty Places to Run Before You Die. Abrams Books. ISBN 9781683352389. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Britons took the first three places in the Berlin..." United Press International. 28 September 1981. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Gratton in Games team". The Guardian. 10 August 1982. p. 19. Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Ian Ray". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Gratton shares marathon glory". The Guardian. 8 October 1982. p. 20. Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Dollars for the taking". The Guardian. 15 April 1983. p. 22. Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via Newspapers.com.