Fechin McCormick
At the end of August DAVE PROCTOR anchored an M35 team to a new European and World 4 x 800m record at the Bury BMC, capping his year in the same spectacular fashion as it began in March when he became the World Masters M35 3000m Indoor Champion.
The record attempt was first conceived 12 months earlier when David Scott (Cumbernauld AC) noted that the combined season’s bests of the UK’s leading M35 athletes could challenge the long-standing record, which had stood for 11 years. Initially, the attempt looked unlikely with one of Britain’s top V35 athletes due to move up an age category. When Harry Wakefield(Salford H & AC), his middle-distance colleague, turned 35 and subsequently recorded 1:52 indoors for a V35 British Record in January, he became the perfect addition to the team.“The 4 of us agreed it was too perfect an opportunity to pass up”, said Dave “so we decided to make the record attempt the main focus of our summer season”.
With the support of sponsors Adidas, FlyCarb, and Skills for Security, and the necessary paperwork in place, the stage was set. Harry Wakefield, David Scott (captain), Matthew Revier (Southampton), and Sale Harriers’ very own Dave Proctor, described by teammates as “something of a legend in Masters athletics, was allocated the anchor leg. He gloriously brought the team home in 7:34.86, shattering the previous World and European M35 record (set by Spain in Madrid in 2016) by a remarkable 17 seconds.
Said Dave, “Given how complex the ratification process for World Records can be, we were very fortunate to have Byron Edwards and Bury AC providing full support with timing, permits, and certification. Further, with Harry and me both based in Manchester, the Bury track was the perfect venue. For me personally, it was even more special — just ten minutes from my home in Rochdale, so it felt like breaking a World Record on home turf.”
Thanks to Norman Poole’s training group at Wythenshawe Park, additional teams were formed to make the attempt valid. Sponsored by FlyCarb and Skills for Security, ELLIOT SAVAGE, TOMMY OLADITI, EVAN SAVAGE, and FINN GODDARD provided the crucial opposition that pushed the M35 quartet to their European and world record.
Dave extended “honourable mention” to AIDAN LYNCH (Sale Harriers) and JAKE ROWLEY (Macclesfield Harriers), who also stepped in to help form a third team. “Not only did their efforts ensure our V35 team performed at its absolute best, but they also made sure the record attempt could be officially ratified,” he said. “Many of these guys had already raced or paced earlier in the day, so their contribution went above and beyond. We are incredibly grateful to them.”
(Dave is also the 2024 World Masters M35 1500m silver medallist and 800m Bronze medallist and the 2022 World Masters M35 1500m champion).
