‘One of my secrets is to try to race as often as I can, rather than make one effort with the marathon’

JEFF ASTON

ATHLETE Jeff Aston is one of just 12 people to have run every London Marathon – and he doesn’t plan to EVER stop.

He only started running in 1980, the year before the first event, because his squash club had been flooded by the River Taff.

Now Jeff, from Rhiwbina, Cardiff, is one of an exclusive club dubbed the “Ever Presents”.

It has the same number of members as men who have walked on the moon.

“It’s a challenge to me now that I am getting older and am less able than I used to be,” the 69-year-old said before the race in 2016.

“Until I was about 50 I was running well and there was always the challenge of getting a good time.”

At last year’s event he completed the race in six hours and nine minutes.

He and his 11 fellow Ever Presents get together every year before pounding the streets of London to complete the 26.2 miles along with tens of thousands of others.

Dad-of-two Jeff, who founded Les Croupiers running club in Cardiff, said: “There are only 12 Ever Presents left.

“The group was formed in 1995 and there were 42 in it then. We lose about three every two years and that figure is quite consistent.

“People get older and less able. One of my secrets is to try to race as often as I can rather than make one effort with the marathon.

“I might race 20 or 30 times a year, maybe 40, but not at marathon distance.”

Jeff was inspired to run marathons by Abebe Bikila, who took gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

“I thought ‘That looks a good thing to do,’” Jeff said.

“He did it barefoot. I’ve never run it barefoot.”

But despite his inspiration it took him 21 years to get around to doing his first marathon.

“I finally did it in 1981 at the first London Marathon,” he said. “It was just a challenge.” And it has remained one. “It’s always been a race I run in, but I have never actually raced against anyone,” he said. “It is a run against the distance and against the clock. My fastest was two hours and 29 minutes – that was in 1983.

“At the end of that day I was better than pleased because I had broken two hours 30 minutes, which is a bit of a landmark time.

“It was the only one I did in under two hours 30 minutes, but I have run probably 20 times in under three hours.”