PETER SAW  - Ranelagh Harriers

Peter had been involved with athletics for most of his life, chiefly on the administrative side. He was an IAAF qualified walks judge as well as an experienced official and timekeeper. At one time he would often be seen as a spectator at major road races, striding round the course in the opposite direction to the runners. For many years he was the main organiser of the Southern Cross-Country Championships at Parliament Hill and was a regular helper at the Surrey Championships. He was always an enthusiastic walker and cyclist and was a member of the Long Distance Walkers Association, for whom he helped organise the Founder's Challenge, a 26 miles event in the Surrey Hills. His first club was Queen's Park Harriers and he served on the committee of Middlesex County AA but in later years, living in Kingston, he became an invaluable official and timekeeper for Ranelagh until ill-health forced him to give it up.

I got to know Peter through the very early days of helping to set up Richmond parkrun in 2007.  His health was deteriorating by then but he was often there to support the fledgling event in all weathers.

Peter died at the Princess Alice Hospice on 6th August 2012. He died of pneumonia after having suffered for several years with PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy).

Running for PSP in this year's London Marathon isn’t just about raising much needed funds.  It is also about raising awareness of this rare condition.

PSP is caused by the progressive death of nerve cells in the brain, leading to difficulty with balance, movement, vision, speech and swallowing. It is so called because it’s:

·         Progressive – it gets steadily worse over time

·         Supranuclear – it damages parts of the brain above the pea-sized ‘nuclei’ that control eye movements

·         a Palsy – it causes weakness

Hilary Saw's words:

Peter loved attending the London Marathon.   He would see the start, then run down to the Cutty Sark and under the foot-tunnel to the Isles of Dogs, then tube it to the Finish, cheering on every Ranelagh member he could see.  Peter spent a lifetime contributing to athletics, and especially to cross country.  He officiated at club, county, regional, national and international levels.  He worked as judge, referee, organiser, committee member, director and chairman for such a range of running events and athletics organisations that they are simply too numerous to list.  Peter was also a long distance walker of amazing stamina, and contributed in many different ways to the Long Distance Walkers Association.  But Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) robbed him of the ability to walk.  He spoke up for and contributed enormously through voluntary work, not just to athletics and walking, but also to organisations as diverse as the Bat Conservation Trust and the RNLI.   But PSP robbed him of the ability to speak.  Peter was a lovely man – if you were a marshal at a far-flung point at one of his cross country races he would walk round to see you and thank you personally.  He’d probably be carrying his trademark banana too, as he loved his food – and yes, PSP robbed him of the ability to eat and drink.

 

So what can you do to stop this ghastly disease robbing people of their lives and their dreams?  Support the PSP Association, because it furthers research into PSP and supports those who have PSP and those who care for them.

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