No age limit for race walking, fire-eating Salvationist

76-year-old athlete Ian Richards (Worthing) speaks to War Cry's Claire Brine about the joy of competitive race walking – and why he thinks the human body is God’s greatest creation.

While some people dream of taking it easy in their retirement, 76-year-old Ian Richards from Worthing has no interest in slowing down. Over the summer, he won two gold medals for race walking in the 5,000m and the 10km at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Sweden. 

‘I finished the 5,000m in just over 30 minutes, and the 10km in about 61 minutes,’ says Ian, a regular competitor in the M75 category, which is made up of male athletes between the ages of 75 and 79. 

‘It’s funny, because I’m part of a group of athletes who always look forwards to getting older. There are a lot of world records to be broken when you’re in your 90s or over 100.’

Since retiring from work at the age of 60, Ian has won 10 world championship gold medals in his age category for race walking and currently holds six world records.

But his interest in the sport began back in the 1960s, when he was a young man working for a pensions company in London.

‘I was useless at sport at school,’ Ian explains. ‘My best achievement was coming third in a wheelbarrow race. But when I started work, I discovered race walking. 

'Every year, my colleagues would enter this seven-mile walking race around the City, so I thought I’d join them. It sounded like fun. 

‘Much to my surprise, I did quite well. So I kept entering the race over the years, and then one day someone suggested that I join a walking club. I didn’t even know that they existed. 

'But I was introduced to a club, which happened to include two Olympic gold medallists. So there I was, a complete novice, getting advice from these great athletes.’ 

Over the next few years, Ian made great strides in the sport of race walking. He wondered if he had what it took to be an international competitor.

‘I decided to spend 12 months giving it everything I’d got, just to see if I could make it,’ he says. ‘By the next year, in 1978, I was selected to represent Great Britain at the European championships in Prague. I came last – but that was the motivation I needed to improve.’

Supported by his wife, Elaine, and two young children, Ian continued to train while maintaining a full-time job. Two years later, in 1980, he was on his way to the Olympics in Moscow.

‘My event was the 50km race walk – and it was such an exciting event to be part of,’ he reflects. ‘I remember thinking to myself: I’m going to walk into that Olympic stadium and cross that finish line, come what may. 

‘When I got to the end of the race, entering the stadium was pure magic. I felt exhausted, but the cheering followed me around the track. It was very emotional.’ 

Out of about 30 starters, only 15 athletes in the 50km race made it across the finish line. Ian – with a ‘best’ walking pace around 8mph – came in 11th place. 

‘In retrospect, I could have done better,’ he says. ‘It was a hot day and I walked a lot slower than my best times. But I’d achieved a dream. I was an Olympian.’ 

Two years later, Ian retired from race walking, having decided that it was time to focus his energy on his family. In his spare time, he took up adventure sports and enjoyed working with children as a scout leader. He also started attending The Salvation Army.

‘In 1984, my father-in-law died, and Elaine said that she wanted to mark her first Christmas without him by going to church,’ Ian explains. ‘We lived in Maidenhead back then, and our children had a loose connection to The Salvation Army’s Sunday school – so that’s where we went. I was surprised that I enjoyed it. We kept going back.

'I started to see that people at The Salvation Army were so content with life – and I didn’t understand it. I had a perfect family, a good job and a nice house, but I didn’t feel as fulfilled as they did. Eventually, I came to recognise that they were happy because they knew Jesus. And that’s when I decided to give my life to Jesus too.’

At The Salvation Army, Ian felt as though he’d found his spiritual home. He started to help with the church’s youth work. Life was good. But two years later, a phone call at work brought devastating news for him. 

‘Elaine had collapsed with a massive brain haemorrhage, and she died in hospital,’ he says. ‘I was in my 30s, left with two young children. But the support I received from people at the Army was wonderful. 

'God made himself known to me through their kindness. Yes, I was grieving, but I couldn’t have been in a better place.’

Despite the pain of his loss, Ian continued to find fulfilment in his faith. He decided to take a course in fire-eating, and used his newfound skill to preach the gospel during open-air evangelistic meetings. 

He also started helping at Salvation Army events across the UK, such as children’s camps and sport weeks, where young people could have fun while also learning about God. ‘I had thought that my sporting days were behind me – but they weren’t,’ Ian says. 

‘God continued to bless me. One of the biggest blessings around that time was meeting Barbara, who became my second wife.’ Years later, as Ian approached retirement, he started to think about his bucket list and the activities he wanted to tick off. So, at the age of 60, he undertook the centurion challenge, walking 100 miles, non-stop, in under 24 hours. 

The next year, he travelled to the Sahara desert for the Marathon des Sables, a week-long event in which he completed a marathon every day.

'As a result of all the training, I thought I’d get back into competing,’ Ian says. ‘So I entered the European Masters Athletics Championships, which are open to athletes over 35.

My first race was in Hungary, in 2010, and I won a gold medal for the 5,000m. I’ve been competing ever since.’ It was through a recent championship that Ian formed a connection with the European Space Agency – and became classified as one of the world’s super agers. 

‘The agency became interested in me and other older athletes because our levels of fitness mean that we are managing the ageing process well,’ Ian explains. 

‘Currently, astronauts who undertake long space flights age rapidly, so scientists are tracking people like me to see what happens to our bodies year by year. Even though I’m 76, I’m told that my physical age is 59.’ 

Having never let his age hold him back from achieving his goals, Ian is keen to encourage other older people to keep moving and enjoy life. Taking part in sport, he says, is not just good for a person’s physical and mental health but also their spiritual health. 

‘In the film Chariots of Fire, the Olympic sprinter Eric Liddell says that when he runs, he feels God’s pleasure. But for me, when I walk, I feel God’s presence,’ Ian says.

‘Whatever a person’s age, the human body is a fantastic piece of machinery created by God. Its capabilities are amazing. The Bible tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made – and we need to be thankful for that.’