C347 Doug Hopkins
Centurions
Doug Hopkins C347
1939-2020
Doug died, 6th July 2020, at home after suffering from cancer of the brain and other related causes. He was 81.
He became a Centurion at a relatively young age,
Doug was also a Gibraltar champion and several times Kent Champion.
At Medway Athletics Club, formally Rochester and laterally Medway and Maidstone AC, he served as a initial coach to the most eclectic bunch of walkers as Cameron Corbishley, Gordon Beatie, Di Pegg (Bullard), Steve Holiday, Chris Hobbs, Tim Hayes, Rod Parkins and many others.
[photo by Brian Keegan]
Writes Dave Ainsworth:
Popular Chatham-based Doug Hopkins was Centurion No.347, qualifying when aged 23 in the colours of London Vidarians at the 1963 Brighton-to-London-and-Back clocking 22:24.10. 1963 was the only year where this journey was reversed - starting and finishing in Brighton. Doug was one of 6 London Vidarians to qualify that day. Doug raced for London Vidarians and then Medway AC, which in 2001 was part of a merger which saw Medway & Maidstone AC appear on our scene. Doug put much back into our sport after he'd hung up his racing shoes, by qualifying as a Judge and accepting many appointments. He'd only recently stepped down from judging. He was a loyal supporter of Kent County AA fixtures for decades.
tributes:
- Very sad news - a great guy, unassuming, always willing to officiate and give advice to novices. R.I.P. Doug. Bob Dobson
- The sad death of one of our esteemed Centurions. He was a great competitor and I knew him well as a member of London Vidarians WC. He was a great coach and motivator and his passing is very sad. I know all will be thinking of his family and send their condolences. Chris Flint
- Lovely photograph of Doug Hopkins, a great Clubman and RWA Judge too. May he Rest in Peace. Bill and Kath Sutherland
- Sad indeed. Brian Keegan
- Oh so sorry to hear such sad news. He was a great bloke. Kathy Crilley
- Another one hits the dust. In sadness happy memories. John Northcot
- So sorry to hear the sad news of Doug, many good races and holidays (Jersey for the 7 along the coast for three years) and Nijmegen. Gerry Grosse
- This is really sad to hear about Doug. Sarah Kenyon (Chair Medway & Maidstone AC)
- RIP Very sad news. I knew Doug fairly well and this is a great loss to his family and to walking. Steve Uttley
- I have known Doug for well over 50 years when I joined Medway AC. I was a runner then. He always had time to talk to you and was quite a character. RIP Doug. Malcolm Martin
- Sorry to hear about Doug Hopkins. Such a nice bloke. The grim reaper is gradually coming for all of us. Mick Barnbrook
- Doug was one of Race Walking's unsung hero's. He quietly, and with much good cheer, did so much for Race Walking as both a competitor and official. RIP Doug Hopkins. Olly Flynn
- Doug Hopkins R.I.P a nice walker from the old Vids he was a good and fair judge in later years Ray Middleton Belgrave Harriers
Another one hung up his shoes as they say. Ron Penfold
From Chris Hobbs:
Doug Hopkins C347 – club man
Douglas Brian Hopkins was born on August 14th 1939 in Gillingham, Kent. Not the best time to be born but he and his family moved to Sheerness and survived the Second World War. Later the family moved back to the Medway Towns and Doug got an apprenticeship in Chatham Dockyard. He would relate that being a plumber’s apprentice in H M Dockyard involved “some BIG pipes”. He became a tough, fit, sporty young man. He and a friend knew of an ex-Olympian walker and tried that discipline as part of athletics. Doug was a sprinter at the time. There he met Ron Pantling a local man who was a well-known long distance walker. Ron invited Doug to join London Vidarians AC, a London club in the late 1950’s, and Doug soon became one of their leading young walkers.
Part of his apprenticeship involved study at The Medway Technical College where he met his future wife, Beryl, at a Christmas dance. He swept her of her feet and, ever the romantic, took her to see him walk. Standing on the side of the road with occasional glimpses of her Romeo she was never introduced to anyone but would be “…rewarded with a cup of tea and a bun afterwards”. But Beryl did witness one of Doug’s greatest achievements when at the age of 23 became one of the youngest Centurions by walking the 100 miles from Brighton to London and back in 22 hours 24 minutes 10 seconds for The Vids. Suitably recovered they married the following year.
He joined the new Rochester Athletics club and then Medway A.C. with Ron Pantling and others based in the Medway Towns. Not only was Doug a competent athlete he was also a club committee man, organiser and coach. Those whom he guided in their early days as athletes included Cameron Corbishley, Gordon Beattie, Rod Parkins, Chris Hobbs, Colin Bradley, Di Pegg (Bullard), Tim Hayes, Rebecca Collins and Steve Holiday. What this mixed bunch have in common other than resilience and determination is not clear but all considered Doug to be a special friend, such was the nature of this honest, straight talking man. Doug was also incredibly witty and intelligent at his peak and this endeared him to those he met.
In the 70’s he won the Kent 3000m walk championships in Crystal Palace and the 20 miles Championship in the Kent Countryside a few weeks later. Then he was posted to Gibraltar Dockyard for a couple of years. He had a whale of a time and became Gibraltar 3000m champion. He joked that there would have been no room for a 20 miles race on the rock. During that time he would send letters of advice and encouragement back to his junior athletes in Kent.
Despite his natural strength he was frequently injured and would judge when not racing. One proud moment was when he was Chief Judge to Carol Tyson’s world best for 3000m walk in Drachten, Holland in 1976. “My hand shook when I had to sign the record form, I can tell you,” he admitted later.
Race walkers living in Kent had the benefit of proximity to the continent and Doug frequently raced in France, Holland and Belgium and was occasionally County Team manager in the annual Magog Trophy.
He organised local races including within Rochester Castle grounds on Boxing days, accross the M2 Motorway bridge over The Medway and back (seriously) and in the North Downs. His many years on the committees of his club were significant and appreciated.
He struggled with his health in the last 10 or so years. He found traveling and officiating stressful and retired form formal involvement at the end of last year. He did not, of course, lose interest in his athletes and followed their progress closely.
In 1993 he attempted to complete 100 miles in 24 hours, 30 years after Brighton. This time it was many laps of Battersea Park. Medway had a team and if we all finished we had a good chance of an elusive National Team Medal. We trained hard for it with several all-night walks but the conditions for the race in London were very tough and Doug called it a day around midnight. He finally stopped with more than 50 miles to go, sat down, had a cup of tea, checked his blisters then mumbled, “Right, where’s Gordon?” and stood up and assisted Gordon Beattie to 5th place in his attempt to get close to 200km in 24 hours.
That was Doug Hopkins the perfect club athlete and friend.