“Don’t start too fast,” that’s the advice from the Killer Mile’s male record holder.
Bashir Hussain ran the race in 6:12 back in 1991, a record that still stands to this day, 34 years on.
And it’s a race the then 30-year-old remembers vividly.
“The weather was great; the crowds were good and for me everything went to plan. My main competition was a runner from London. I knew he was the one to beat. My tactics were to run with him. We were close, but then we came to the incline, and I came off better. I pushed hard and had a good finish to win the race and set a new course record.
He added: “I’d run the Killer Mile a few times and knew the course well. I was at the top of my game in the early 1990s, so I was probably in my best form the year I won. I was running four-minute miles, I ran for England in the World Mountain Running Championships in Austria, where I came 5th and was getting times of 63 minutes for half marathons.
“Around that time, there were some excellent runners on the circuit who ran for their country, and they all competed in the Mow Cop Killer Mile. There were names like Paul Robinson from Newcastle, Tony Spellman, who ran for the City of Stoke, Andy Geddis from Crewe and Nantwich and Alsager’s Simon Brown, who was the national 800m champion, so there was some stiff competition.
Bashir, who was a teacher in Congleton back then, has this advice for people running the race this year. He said: “Don’t start too quickly as you’ll burn yourself out. Take smaller steps, especially as you’re heading to that steep incline. The steeper the gradient gets, the smaller your steps become.
He added: “I can’t believe the record stands after all this time. I got a computer as the prize the year I set the record, and this year, I know there’s a £1,000 up for grabs if a new record is set so good luck to everyone taking part.”
Bashir, who still runs with Stockport Harriers & AC, now works in coaching development and coaches people on how to become coaches of the future.
Shireen Higgins (formally Barbour) is the female record holder. Running for the Birchfield Harriers at the time, she set a record of 7:54 minutes back in 1992, another record that incredibly still stands the test of time today.