Sir Christopher Chataway

Biography

At Oxford University, where he studied politics, philosophy and economics, and in the years immediately following, Chris Chataway was a leading middle distance runner. He competed in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics. In 1954 he paced Roger Bannister to the first four minute mile, won the Commonwealth Games 3 miles and defeated Vladimir Kuts in a memorable duel at the White City, lowering the world record by five seconds. At the end of the season he was voted the first BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

At the age of 25 he retired from running and sought a career in politics. He and Robin Day were ITN's first newscasters. Chataway worked subsequently for 3 years as a BBC political reporter and on the Panorama programme. Elected a Conservative Member of Parliament in 1959, he was a junior education minister in the governments of Harold Macmillan and Alec Home. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1970, serving in Ted Heath's government as Minister for Posts and Telecommunications, and then Industry Minister.

He left politics in 1974 and for the next 15 years was a managing director of an investment banking subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada. From 1991 he was Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority and was later knighted for services in aviation.

In retirement he has turned again to running - with, as he says, more enjoyment but much less success. He runs frequently in village races in south west France, where he and his wife have a house. He has run for the last four years in the Great North Run. He has four sons, a daughter, a stepson, and six grandchildren.

Christopher says...

"I live just a mile from three Royal Parks and spend a lot of time in them. I hope that this great new race will introduce many more to the glories of London's parks."