By Owen Morgan
The Welshman who became the first Briton to run an indoor sub-4 minute mile has died in the United States.
Sir Roger Bannister was the first athlete to dip under the magical mile mark when he clocked 3:59.4 at Oxford’s Iffley Road track in 1954.
But Cardiff-born Bob Maplestone was the first Briton to emulate the feat indoors, when he ran 3:59.5 in San Diego back in 1972.
The Cardiff AAC founder member ran his historic time while studying in the States – having represented Wales at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
The time should have earned Maplestone a British indoor record, but for an administrative oversight.
Following the middle-distance star’s passing earlier this week, Cardiff athletics historian and athlete Clive Williams commented on the Welsh Athletics website, “He thought of it as just another race.
“As a result, the time was never ratified as a British record.
“Recalling that run a few years ago he told me: ‘I remember that day well, and was just pleased it was a personal best. It didn’t enter my head that it was a British record and that I was the first Briton under 4 minutes indoors’.”
Maplestone later said of the race: “The crowd of over 8,000 went wild.
“I remember running down the finishing straight and wanted to look up at the clock to see how close I was. When I crossed the line, someone came over and said 3:59 . . . something.
“My first thought was that the time would be over 4 minutes, but the official time was announced as 3:59.5 secs – the first time I had run under 4 minutes, indoors or out.”
Because he hadn’t realised the enormity of his performance, Maplestone didn’t ask the official referee on the day to sign the result off in order for it to be ratified as a British record.
In recent years, Williams – himself a former athlete – tried to get the result recognised by presenting evidence of the performance in the shape of the race report published in Athletics Weekly.
This was backed up by athletics historians and newspaper clippings of the race. However, the response was that unless the official application form was completed, and signed by the referee, it could not be considered.
Despite missing out on a place in the record books, Maplestone enjoyed a glittering career on the track.
The Ely-born athlete was a founder member of Cardiff AAC in 1968, which was formed out of the amalgamation of two Cardiff clubs – Roath and Birchgrove Harriers.
Maplestone was a key member of the Cardiff team in the early 1970s which became Britain’s strongest club – winning the British League title for three consecutive seasons.
Having represented Wales at the 1970 Commonwealth Games over 1,500m, Maplestone took up a college place in the United States – firstly at Eastern Washington University and then Oregon State University, where he gained a Masters degree in industrial engineering.
Such was his success in the United States, Maplestone was inducted not only into the Eastern Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame, but also the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame in 1981.
He was NAIA champion in the indoor mile in 1971 and 1972, the outdoor mile in 1971 and the outdoor 1,500 meters in 1972.
Maplestone finished third at the 1972 US championships1500m in Seattle, setting a new Welsh record of 3.39.7, which was just outside Peter Stewart’s British record.
The same year, he won the mile at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of the great American distance runner and then world record holder Jim Ryun, in a meeting record time of 4:00.4.
Bob left a lasting legacy to many… while at @HighlineTBirds, he taught me to be a better teacher, and patiently (incredibly patiently) taught me how to fly fish. He taught me to love fly fishing…and every time I go fishing, I think of him… https://t.co/hSkAIIE6K1
— StumpfFarmProdCo (@StumpfFarm) January 5, 2021
Later in his career, the Welshman was twice a winner over 1500m at the world famous Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.
Maplestone dipped under four minutes for the mile on three occasions, finishing with a best of 3:58.5 in 1973 when he was second in the NAIA championships in Arkansas to Tommy Fulton, who won with 3:57.9. Munich Olympic 800m silver medallist Mike Boit was third in 4:00.3.
Maplestone’s 3:58.5 is still amongst the fastest miles run by a Welshman after almost half a century and stood as the Welsh record until Neil Horsfield set the present day record of 3:54.39 in 1986.
Away from the track, the professor of mechanical engineering went on to a successful teaching and coaching career at the Highline Community College in Seattle.
The 74-year-old died in his adopted city on January 2, having lived in the US for the past 50 years.
#TBT EWU Hall of Famer Bob Maplestone, who still owns school records in the mile, 1500 and 5000 (set in 1972) pic.twitter.com/GpYgYOLSqA
— EWU Track & Field (@EWUTFXC) September 19, 2013
However, the founder-member of Cardiff AAC never forgot his roots and would regularly return home to represent the club in the British League and more recently to visit family and friends.
The club won the British League title on three consecutive occasions in the 1970s. Maplestone’s photograph adorns the front cover of the recently published book “The Glory Years of Cardiff AAC” which recalls those days of British club athletics dominance.
You can read more about Bob Maplestone along with tributes to the athlete on the Welsh Athletics website.