| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1964-01-06)6 January 1964 (age 61) Wolverhampton, England |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Club | Bingley Harriers[1] |
| Coached by | Bruce Tulloh |
Richard David NerurkarMBE (born 6 January 1964) is a formertrack and field athlete from Great Britain, competing in thelong-distance running events. He participated in the1992 Summer Olympics and the1996 Summer Olympics.[2]
Nerurkar was born inWolverhampton, England, to anIndian father and English mother,[3] he moved toBradford, where he attendedBradford Grammar School. He has a brother and sister.[4] He was a language teacher atMarlborough College between 1989 and 1991.[5]
Nerurkar became theBritish 10,000 metres champion after winning the BritishAAA Championships title at the1990 AAA Championships.[6][7] He won the English national cross-country championship three times and twice finished in the top 20 in the World Cross-Country Championships. On the track, he finished fifth in the 10,000 metres in the1991 World Championships in Tokyo. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, he representedGreat Britain and finished 17th in the 10,000m final.[2]
He held the British record for 10 miles of 46:02, set in October 1993 (and which wasn't broken until March 2023 byEmile Cairess). That year he moved up in distance to themarathon.[citation needed]
He won his debut marathon inHamburg in a time of 2:10:57 and went on to win his second marathon, the World Cup Marathon inSan Sebastián, in October 1993. His other marathons included a personal best time of 2:08:36 in the 1997London Marathon where he also finished in fifth place. His time was the third fastest of all time by a British athlete and is the fourth fastest as of 2016. His greatest performance was arguably at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, representingGreat Britain he finished in fifth place.[2]
Nerurkar is general manager of theGreat Ethiopian Run event hosted yearly inAddis Ababa, an event he started in 2001 with Ethiopian long-distance runnerHaile Gebrselassie.[8] He is the author of the bookMarathon Running: From Beginning to Elite (ISBN 978-0713668308).
His sonLukas Nerurkar is a professional cyclist.[9]
He was awarded the MBE in 2002.[citation needed]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Great Britain | |||||
| 1989 | Universiade | Duisburg, West Germany | 12th | 5000 m | 14:03.07 |
| 1990 | European Championships | Split,Yugoslavia | 5th | 10,000 m | 28:07.81 |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | 10,000 m | 27:57.14 |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 17th | 10,000 m | 28:48.48 |
| 1993 | Hamburg Marathon | Hamburg, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:10:57 |
| 1993 | World Cup Marathon | San Sebastián, Spain | 1st | Marathon | 2:10:03 |
| 1994 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 4th | Marathon | 2:11:56 |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 7th | Marathon | 2:15:47 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 5th | Marathon | 2:13:39 |
| 1998 | European Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 8th | Marathon | 2:14:02 |
| Distance | Mark | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 metres | 7:48.00 | 1992 | Nice |
| 5,000 metres | 13:23.26 | 1990 | Brussels |
| 10,000 metres | 27:40.03 | 1993 | Oslo |
| Half Marathon | 1:01:06 | 1996 | Ivry-sur-Seine |
| Marathon | 2:08:36 | 1997 | London |
