At the end of July I became a pensioner, just five weeks later I will be in Sydney, completing my 200th full marathon and collecting my 7th Marathon Majors Star. In 2019, I received my 6th Marathon Majors Star after completing the Tokyo Marathon – having already run the other five Marathon Majors, these being, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London (41 times) and New York marathon.
It is estimated that only about 2,000 people out of the estimated world population of 8.2 billion. I have run in over 30 different cities in the world but my biggest claim to fame is that among the 400 plus people I have trained to run marathons was none other than the world’s oldest marathoner, the late Fauja Singh BEM. So, if anyone is looking for a marathon running coach……
My love for running started at school where my PE teacher John Salisbury who was an Olympic Bronze medallist felt I needed to expend and focus my excess energy into sport instead of disrupting everyone else. Having achieved 30 minutes 14 seconds for 10,000m in 1979, I also played cricket, football, hockey but being short in height, only managed 16 feet 3 inches (4.96m) in the long jump.
In 1983, following recovery from a knee injury playing football, my uncle (an ever present at the Great North Run) who is now 81 and can still manage a sub 5 hour marathons encouraged me to take up the longer distance races.
