LEEK is mourning one of its greatest sportsman after international runner Roy Fowler died at his home early on Saturday at the age of 75.

Right to the end he showed the sheer guts which characterised his whole career – despite illness he was coaching young athletes to success as recently as May.

He first came to prominence in the 1950s with modest successes in local mile and half mile events but his greatest achievements followed his switch to distance running.

In 1962 he set a British and Commonwealth record for six miles after an epic race at the White City, London, and in 1963 he was the international cross-country champion. In later years he was a regular winner in world veteran events.

While he may not always have been given the full recognition he deserved, there are hopes that when Birchall playing fields are redeveloped the running track will be named in his honour as a permanent memorial. The present pavilion is already named after him.

Over the past eight years he had twice been treated successfully for cancer and was thought to be clear. However, the illness returned in a more aggressive form only a few weeks ago.

He leaves his wife Elizabeth, sons Anthony and Paul, daughter Jane and stepdaughter Teresa.

Kerry Marchant, a team manager and coach with Staffordshire Moorlands Athletic Club, said: "Roy was a great inspiration to everyone who met him. His death is a very sad loss to athletics. Running was his passion. He was always ready to help and give advice."

Despite his illness, Roy was still the club's senior coach.

Councillor Sybil Ralphs, leader of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, said: "Roy was a great ambassador for all the best aspects of sport in the Moorlands. He never sought the limelight for himself and didn't have the national recognition he deserved. He was a gentleman on and off the track."

Roy was born at Longsdon in March 1934, but the family moved to Leek soon afterwards. His childhood was plagued by bouts of pneumonia, occasionally life-threatening, and he was encouraged to take up running to strengthen his lungs.

He won his first event, a school cross-country race, at the age of 14 in 1948. He left school at 15 to become an apprentice painter and decorator but in his spare time joined the youth club at the Milward Hall, where his running career began to develop.

The Birchall running track was opened as part of the Coronation celebrations in 1953 and at the first meeting, Roy won the half-mile and was second in the mile.

During his National Service between 1956 and 1958 he won his colours as an Army athlete. He returned to work as a painter in Leek for employer Job White.

His breakthrough to national recognition came in 1960. Early in 1961, after being ill the week before, he won the inter-county cross-country championship over a tough, snow-covered and muddy course in Yorkshire.

A week later he ran for Britain in his first international race in France, where he was pipped for first place by one second.

By 1962 Roy was building up to world championship form and he established his reputation beyond all doubt with his epic victory in the AAA six-mile track championship. Roy and second-placed Mike Bullivant were credited with the same time, a Commonwealth and British record of 27 minutes 48.8 seconds.

The AAA president, and Marquis of Exeter, David Cecil, an Olympic gold medallist and one of the inspirations of the film Chariots of Fire, said of Roy's victory: "I have never seen such a display of guts."

Shortly before the European championships a groin injury made his fitness doubtful, right up to the eve of the 10,000 metres. But in taking third place Roy had not merely shown himself one of the world's best, but he had run with an internal haemorrhage and a badly swollen leg from his injury.

In 1963 Roy won the international cross-country championship in Spain, again despite injury.

Roy missed the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo because of hairline fractures in both shins.

But he trained back to full fitness to win the inter-counties cross-country championship at the beginning of 1966.

Later that year he returned to the White City for the six-mile championship and while he was only fourth, his time was still faster than his 1963 record and still the fifth fastest six miles ever run.

His 1966 six-mile equivalent time was still way ahead of the best British 10,000-metre result in 2005.

Roy's remarkable story was told in the book A Fighter Second to None, by John Bale and Malcolm Henson, from which some of the above information is taken.

His funeral takes place at St Edward's Church in Leek on Monday at 1.45pm.

Roy Fowler never received the recognition beyond the town of Leek: Geoff Browne Page 14