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Steve Jones
MBE

Steve Jones speaking to a running group in Boston, August 2018
Personal information
Birth name	Stephen Henry Jones
Nationality	Welsh
Born	(1955-08-04) 4 August 1955 (age 69) Tredegar, Wales
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	137 lb (62 kg)
Sport
Country	Great Britain  Wales
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	10,000 m, Marathon
Club	Newport Harriers, RAF
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1984 10,000 m, 8th
World finals	1983 10,000 m, 12th 1993 Marathon, 13th
Personal bests	5000 m: 13:18.6 (Lisbon 1982) 10,000 m: 27:39.14 (Oslo 1983) Half marathon: 60:59 (South Shields 1986) Marathon: 2:07:13 (Chicago 1985)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Wales World Cross Country Championships 1984 New York Long race Commonwealth Games 1986 Edinburgh 10,000 m Marathon 1984 Chicago Marathon 1985 London Marathon 1985 Chicago Marathon 1987 Boston Marathon 1988 New York Marathon

Stephen Henry Jones MBE (born 4 August 1955) is a Welsh athlete who set the world record in the marathon in his first completed race at that distance at the Chicago Marathon in 1984, with a time of 2:08:05.

Biography

Jones grew up in Ebbw Vale, Wales and ran his first race at the age of 15 as a member of the Air Training Corps. Dissatisfied with working in a factory as a sewing-machine mechanic, he became an aircraft technician for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1974, and joined the RAF's running team in 1976. After receiving an invitation to the 1983 Chicago Marathon Jones began training for that distance; he previously had specialized in the 5,000 and 10,000 m, and on 6 August 1984, he ran the 1984 Olympic 10,000 m event. He finished 8th with a time of 28:28.08.

On 21 October 1984, a year after he had dropped out of the Chicago Marathon because of an injury, Jones won the event—his first completed marathon—with a time of 2:08:05, breaking the world record of Australian Robert de Castella by 13 seconds. Jones was unaware of the record and, since he never wore a watch, did not know that he might break it until two miles before the finish. He won the 1985 London Marathon in 2:08:16 despite stopping to go to the toilet during the event; Jones later said, "I didn't even train for ", instead continuing to coach himself. Aware that he was "one hamstring tear away from oblivion", Jones remained with the RAF despite earning large sums per race. In August 1985, he broke the world record for the half marathon, running 61:14 in Birmingham. On 20 October of that year he achieved his personal best marathon time of 2:07:13 in winning the Chicago Marathon, only one second slower than the world record run by Carlos Lopes at the Rotterdam Marathon earlier that same year. This time was the fastest of any British runner for 33 years until Mo Farah beat it in 2018.

In 1986, he won a bronze medal in the 10,000 m at the Commonwealth Games. In the European Championships shortly after, he once again competed in the marathon. Leading from the start and breaking away from the pack, Jones ran a brilliant race up to the 20-mile mark. At that point he was leading by over two minutes and on schedule for another world record. However, he then "hit the wall" and suffered terribly in the final six miles. He slowed to a virtual shuffle, but refused to quit as he watched other competitors catch and pass him. Two years later, in the 1988 New York City Marathon, Jones won by over three minutes with a time of 2:08:20.

He was the first Welsh athlete to appear on the cover of the running magazine Running Times.

Jones was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to sport.

Jones lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Great Britain and  Wales
1983	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	12th	10,000 m	28:15.03
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	DNF	Marathon	—
1984	World Cross Country Championships	New York, United States	3rd	Senior race	33:32
	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	8th	10,000 m	28:28.08
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:08:05 WR
1985	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:08:16 CR
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:07:13 CR/NR
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, West Germany	20th	Marathon	2:22:12
1986	Commonwealth Games	Edinburgh, Scotland	3rd	10,000 m	28:02.48
1987	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:12:37
1988	New York City Marathon	New York, United States	1st	Marathon	2:08:20 CR
1990	Commonwealth Games	Auckland, New Zealand	4th	Marathon	2:12:44
1992	Toronto Shoppers Drug Mart Marathon	Toronto, Canada	1st	Marathon	2:10:06
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	13th	Marathon	2:20:04

Popular culture

In 2010, a video went viral featuring the Welshman's dramatic, tenacious finish to outrun the Tanzanian Gidamis Shahanga in the closing 80 metres of a 10000-metre race after having been caught with 110 metres remaining. Due to the vivid commentary, the video is often featured in collections of "inspirational sports moments" or "remarkable comebacks".

In the race, Jones was leading from the start with 30-metre margins up until the last 400 metres, at which point the commentary (from David Coleman) noted "But they are closing. And of course he has got very little finishing speed". Then Shahanga closed in rapidly. With 200 metres remaining, Jones glimpsed back and saw Shahanga, with Coleman famously commenting, "Jones looking for trouble and the trouble is there". Shahanga caught Jones with 110 metres remaining, Coleman noting that "the African is going to steal the race in the last 80 metres", yet as soon the comment was made, Jones fought back, accelerated, and won the race in a time of 27:55.2.

This race was an invitational held in Memorial Van Damme Stadium, Brussels, 1983, and hence not recognised in official competitive records.

References

1. ^ Barker, Sarah (21 May 2014). ""I Never Wore A Watch": Running Lessons From A Record-Breaking Everyman". Deadspin. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
2. ^ "IAAF: Steve JONES | Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
3. Bank of America Chicago Marathon: What You Need to Know. Retrieved 9 October 2010
4. "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B18.
5. Steve Speirs (21 March 2009). "10,000m race in the early 80's featuring Steve Jones from Wales" (YouTube). YouTube. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
6. "Episode 100 - Steve Jones (Part One)" (Interview). Marathon Talk. 7 December 2011. actual interview start from t=45:00

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Steve Jones". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
• Runners World
• The Independent Bio

External links

Media related to Steve Jones (athlete) at Wikimedia Commons

• Steve Jones at World Athletics
• Steve Jones at Olympedia
• Steve Jones at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)

Records
Preceded by Robert De Castella	Men's Marathon World Record Holder 21 October 1984 – 20 April 1985	Succeeded by Carlos Lopes

• 1955 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Ebbw Vale
• Sportspeople from Boulder, Colorado
• Welsh male long-distance runners
• British male long-distance runners
• Welsh male marathon runners
• Welsh male cross country runners
• Olympic athletes for Great Britain
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Wales
• Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
• World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain
• Chicago Marathon male winners
• London Marathon male winners
• New York City Marathon male winners
• World record setters in athletics (track and field)
• Members of the Order of the British Empire
• Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
• British male cross country runners