# Beryl Randle

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British racewalker (1928–2023)

Beryl Randle née Beryl Day Personal information Nationality British (English) Born (1928-12-16)16 December 1928 Tamworth, England Died 28 November 2023(2023-11-28) (aged 94) Sport Sport Athletics Event Race walking Club Birchfield Harriers

**Beryl E. M. Randle** née **Beryl Day** (16 December 1928 – 28 November 2023) was a British [race walker](/source/Racewalking) and an athletics administrator.[1][2][3]

## Biography

Day took up competitive walking in 1946, after coming last in a 100-metre sprint,[1] and was coached by [Doris Nelson Neal](/source/Doris_Nelson_Neal).[4] To train, she would walk from her home in [Walsall](/source/Walsall) to her workplace in [Digbeth](/source/Digbeth), Birmingham, and back - 18 miles (29 km) each day.[3]

Day became the [national 1 mile walk champion](/source/List_of_British_champions_in_3000_metres_walk) after winning the British [WAAA Championships](/source/WAAA_Championships) title at the [1952 WAAA Championships](/source/1952_WAAA_Championships).[5] Beryl Day married Ronald Randle in Birmingham during the latter part of 1952 and would compete under her married name of Randle thereafter.

Randle retained her 1 mile walk title at the [1953 WAAA Championships](/source/1953_WAAA_Championships).[6]

On 29 May 1954, she broke the world record for the one-mile walk, with a time of 7 minutes 49 seconds.[4] On 19 June 1954, she shaved over ten seconds from her own record, at the [White City Stadium](/source/White_City_Stadium), with a time of 7 minutes 38.4 seconds.[4] In doing so, she became the [Women's Amateur Athletic Association](/source/Women's_Amateur_Athletic_Association) Champion.[3] She was honoured for this achievement with a brooch depicting the stag logo of Birchfield Harriers in solid gold, commissioned by G.H. Alexander, then president of the club.[4] She later said:[4]

I remember finishing the walk with a last gasp supreme effort. I had no idea I was going to break the world record because Nelson our coach was the sort of person who would not give away any times in training which meant that I had no idea what sort of shape that I was in that day... I just went for it from the start.

Randle won her third and fourth 1 mile national titles, after winning the WAAA title at both the [1954 WAAA Championships](/source/1954_WAAA_Championships) and the [1955 WAAA Championships](/source/1955_WAAA_Championships).[7][8]

Randle was a six-time Midland mile track champion, and three-time Midland road-walking champion.[3]

After winning £1,000 for coming in second in a 1960 [John O'Groats](/source/John_O'Groats)–[Land's End](/source/Land's_End) walk sponsored by [Billy Butlin](/source/Billy_Butlin) – she lost the lead to [Wendy Lewis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wendy_Lewis_(athlete)&action=edit&redlink=1) after twisting her ankle – she had to relinquish her amateur status, though it was later restored, and she resumed competing.[1][3] During the 1980s, she coached Birchfield Harriers' girls' teams.[1]

At the age of 71, she broke the over-70s age group world record for the 3000-metres walk.[1]

Randle was Honorary General Secretary of the [Race Walking Association](/source/Race_Walking_Association) from 1988 to 1991, and its president from 1996 to 1998.[9] She was subsequently made an Honorary Life Member,[9] and was given their lifetime achievement award in 2014.[1]

In 2009, she was elected President of the [Midland Counties Athletics Association](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Midland_Counties_Athletics_Association&action=edit&redlink=1).[10]

Randle died on 28 November 2023, at the age of 94.[11]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bowen_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bowen_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Bowen_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Bowen_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Bowen_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Bowen_1-5) Bowen, Amy (14 March 2014). ["Race walker Beryl 'gobsmacked' to receive top achievement award"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140714221928/http://www.suttoncoldfieldobserver.co.uk/Beryl-moved-tears-receiving-lifetime-honour/story-20811070-detail/story.html). *Great Barr Observer*. Archived from [the original](http://www.suttoncoldfieldobserver.co.uk/Beryl-moved-tears-receiving-lifetime-honour/story-20811070-detail/story.html) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RWUK_2-0)** ["Athlete – Beryl Randle"](http://www.racewalkuk.com/AthleteDetails.asp?id=2127). *Racewalk UK*. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Morris_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Morris_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Morris_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Morris_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Morris_3-4) Morris, Tom (September 2012). ["The Long Walk"](http://midlandmasters.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/the-long-walk.pdf) (PDF). *[WordPress.com](/source/WordPress.com)*. Midland Masters Athletic Club. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hancox_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hancox_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Hancox_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Hancox_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Hancox_4-4) Hancox, Kyle; McCook, Tom (29 May 2014). ["Beryl & Diane Celebrate Anniversary of Their Record Breaking Performances"](http://birchfieldharriers.net/2014/05/beryl-diane-celebrate-anniversary-of-their-record-breaking-performances/). [Birchfield Harriers](/source/Birchfield_Harriers). Retrieved 19 June 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Dorothy Tyler changes style and shocks world champion"](https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19520615/272/0010). *Sunday Express*. 15 June 1952. Retrieved 15 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists"](https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm). *National Union of Track Statisticians*. Retrieved 15 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["AAA Championships (women)"](http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm). *GBR Athletics*. Retrieved 15 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Margaret Doubles To It - Loses Record"](https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000729/19550703/184/0016). *The People*. 3 July 1955. Retrieved 19 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RWA-PO_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RWA-PO_9-1) ["Past officers"](http://www.racewalkingassociation.org.uk/PastOfficers.html). The Race Walking Association. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RWA-DS_10-0)** ["Committee and A.G.M. decision sheets"](http://www.racewalkingassociation.org.uk/DecSheets.html). The Race Walking Association. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Beryl Randle RIP – one of our sport's great characters"](https://lancswalkingclub.com/2023/12/17/beryl-randle-rip-one-of-our-sports-great-characters/). *Lancashire Walking Club*. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Beryl Randle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl_Randle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryl_Randle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.