Bernie Plain MBE
Sunday 2 January 2011
More honours have come the way of Cardiff AAC with the award of the MBE in the New Year’s Honours to life member Bernard (Bernie) Plain; for services to athletics.
Bernie was one of Wales best middle and long distance runners, just missing out on a medal when he finished fourth in the 1974 European Marathon championship.
Bernie’s European run was the highlight of his long running career but, amongst many other achievements for his club, Wales and Great Britain, he is still the holder of the UK 20 mile track record of 1:40:34.6.
The photograph was kindly provided by leading sports photographer Mark Shearman.
He had qualified for the 1974 British European championship team by coming second (and the first British runner home) in the AAA/Polytechnic Marathon (effectively the British championship – the London Marathon had not been created) and also led a team of Cardiff AAC runners to the British team title, beating the Japanese national team in the process.
Bernie joined what was then Birchgrove Harriers as a schoolboy in 1963 (the then club secretary told him that “if he put in a winter’s training he could do well”) and ran all distances from 400m to the marathon. He eventually concentrated on 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon, achieving best times of 13:38.6, 28:14.89 and 2:14.57 respectively. His marathon time still ranks him fourth on the all time Welsh list. He was a member of the Cardiff team that dominated British club athletics in the early 1970s.
Bernie also ran in one of the most dramatic 10,000m races ever seen at Crystal Palace stadium; in 1973, Dave Bedford broke the world record and Bernie was third and, apart from the first three, Bedford lapped every other runner in the race.
Bernie ran once in the London Marathon and was the third finishing veteran, aged 43.
After finishing his racing career, Bernie was Cardiff AAC President for two years 1988-90 and Chairman for three years 1991-94. For a number of years he worked for Cardiff City Council before opening his own sports shop.
Bernie (64) still runs for pleasure and to keep fit and is married to Thelma, with two sons, Andrew and Richard.
Congratulations Bernie.