Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A Ken do attitude..
Rain doesn’t stop runner Ken, 87
AN Ulster runner who has participated in every London Marathon described the weather conditions as the worst he has seen.
Around 45,000 people took part in the 40th London Marathon along their own 26.2-mile route around the UK, after the event originally planned for April 26 was postponed due to coronavirus.
Ken Jones, 87, was among those taking part in the historic first virtual London Marathon in gale-force winds and rain. As the oldest of 10 men who will be
running their 40th marathon in the 2020 event, known as Ever Presents, Ken said the weather looked “the worst ever” as he prepared to set off in the morning.
Looking out of the window of his home in Strabane, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, he added: “The rain comes over in sheets across, and the wind has blown all the leaves off the trees.
“This is the worst one ever. I have never had it as bad as this.
“Normally when the weather is this miserable, I’d never run, but I have to run the 26 miles in it today.
But we are feeling OK – we have got plenty of changes of clothing.” Ken, whose fastest official marathon time is two hours 41 minutes, added: “We would like the crowds, but our neighbours have put up a sign saying ‘Go Ken’, and we will be going on a stretch of road for a long, long time.
“It’s very nice to be doing it from home.”
The Met Office said most runners in the UK, especially those in the south, faced “a bit of a wet one” this year.
Forecaster Craig Snell said: “If people are running it remotely in Devon and Cornwall it’s probably not pleasant with the heavy rain and strong winds.”
The wettest London Marathon was in 1983, when runners were faced with 0.9in of rainfall, and the hottest took place in 2018 when temperatures soared to 24.2C.