Photos of the First Dash by Alan Gifford

Attached are some photographs from Alan Gifford. He thinks there are others if they can be found! He knows he had one of the actual line up for the start but cannot find it. Click on the small images to get Alan's excellent photos.

He is almost certain they are of the first race but cannot remember who won - maybe someone knows. He rode a bike from place to place to take the photos.

If anyone can remember more details or has some early photos that we can put on the web site - let me know.

Stepping Stones	This shows the Gregory brothers crossing the stones - of note is the absence of any crowds.
Joe Buxton	Joe was a great Mercury racing cyclist and up for a challenge any day, beating Dave Godlington to a style on the course - cannot remember where. Joe was member of the Mercury team which finished 3rd in the Brighton to Glasgow road race in 1951. Unfortunately Joe died about 10 years ago whilst in Austria on a skiing holiday. Last Alan heard of Dave he was in Scotland
Gregorys finish	The pair of them running up to the entrance porch at the youth hostel at Ilam, again no crowds - Alan is sorry he cannot remember their Christian names but thinks one was Roy
Godlington Finishes	Dave Godlington finishes in front of a cyclist, remembering that in the early races some rode bikes and others did the course in walking boots.
Ken (Claude) Broadhurst winning the first race	The picture is in a Souvenir Booklet produced in 1988 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Derby Mercury. This clearly states the first race as being in 1952. It is a grainy photo copy and Alan suspects it was taken by Ted Upton.

Alan wishes us all well in keeping the race going - and wishes he was as fit now as he was then.

Ken Broadhurst

Ken Broadhurst rang us (16 October 2006) to say that the first race was in 1952 and was called the "All Cyclists Cross Country Run". Ken won the first six races. Joe Buxton was second in 1952 and he died on 3 March 1979. Roy Gregory was third and his brother Keith was fourth. Doug (not Dave) Godlington was fifth, and there were sixteen runners in all. Derby Evening Telegraph took a picture of the finish of the race, and this is still in their archive- so if anyone has access to the DET archives ....