THE GHOST RUNNER
When I wrote recently about former Olympic marathon champ, Naoko Takahashi retiring to the jogging ranks, a correspondent, referring to her by her nickname of Q-chan or little ghost, wrote back to say, “she’s really become a ghost runner now”. That reminded me of a man, who was known as exactly that, The Ghost Runner.
John Tarrant’s tragic story defies belief nowadays. But his name and legend are still invoked by older runners in the UK and, occasionally elsewhere, to remind youngsters of the crass stupidity of the old amateur rules.
In the late 1950s, Tarrant, who was born and raised in the north-west of England, not far from Manchester, realised that his early attempts at a sporting career in the boxing ring were not going to come to anything, except some bad beatings. So he increased the mileage on the roadwork that he was already doing for boxing, and saw that he could become a good distance runner.
Acting on a recommendation from a friend, he sent off a membership form to a local athletics club. A simple, straightforward man until his early death, Tarrant never thought to conceal his earnings from the fairground boxing booths, approximately seventeen pounds sterling, maybe $40 back in the late fifties. He was amazed to find his form returned and rejected, since he was considered a “professional sportsman”.
Those seventeen paltry pounds were going to blight Tarrant’s life and running career. But he wasn’t going to go quietly. With the aid of running peers and local then national journalists, Tarrant applied to have the nonsense overturned, all the time training hard while holding down an exhaustive labouring job in a stone quarry.
Refused entry to a series of races around the north and midlands of England, he realised there was nothing to prevent him running on the highway at the same time as a road race. So, in order to avoid the more draconian officials - and there were a lot of them - he would mingle with the crowd at the start of road races, and throw off his disguise of overcoat and flat hat, and simply join in.
Alerted to this ploy, which regularly resulted in a top ‘finish’ or even a ‘winning’ performance - of course he couldn’t cross the finish line - an enterprising national journalist nicknamed Tarrant, The Ghost Runner. His story was taken up widely by the national media, and he was eventually granted an amnesty.
But it was only when he finished second, officially this time in the AAA Marathon Championships in 1960, that he realised that his amnesty was only domestic. That performance should have assured him a place on the British team for the Olympic Games in Rome. But the Olympic mandarins, led by billionnaire fascist Avery Brundage, were having none of it. Tarrant’s Olympic dream was shattered again.
Donning the Ghost Runner guise anew, he turned to ultra-distance running, 24 hour races, seven-day races. He was welcomed to New York for ultra track events by Ted Corbett and his colleagues; and he ran the South African ‘ultras,’ the Comrades’ Marathon, and the Two-Oceans race, as a means of competing abroad. Seeing some sort of equation between his ostracism and apartheid, in 1970 he became the first ‘white’ to compete in an otherwise all ‘black’ and ‘coloured’ race, the Stanger to Durban 50 Miles, which he won. He was victorious in many other distance races, mainly in the UK. He also set world track bests for 40 and 100 miles.
On a personal note, I met Tarrant numerous times, since he had moved to the English Midlands, near to where I was taking my first junior strides in athletics. I recall running a 4×3 mile road relay in his home town of Hereford. Tarrant ran all four legs of the relay, and beat several teams. Then he ran home. It was all training, he said, for his ultras.
In the early 70s, he started to suffer from acute stomach ailments, but continued to train and race through them, until massive weight loss finally forced him to seek medical help. Initially diagnosed as ulcers, when the stomach cancer was finally discovered it was too late.
Even then, Ron Bentley, another ultra world record ‘great’ told me that when he visited the dying man in hospital, Tarrant was refusing to take pain-killers, believing he could face it down, just like everything else in his hard life. As they say, they don’t make ‘em like that any more.
John Tarrant died in 1975 at the age of 42.
But his memory lives on.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Pat once again you pull a gem of a story out of the hat…………..and probably just at the right time. I remember read the book Ghost Runner back in the mid seventies (in fact I had a copy until I mistakenly loaned it to some one and never got it back) Just reading the story of John Tarrant was a great source of motivation to me, and helped me keep the sport in perspective, (and the administration). I managed to get another copy of the book finaly (30+ years later) and I still browse through it when I need to put events in my life into perspective.
Jonesy
November 14th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
thanks, Steve
note to readers, the above post is from THE Steve Jones, 2.07.13 marathon in Chicago 1985, 2.08.05 world record there the previous year, and author of many other terrific performances, not least among them a night on the sauce the two of us had in Marseille a coupla years ago.
