The Running Track
Opened by an Olympian athlete
An aspiring Gordon Pirie, school sports 1953
Merton Library and Heritage Service
Coronation Year, 1953, saw the opening of the running track where Sutton Arena now stands. The Wallington and Carshalton Advertiser for ll June published an article entitled “Pirie's easy two-mile win at Carshalton. Good times on new track.”
Gordon Pirie was an Olympic runner who at that time lived in Coulsdon. He won the two-mile race easily in 9 minutes 10 seconds, but failed to set up a new record as the surface was soft and the other competitors were not able to give him strong competition. There were several other athletic events and Green Wrythe Lane Secondary School won the 4 x 110 yards relay for girls under 15, while Garth came second to Wallington County School in the equivalent boys’ event.