Athlete Stories: Jim Alder
Kingston 1966: Athletics
The 1966 Commonwealth Games took place in Kingston, Jamaica, in the blazing heat of a Caribbean summer. Competitors in the Marathon faced an early start, the race getting underway at 5.30 am to avoid the heat and humidity of the day. Scotland’s Jim Alder took gold in a race memorable for its unusual finish.
The Official History of the Games provides a rather prosaic account of the race which hints at the drama that unfolded in the final mile. By the twenty mile mark Alder and his English rival Bill Adcocks had built a lead of a minute and a half over the chasing group. As the race reached it conclusion the official account recorded that:
“Alder, who had maintained a fairly even pace, led Adcocks by fifteen seconds. Alder entered the stadium road fifty yards ahead of Adcocks. At this point, unfortunately, there was some confusion as to the course and, as a result, Adcocks arrived first on the stadium track. Alder was however able to pass Adcocks and win by about twenty five yards.”
From The Official History of the 1966 Commonwealth Games.
A dramatic victory for Jim Alder. But what the official account failed to mention was the reason for the confusion. As Alder and Adcocks neared the stadium the unscheduled arrival of Prince Philip led to race officials leaving their posts to assist the unexpected royal visitor. With no officials to guide him Alder took a wrong turn, missing the entrance to the stadium. It took Team Scotland official Dunky Wright (who had won the Marathon for Scotland at the 1930 Games) to alert Alder to his mistake and guide him back into the stadium where he re-took the lead on the final lap.
Interviewed in The Scotsman newspaper in 2018 Jim recalled the aftermath of the race:
“I saw Oklahoma! at a picture-house in Anniesland and thought Gordon MacRae singing Oh What A Beautiful Morning was fantastic. That morning in Kingston was beautiful too and on the way back to the Games Village for a big breakfast I sang the song.”
Jim Alder
Born in Glasgow in 1940 Jim lost both his parents at a young age. He grew up in a foster family near Morpeth in North East England. A promising long-distance runner, he balanced the demands of training and racing with his work as a bricklayer. When it came to competing at the Commonwealth Games he chose to represent the country of his birth.
In 1966 Team Scotland won a modest total of nine medals at the Commonwealth Games. The two Athletics medals won by the team were both claimed by Jim Alder, gold in the Marathon and bronze in the Six Mile Race. Jim completed his personal set of Commonwealth medals at the 1970 Edinburgh Games, winning silver in the Marathon. His time of 2:12:04 was ten minutes faster than his gold medal winning run of 2:22:07 in the early morning sun in Kingston in 1966. Jim’s gold in 1966 and silver in 1970 were Scotland’s last Commonwealth Games medals in the Marathon until Robbie Simpson’s bronze at Gold Coast 2018.
