Written by David Barrington   

Nick Mahy 1954-2016

News of the death of yet another regular performer from the Polytechnic Harriers Young Athletes Group of the 1970s, who have departed long before their time, is a great sorrow and yet again will make some of the Club’s older members question their own mortality.

Nick was born on 21st May 1954 in Canterbury, then moved to Bedford Park W4, attending Latymer Upper School, and he joined Poly in his early teens, along with his brother, Julian, with much support from parents, Beryl & Alan. Destined to qualify as a doctor, he was a regular member of training groups from The Hut at our home stadium at the Polytechnic Sports Ground in Chiswick, for a number of years and he was also an attendee at our ‘iconic’ winter training weekends at Merthyr Mawr Dunes near Porthcawl in South Wales – three-sessions a day outings.

Moving on to study at London University and Middlesex Hospital Medical School, Nick competed from time to time both in the Southern and National (BAL) Leagues in the first half of the 70s with a degree of success, and was a handy performer with a useful range of PBs – 2.00.6/3.58.9/9.00.01/16.30.0 on the track and a sub 54 10 Mile.

Later in the decade, his medical career took him away from London and away from the sport, but, occasionally, he returned to help out, notably when this writer was looking for a Medical Officer for the Poly Marathon in the early 1990s – Nick agreed but suggested that it was not publicised, particularly to the runners, that he was by then a pathologist!

Nick died at the age of 62 from a heart attack on 5th September and our thoughts at this saddest of times go out to his Family, especially his mother, Beryl, younger brother Julian, himself a regular Poly member, Julian’s wife Carolyn and Nick’s children, David and Edward and former wife, Christine.

David Barrington

8 November 2016