1949–2014

Andy Holden, who died aged 65 on 4 January, was an international athlete and committed NHS-only dentist until he retired aged 61.

He was UK record holder for the 3,000 m steeplechase and a runner of remarkable versatility, achieving the unique feat of representing Great Britain in five distance disciplines: roads, cross-country, fells, and indoors and outdoors on track.

In an era when the exceptional amateur could still excel in athletics, Andy managed to compete at the highest level without sacrificing his passion for real ale.

He reputedly drank ten pints of beer the night before winning the Bermuda marathon in 1979, a race which saw him break Ron Hill's course record and beat a world-class field.

One of his best known tricks was to stand on his head and down a pint, and he once achieved an ambition to run 100 miles and drink 100 pints in a single week.

Born in Leyland, Lancashire, Andy studied dentistry at Birmingham University and remained in the West Midlands.

Holden was opposed to the privatisation of dentistry, fearing that those in need could find it more difficult to access services. He worked as an associate at surgeries in Kings Norton and Solihull. He owned practices in Billesley, then Coseley, where he spent the last 25 years of his career.

On one occasion, he went to a Coseley pub to extract the tooth of a pub landlord, who was terrified of dentists. Andy had spotted the bar owner dithering outside the surgery, then retreating. With his dental nurse, he went to the pub, stood the landlord under a dartboard spotlight, gave him a mouthful of whisky and yanked the tooth out.

His athletics accolades included winning the 1969 English junior cross-country championships, and competing at the Munich Olympics in 1972 – the year he set the UK 3,000 m steeplechase record (8 min 26.4 sec).

He won world cross-country gold for England in 1979, and a string of marathons – including Bermuda three times.

After striding clear of the field in the 1986 Belfast Marathon, he was led astray by the lead car – twice. He still managed to finish second, and joked afterwards: 'It's just one of those things which happen – it was an Irish marathon.'

Holden was a dedicated coach to hundreds of youngsters at Tipton Harriers and liked nothing better than to turn out for the club, however small the meeting. He once resuscitated a fellow runner who had collapsed after a training run. Among peers, he was known for his good deeds.

On one run, he came across a dog that was weighed down with bricks in a canal. He adopted it, and Schnicky became his faithful running companion for many years.

Andy Holden, who three years ago suffered an aortic aneurysm, is survived by his wife, Paula, and by their three sons and one daughter.

This obituary is based on excerpts taken from Andy Holden's obituary published in the Telegraph, 14 Jan 2014.