Tributes paid to 'inspirational' Wigan Phoenix co-founder Cyril Leigh

Cyril Leigh with Jenny Meadows and her husband, Trevor Painter, at the Wigan Harriers 50th anniversary dinner in 2013

Tributes have been paid following the death of Cyril Leigh, a founding member of the Wigan Phoenix running club.

He has been hailed for the impact he made on the athletics scene in the borough.

Wigan Phoenix chairman Paul Carroll, 62, said: “He was without doubt our greatest athlete.

“Many of the tributes from people who knew him well speak warmly about him and what a great coach he was – he was an inspiration to many people, especially young people starting off running.”

Cyril Leigh, wearing the No.109, competing before he formed Wigan Phoenix in 1987

Leigh and several others left Wigan Harriers to form the Phoenix club in July 1987 as they wanted to focus on road running.

He and wife Hilda appear as numbers one and two on the club’s member roster. By then he had already been the Welsh Cross Country Champion in 1967, been named Welsh Cross Country Champion and represented his homeland at the Commonwealth Games three years later, finishing 12th in the marathon.

At his peak, his marathon personal best was an impressive 2hrs 18min 8secs and he was still running sub-2hrs 30mins in his 40s.

He later competed in vets events, finishing second in the World 25km Championships in 1977, and was a six time World Veteran Duathlon champion having been a member of Wigan Wheelers.

Phoenix member Dick Heyes, 72, had a long association with Leigh and recalls how he used to run to work in Horwich and back, and still go out running in the evening!

He later worked as a maths teacher at St Thomas More High School.

“Cyril was very competitive, and very technical with everything he did,” said Heyes. “When we were running everything was down to the finest detail.

“He was so good and as a tactician runner I think he was the best in the world. His head worked differently to everyone else’s.

“I coach now and I coach in the same way he coached me. The club was everything to him. He was so good as a bloke – he had time for everyone.

“It didn’t matter if you were an international, or the worst runner there – he would speak to you and help you and that’s the kind of man he was.”

Leigh, who had suffered from dementia, passed away last Friday, aged 84.

He is survived by Hilda and their three sons, Anthony, Michael and Chris.