This item was sent in by Mike Russell.

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Roger Francis-Darby passed away recently after a relatively short illness. Roger was one of the original members of Deal Tri Squad and has been around triathlon / Duathlons since the late 80's. An excellent runner, even as a supervet, Roger managed some unbelievable performances, over short and long distance.

He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and should be remembered as the super athlete he was, with his long gold locks flowing in the breeze as he often ran past you.

On a personal note, I have known Roger for over 10 years and never once have I heard him say a bad word about anything or anyone. He was a competitor to the last and a great inspiration to all, young and old.