# Ann Ford (athlete)

Ann Ford (née Yeoman; born 30 March 1952) is an English former middle and long-distance runner.

## Biography

Yeoman and her twin sister Paula Yeoman were born in Ealing in 1952. Ann finished third behind Inger Knutsson in the 3,000 metres event at the 1973 WAAA Championships.
Ann and her sister Paula finished 2nd and 3rd respectively behind Joyce Smith in the 3000 metres at the 1974 WAAA Championships.
Ann Yeoman married Bernard Ford during 1975 and competed under her married name thereafter.
She finished in the top ten at five IAAF World Cross Country Championships, including fourth-place finishes in 1974 and 1976. Ford also won a World Cross Country Championship team gold medal in 1974 and a bronze medal in 1979 and 1982. She was also a team winner at the International Cross Country Championships in 1972.
In 1978, Ford won a bronze medal in the 3000 metres at the Commonwealth Games, in a race won by her twin sister Paula. At the 1988 London Marathon, she finished second to Ingrid Kristiansen, running a personal best time of 2:30:38, to earn selection for the Seoul Olympics. She withdrew from the Olympic team in August 1988 due to injury.
On the road running circuit, she was the 1986 winner of the Reading Half Marathon, the Fleet Half Marathon winner in 1985 and 1988, and won the Nottingham Half Marathon in 1993 and 1997.

## International competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Great Britain / England ||||||
| 1972 | International Cross Country Championships | Cambridge, United Kingdom | 11th | Senior race | 16:49 |
| 1972 | International Cross Country Championships | Cambridge, United Kingdom | 1st | Senior team | 22 pts |
| 1974 | World Cross Country Championships | Monza, Italy | 4th | 4 km | 12:58 |
| 1974 | World Cross Country Championships | Monza, Italy | 1st | Senior team | 28 pts |
| 1974 | European Championships | Prague, Czechoslovakia | 7th | 3000 m | 9:06.89 |
| 1975 | World Cross Country Championships | Rabat, Morocco | 7th | 4.2 km | 14:03 |
| 1975 | World Cross Country Championships | Rabat, Morocco | 4th | Senior team | 64 pts |
| 1976 | World Cross Country Championships | Chepstow, United Kingdom | 4th | 4.8 km | 16.57 |
| 1976 | World Cross Country Championships | Chepstow, United Kingdom | 4th | Senior team | 78 |
| 1977 | World Cross Country Championships | Düsseldorf, Germany | 7th | 5.1 km | 17:47 |
| 1977 | World Cross Country Championships | Düsseldorf, Germany | 5th | Senior team | 118 pts |
| 1978 | Commonwealth Games | Edmonton, Canada | 3rd | 3000 m | 9:24.05 |
| 1978 | European Championships | Prague, Czechoslovakia | 9th | 3000 m | 8:53.08 |
| 1979 | World Cross Country Championships | Limerick, Ireland | 9th | 5.0 km | 17:47 |
| 1979 | World Cross Country Championships | Limerick, Ireland | 3rd | Senior team | 68 pts |
| 1982 | World Cross Country Championships | Rome, Italy | 13th | 4.7 km | 15:02 |
| 1982 | World Cross Country Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd | Senior team | 67 pts |

## Marathons

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| 1985 | Columbus Marathon | Columbus, United States | 2nd | — | 2:36:15 |
| 1986 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 3rd | — | 2:31:40 |
| 1988 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | — | 2:30:38 |

## National titles

* English Cross Country Championships
** Senior race: 1976
* AAA Marathon Championships
** Senior race: 1986, 1988
* England Athletics Championships
** 3000 m: 1972