But that, as they say, is another story (which probably won’t make it on this blog - if only to preserve the sanity of readers of a more delicate temperament)….
November 14th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Thanks for the brilliant story Pat. It’s amazing to me that the governing bodies of the day could turn away such athletes as him, and it’s even more amazing that this fellow could persevere through such trouble. I’ve heard stories of heartbreaking hardship from third-world country athletes, but for such treatment to befall a runner in the UK seems incredible. Were there others like him?
November 14th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Hi John, I’m sure there were others who suffered similar discrimination, or would have done, had they been as naive as Tarrant, in declaring such paltry sums earned in an unrelated ’sport’.
Incidentally, Steve Jones mentioned the book The Ghost Runner, John’s autobiography, which owes its existence to the efforts of Mel Watman, long-time editor of Athletics Weekly. It was published in the early 1980s, if memory serves.
But…. I’ve been scouring my library, spread over three or four rooms, for my copy, so that I can upload a pic of Tarrant for you all…..
stay tuned….
November 14th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Ciao Pat,
Another great story from you!
From the Tarrant’s tragic story you can learn a litlle more about the mystery of long distance running. And why marathons and ultrarunning are getting so popular aroung the world nowdays.
Keep going with others story like this.
Take care,
Franco
November 15th, 2008 at 10:01 am
what a lovely story ‘ghost runner’ - admirable and heartrendering…am glad i know about tarrant now.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Sad story and typifies the hypocrisy, snobbery and “being in charge” small mindedness of athletics officialdom.
But the inspiring aspect about Tarrant’s story is his determined character has been evident in so many of our past great runners of the 50’s and 60’s who were just ordinary men, with ordinary lives who had the extraordinary determination to train hard and succeed - and I include the walkers, Thompson, Vickers and Nihill.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Excellent piece, Pat. I met John Tarrant at the Nos Galan Road Races back in 1970/71 (Midnight race) and was struck by his quiet humility and respect for his fellow athletes.
A remarkable story which was superbly unearthed and put together by Mel Watman.
November 21st, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I lived in South Africa through most of the 50’s and 60’s and remember press coverage of Tarrant being the “Ghost Runner” when he ran the Comrades. John Bicourt is right that Tarrant typified the gutsy approach of so many of our runners and walkers of yesteryear. That was brought home to me very strongly in reading the first part of Ron Hill’s fascinating autobiography recently. Tarrant of course gets a few mentions in that.
January 24th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
As a Buxton boy I knew John Tarrant as I was also a runner although not in the same class. I will never forget the day when a mutual friend Pat Grundy knocked at my door and all he said was “John is dead”.
Like you I also had a copy of the book but lent it to a member of my family and never got it back. I have been trying to replace it ever since. The Athletics Weekly archive was some years ago in a cellar in Broughton in the water and I was told if I wished to go and search through it I may find a copy. Unfortunately I was not in a position to do that at the time and the opportunity passed me by. Maybe it is time for a reprint I for one would buy one
January 29th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Johns brother Vic is still involved with athletics and coaches two of my family, I often talked to him about his brother. Its time athletics weekly pulled the book ghost runner out of the archives and reprinted it. I know many people who would love a copy but cannot find it. Vic lent me his to read, I couldnt put it down until I finished it.
January 30th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Athletics Weekly has gone through a lot of changes, and owners, since Mel Watman was the editor. The Ghost Runner is nothing to do with the current AW. It was only through Mel’s hard work that The Ghost Runner got published, and as he admits there were only about 1000 copies printed, and such is the disinterest in athletics nowadays, the likelihood of the book ever being reissued/reprinted is remote.
However, there is someone researching a book on John Tarrant. I’ll keep you posted if it comes to anything.
March 16th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
John Tarrant was my uncle although i never really knew him; he died when i was three. I am immensly proud of my uncle and it is very heart warming to read all these comments,and knowing that people have drawn inspiration from his story.
I certainly hope that if the new book is published it will help keep his story alive.
March 28th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I lived down the road from John when I was young and went to school with his brother Dave (and drank with him?) I new his Dad (Jack, could lend me a Fiver?), step mother(Maisie), a nurse, and sister Liz(Terrific slide maker??).
I used to see him running to and from work to the quarry in Buxton. We (i.e. all the kids up our street) tried to emulate him and set up running competitions. We, none of us came close to his ability, but made us fit in doing so and had a lot of fun trying.
