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Centenary Man

Monday 1st August 2016

Centenary man

Brian Friend has just completed his 100th Marathon. Here's his account of reaching his centenary....

"I completed my 100th marathon on Saturday 23rd July doing the Lunar-tic marathon in Shoreham. It was somehow fitting that an odyssey that started way back in 1983 should reach this milestone right on my doorstep. It meant that friends and family came along and made the occasion even more special. On my journey there have been sub-3s and plus-4s but no dnf's fortunately. My pb is 2:44 and my pw is constantly being rewritten! I've accumulated a vast store of memorable moments and a small army of running friends that keep me royally entertained with their trials and tribulations.

There was no plan to go for the hundred until two years ago when I quit ultras with a dodgy knee. By that time I was running trail marathons with my dog Butch and he joined me for 19 of the 27 marathons still needed to bring up the ton.

I'm now surplus to requirements for the very talented Phoenix over 60s team, so I'm delighted to be heading into the twilight of my career just running with Butch whether it's training, parkrun, canicross or trail marathons.

Happy running everybody, go Phoenix!"