Chris Brasher

Biography

Christopher William Brasher CBE (21 August 1928 – 28 February 2003) was a British track and field athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon. Brasher married English tennis champion Shirley Bloomer in 1959 Born in Georgetown, British Guiana, "Chris" Brasher went to Rugby School and then to St John's College, Cambridge, where he studied geology. He was an avid mountaineer and as a student was president of the Cambridge University Mountaineering Club and in 1948 led an expedition to Baffin Island with W A Deer. At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Brasher finished first in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 8 minutes 41.2 seconds, but was disqualified for allegedly interfering with another runner, Ernst Larsen of Norway. The following day, after an investigation, he was reinstated as a gold medalist. Brasher had celebrated for several hours before the delayed medal ceremony, and later claimed to have been "the only Olympic champion to be totally and absolutely dejected when he received a medal". He was one of the pioneers of orienteering in Britain and can claim the sport's first public mention in an article in The Observer in 1957: "I have just taken part, for the first time, in the one of the best sports in the world. Hard to know what to call it. Norwegians call it 'orientation'..." He has had distinguished careers in print, as a sports editor for The Observer newspaper, and in broadcasting, as a reporter for Tonight. He founded Chris Brasher's Sporting Emporium in 1971; this later became Sweatshop. In 1978 he designed the innovative Brasher Boot - a walking shoe with the comfort of a running shoe. In their time, these were some of the best products, but their quality declined, were merged into Berghaus under Pentland ownership in 2014, and were finally discontinued before 2017. In 1981, John Disley and Brasher founded the London Marathon. In 1983, he became the second president of the International Marathon and Distance Racing Association, a position he held until 1987. Also in 1983, Brasher teamed up with longtime friend John Disley to found Fleetfoot Limited in Lancaster, England. Fleetfoot distributed The Brasher Boot and other sporting goods to retailers. Fleetfoot acquired the rights to be Reebok's UK distributor and subsequently marketed as Reebok UK before becoming a subsidiary of the Pentland Group in 1988. After the acquisition by Pentland, Brasher remained active in the company as chairman of the board. Reebok UK was sold to Reebok International in 1990 when Pentland Group sold its 55% stake in Reebok United States and Reebok International. He was awarded the CBE in 1996. He was awarded the Livingstone Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 2002. In 2003 he died at his home in Chaddleworth, Berkshire, after battling pancreatic cancer for several months.