Thomas EVENSON

Although Tom Evenson’s first victory of note was as an 18-year-old in the Salford Harriers Spring Meeting when he won the mile off a 150 yards start, he went on to become an outstanding cross-country runner and won the 1930 International Championship only two months after his 20th birthday. He ran in the International race six more times (1931-36) and won the title for a second time in 1932. He was also the English champion in 1933. On the track he finished third in the AAA 10 miles in 1930 and was then selected to represent England in the 4 miles in the triangular match with Scotland and Ireland at Glasgow. Second in the AAA 10 miles in 1931 he won the AAA steeplechase that year and again in 1932 and 1936. Representing England, Evenson won a bronze medal in the 6 miles and finished fifth in the 3 miles at the 1930 British Empire Games, and won a silver medal in the 2 miles steeplechase at the 1934 Empire Games after an exciting duel which saw Stanley Scarsbrook win by 2 seconds. Evenson returned to his roots in 1933 and won the Northern Counties mile title and then reached the AAA mile final the following month but finished outside the first three. He retained his Northern Counties title at this shorter distance in 1934. He competed twice in the Olympic steeplechase, finishing second in 1932 after some confusion with the lap count, and in 1936 when he failed to qualify for the final.

Personal Bests: Mile – 4:22.2e (1932); 3000 – 8:46.3 (1933); 2 miles – 9:21.6 (1930); 3 miles – 14:26.4 (1932); 5000 – 14:54.8 (1931); 3000S – 9:18.8 (1932); 2 mile steeplechase – 10:13.8 (1932).