Few people have done more to shape athletics in the county than former Sussex AA President, Phil Baker. From his decades of service to his role in helping athletics grow in Chichester and beyond, this is a fitting tribute to his lasting contribution to the sport.
The Phil Baker Track is the culmination of many years of planning and fundraising. Based at Chichester College, it is a 300m all-weather training track with three 900mm lanes. Two of the bends are banked like a standard 200m indoor track, while the other mirrors a standard 400m track. There is also a separate 60m three-lane sprint straight and a small all-weather warm-up area.
The track will be formally opened at the end of June.
Baker was born in Chichester on 31 January 1946 and attended Chichester High School for Boys. Nearly 40 years ago, at the start of the road running boom, he founded Chichester Runners, which now supports a wide range of athletics and fields teams across all age groups, as well as in the Southern League.
Phil said he felt 'honoured' to have his name on the track: "As a club, we're delighted to have what we hope will be a well-used athletics facility, catering for both the local running community and highly trained athletes in an accessible city-centre location."
Find out more about the brilliant Mr Baker here: https://www.sussexathletics.net/news/cross-country-man/