Leamington Cycling and Athletics Club

Cavin joined Leamington C&AC as a junior in September 1963 having been so persuaded by his uncle Fred, himself a cyclist and athlete, who realised Cavin had potential as an athlete. This realisation certainly came to fruition in no uncertain way as Cavin developed into Leamington’s most successful athlete, acknowledged as such by British athletes

Cavin had long been a valued and loyal LCAC member, being awarded Life Membership in recognition of his exceptional and invaluable services to the Club, as a competing team member, as a Club Officer and to athletics in general. He was always willing to compete for the team in road and cross country events and could be relied upon to finish in the scoring six for many of his 47 years of membership

His name appears on nine Club Trophies, as testament to his outstanding performances. His Club successes include winning the Club 10 miles road championship nine times. He ran in the LCAC one hour track race on 23 of the 33 occasions on which it has been held, winning in 1977 and recording the third longest distance achieved within the hour, 18,592 metres (11.55 miles)

He was however more noted for his performances in the truly long distance events in which he was always a force to be reckoned with. He raced, not just ran, in more than 200 marathons, at home and abroad, usually finishing in less than 2hrs 40mins, his fastest being 2hrs 19mins 50secs. Very few of these were on flat super-fast courses, most included rolling hills and his times more often than not placed him in medal winning positions, often gold

Cavin excelled though at even longer distances. He won the Epsom & Ewell 30 miles track race in a world best time of 2hrs 43mins 52secs. He won the 36 miles Two Bridges race in Scotland on five occasions. Similarly in the London to Brighton 56 miles race he finished 1st once, 2nd twice and 3rd twice as well; when winning, his time of 5hrs 12mins 08secs was some 15 minutes ahead of the second placed runner. The Brighton awarded plaques for the first placed 6 and for the top 3 teams; Cavin is the only person to ever have finished in all 3 of the leading positions

The 90km (56miles) Comrades Marathon in South Africa is acknowledged by many as the world’s toughest true road race, containing 3000 feet of climbing. Cavin was selected to represent the British Road Runners Club, an honour with which he was highly delighted as it not only afforded him the opportunity to emulate his mentor Tom Buckingham, who had competed in Comrades a few years earlier, but also to renew his friendship with Jonathon Such who trained and ran with Cavin before moving to South Africa. Cavin’s selection was certainly justified as his time of 5hrs 49mins 19secs won him the silver medal against some 1500 competitors, second only to Alan Robb the acknowledged master of the event, who won on several occasions. This achievement impressed the Comrades Association so much that Cavin is now a written-in part of Comrades History. Friend Jonathon was so impressed and encouraged by Cavin that he continued and has completed Comrades 17 times

Of all his achievements, the race for which Cavin is however most renowned is probably his attempt to break the World Record for running 100 miles on the track at Tipton. Not only was his time of 11hrs 38mins 54secs a new record, but en route he also became the holder of World Best times for 50miles, 100km and 150km. A fabulous achievement

Cavin had a unique style of running. An unusually high arm action, with his head slightly to one side, rendered him easily recognisable. In races he was also renowned for his very fast starts, whatever the distance, and other competitors’ expectations of him slowing down never materialised !

Cavin readily admitted that not only was Carol his driving force and inspiration, she was also his planner and organiser, accompanying him on nearly every event in which he competed. Without this perpetual bond Cavin might not have been able to sustain the enthusiasm and determination that was required to attain such high standards. This bond extended into most other aspects of their life. They were both enthusiastic about dancing and frequently went on cruises which included engaging in this favourite pastime

It had been thought that Cavin’s competitive nature would decline when he decided to reduce his racing and cycling early in this 21st century, but when he and Carol joined a new sport the local Petanque Club quickly realised they had a force to be reckoned with as they both exhibited such enthusiasm and enjoyment

Cavin was actively involved with the Whitnash Social Club and was held in high esteem within the Whitnash community. Not everyone manages to have a road named in their honour during their lifetime. Woodward Close is an enduring memory to Cavin’s unwavering exploits and services to his community. One of his local promotions is the annual Whitnash 3 miles Charity run, held as part of the Whitnash Town Fun Day, which has been well supported and enjoyed by both athletes and spectators over the past seven years

It is obvious that practically everything Cavin turned his mind to was performed efficiently and willingly and with a passion that left no effort spared. He will remain in the memory of the many who had the pleasure of his company, or indeed of just making his acquaintance, for a very long time

George Phipps
3rd March 2010

Leamington Cycling and Athletics Club - Edmondscote Athletics Track, River Close CV32 6AD, Leamington Spa