I observed his quiet progress and watched his T.V. interview,whilst he was running, I might add.
What a sad end to a a courageous man.
A film should be made of his story it is worth telling?It would possibly one of the most inspirational stories told about the love of running,against beurocracy??
May 5th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
i have heard so many storys about this man, this is probaly dur to me being coached by his brother vic tarrant, vic often tells me storys about john and how good he was and the stupid amount of trainning he put it, he truly is a legend to running it would of been an honor to of met the man.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Hi Pat, didn’t you once write a film treatment or even full script about John Tarrant? And wasn’t Sting interested in playing the lead, going as far as to staret training and entering races? I saw him, Sting that is, run a 3km at Parliament Hill Fields track - you were present at the time.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I met Dave, Johns’ brother 16th August 2009 and he informed me that Vic, their older brother has been ill recently.
He also told me that a film has been discussed.
Get well Vic.
Please get the film going, in that order !!
We need to have this story told.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I ran against the great man on three occasions in the late sixties and early seventies and was inspired by him to achieve my goal of capturing the world 50 mile record, which John dearly wanted but sadly missed out on. I now organise the Dartmoor Discovery 32 mile ultra marathon and we have a John Tarrant Memorial Trophy awarded to the first man over 40 to finish. I also have his book, The Ghost Runner, which I am willing to lend out, provided I get it back eventually. When I ran against him in the 1969 London to Brighton, I came to a halt 6 miles from Brighton, when in 2nd place, and his brother Vic came along and gave me John’s special drink, as John had dropped out. It was called ‘The Corpse Reviver’ and with that inside me I galloped off and finished 3rd. We ran against each other on a freezing day in early April 1971. in a 50 mile track race, at Portsmouth, which John eventually won but in a time that did not do him credit because of the cold. When I ran in another 50 mile track race at Epsom in the summer of 1971, John was in South Africa, but he found the time to write me wonderful congratulatory letter when he heard I had brokenthe world record, which he so badly wanted himself.
Bill Jones from Bolton is currently researching everything there is to know about John in preparation to writing an in depth book on this marvellous man, whom I always thought, and still do, was the greatest of all ultra runners. I have Bill Jones tel number and email address and will be keeping in touch to ascertain when this book is likely to appear.
October 17th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Further to my last comment.
Bill Jones says that his book on the life of John Tarrant whould be ready for print in 2012
October 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
John Tarrant is my coaches brother….(vic tarrant)vic had also a hard up bringing,never married lives in a little bungalow named `The Marathon`.he is a n inspiring coach who won an award for 50years service in athletics coaching international vests and all standards.He also ironically had major health problems,in the last 4years has just recovered from a quadruple heart bypass,still manages to coach to a high standard now!!!Vic was very claose to his brother John,there is talk of `The Ghost Runner` being republished and also a film being done. Vic has just won `Pride of Hereford`award for service to athletics nominated by myself.I had the pleasure of meeting and training with John Tarrants son the other week whom is a keen runner himself !!!The storys i hear are priceless…x
October 31st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I met John in 1971 when I competed in the Nos Galan 40 miles at Maindy Stadium where John was a spectator that day. We kept in touch and I was priviledged to regard him as a friend. He had a rough time undergoing cancer treatment at a Birmingham hospital and was saddened by the fact that only three of us regularly wrote to him notwithstanding advice of his plight having been published in A.W. He felt that providing support when a chap was down was a true measure of true friendship. He knew that he was dying and told me that had he faced the same health choices again he would have turned his back on conventional medicine and instead gone down the route of complimentary treatment. John was a lovely man man, and not a week goes by without me thinking of him. I have several times unsuccessfully attempted to obtain a copy of his now out of print book, and hope to get my hands on a copy one day! God bless you John.
February 23rd, 2010 at 8:39 pm
the original ghost runner book sometimes comes up for sale on ebay
June 18th, 2010 at 8:49 am
I am a neighbour and friend of John’s widow, Edie. I was amazed when she showed me the grandest cabinet in her living room , packed with medals from johns running. This display cabinet was presented to her by someone after his death. Photos adorn the top , whilst the polished glass and hundreds of trophies within , reflect light all around her room. He was honoured after his death with the naming of “John Tarrant Close” in Hereford……but it is sad that he never new about this or got to see the Trophy Cabinet.
August 9th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Thanks to Mr. Pat Butcher for the brilliant story.
Truly an inspiring story.
I would love to read the book.