2022 | Walter Williams

Running career of Walter Williams

Walter began his running career in 1958 while attending Minto Memorial High School.  Running was the motivation for staying in school at a time when many of his friends were leaving school to work in the coal mines of Minto.  His versatility as a runner on the track, road racing and cross-country brought many accolades as he began winning races in all three categories.  He won his first race in 1958.  He led his Minto Memorial High team to many Provincial and Maritime titles.  During his running career for Minto High Walter set Provincial and Maritime records in the half mile, one mile, as well as cross-country races.  During his career, Walter won over 95% of the races he ran in the Maritimes from 1958 to 1962.

In March of 1961at the Canadian Indoor Track and Field Championships in Winnipeg, he placed second in the 3-mile open race, which was held in the afternoon, and later that evening won the International high school 1-mile race in a very respectable time of 4 minutes and 31 seconds.  This accomplishment took place on a banked wooden track, which was a new experience for him as most of his training prior to this was in the halls and stairwells of Minto High.  This feat brought him to the attention of an American college coach from Michigan State and subsequently he was approached by other American colleges but opted to stay in NB to be closer to his elderly parents.

In the summer of 1961, Walter ran the one-mile event in the Eastern Canadian Track and Field Championships in Halifax setting a new personal best time of 4 minutes and 20 seconds in placing second to Bruce Kidd (4 mins and 10 secs), the number one ranked runner in Canada.  This race was nationally televised by CBC thus helping put Minto on the Canadian Sporting map.  After this race, instead of returning home disappointed, Walter remained in Halifax until Monday and entered the 8 and a quarter mile road race (Halifax Natal Day), winning it while defeating perennial winner and favorite George Gallant.  In August 1961, Walter placed second in the 1-mile race at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Regina, losing the race by one-tenth of a second.

In the fall of 1961, Walter won the gold medal in the juvenile division at the Canadian Cross Country Championships in Hamilton, leading his Minto High team to a 3rd place finish.  From 1959 to 1961, Walter was part of the NB Legion Track and Field team which represented New Brunswick at the Canadian Legion Championships in Toronto.  As part of this team in 1960, Walter won the Eaton's of Canada award as the outstanding athlete on the NB team.

Other accomplishments included:

• First in the City of Saint John 5-mile road race - 1960 and 1961 (2nd to Mt A athlete Vie McLeod in 1959)
• First in the Nova Scotia Highland Games- 1-mile and 3 mile races
• 1960 and 1961 (becoming the first NB runner to break the 4:30 barrier for the 1-mile in 1960)

In total, during his high school running career, Walter won:

- 3 Maritime track titles (1-mile)

- 3 Maritime track titles (880 yds)

- 3 Maritime cross-country titles

- 3 Provincial track titles (1-mile)

- 2 Provincial track titles (880 yds)

- 3 Provincial titles in Cross Country

- 1 Canadian title in Cross Country

- 1 Canadian title in Indoor Track (the 1-mile event which featured an International field)

- 3 x 2nd place finishes in other Canadian Track and Field Championships.

Two coaches whom Walter credits his running success are Frank Phillips coach at MMHS until 1960 and Reg Hanson until 1962.

After a 20 year hiatus from running, Walter returned to his sport in 1981 with a new goal to run the famous 26.2-mile Boston Marathon.  He achieved this goal in 1985 and ran 9 more Boston Marathons on route to a total of 46 marathons with a personal best time of 2:36:35 at age 44 (Halifax 1987).  In the 1988 Boston Marathon, he placed 238th out of a total of 10,000 runners with a time of 2:38:38.  At age 66, he continues to run daily but only for health and fitness rather than trying to achieve a personal best.

As a way of giving back to the sport, Walter has served as board member and president of both Sport Nova Scotia and Sport New Brunswick.  He also served on the board of Athletics Nova Scotia for over ten years and volunteered countless hours at track meets both here in NB and in NS.  Currently he is a founding board member of the Minto Sports Wall of Fame.

RunNB is pleased to welcome Walter as the 24th member of our honoured Hall of Fame.

Marathons

Walter Williams ran a total of 45 marathons listed in the table below:

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