The Flowers Brothers
The Flowers Brothers ran through the streets of Hackney for more than half a century.
Ted and his elder brother Jack first took up running for the sole purpose of helping Jack recover from an operation, but they took to it like Jonathan Edwards took to skipping and hardly missed a day after that.
In 1946, shortly after being de-mobbed, Jack had to undergo an ear operation. "I was very poorly and the doctor said that I had to do some exercise to help my recovery." remembered Jack.
And so the brothers took to Victoria Park where a keeper spotted their potential and tipped off the Victoria Park Harriers. "He told the Harriers that he'd seen two chaps who could run faster than most of them!" said Jack.
The Flowers joined the Harriers in August 1947 and their athletic careers were soon blossoming. "We teamed up with Stepney's Geoff Iden, who ran the marathon for Britain in the Olympics, and started running long distance." said Jack. 'Our first big race was from Windsor to Kew Gardens. We came 14th and 18th and with Geoff winning it meant that the Harriers were the best Southern club. We even beat the reigning champions, Blackheath Harriers."
That debut success launched the Bethnal Green-born brothers on a long and rewarding running career. "We ran anything from l00m to 40 miles,' explained Jack, "although it was mainly long distance." Their best moment came in Cardiff in 1953 when they competed in the AAA Championship, then England's premier domestic athletics competition. "We finished ninth and tenth in the marathon, competing against the best runners in the country," explained Jack.
As if the marathon wasn't challenging enough, the Flowers then stepped up in distance as they sought a further challenge. They ran the Woodford to Southend race, a little matter of 40 miles. "Ted finished in 4 hours 46 minutes and I did it in 4 hours 52 minutes." said Jack.
Jack and Ted were made special Club Co-Presidents from 1995 to 1997. When the Harriers celebrated their 70th anniversary in 1996, Jack and Ted were presented with special plaques commemorating their 50 years with the Club. "It is a great club," said Jack. "I love it and the sport and I always will. We have had a joyful life with this club."
And what of the Flowers' future? "We will go on running as long as we can." stated Jack. And run they did.