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Perhaps you could go cheer on East Albury runner and now author Ian Thomas.
“I have this deep desire to run a marathon when I’m over 100,” he said.
After tackling his first 42-kilometre event at the age of 50, Thomas has now completed 24, logged 30,000kms of running and become addicted to its physical and mental benefits.
“You’re a lot calmer and better off if you run because you just clear your mind,” he said.
“It’s just my passion, I just love doing it and there’s no one who can’t.”
And through his first book Even You Can Complete A Marathon, now available via its Facebook page and at Dymocks Albury, he aims to prove that latter point.
Written over six months during a lay-off forced by injury, the retired scientist, 65, has compiled all the notes and tips he’s gathered about preparing for a marathon into one volume.
His wife Kerryn and four adult children proofread his work, offering full and frank feedback along the way.
“Dad, for Christmas I might get you a box of commas,” was one comment.
Thomas said marathon success was in the head.
“The trick is getting to the start line,” he said.
“If you’ve got to the start and you’ve done the work, it’s not hard.”
With the subtitle A marathon for a mere mortal, Thomas’ book is for the average, not elite, athlete.
“Anyone can do a marathon, you’ve just got to decide you want to,” the author said.
“Most people think they can’t when they can, as long as you accept the time and throw time out the window.
“If you want to do it in four hours or beat your friend or something, that’s when it becomes hard.”
As a 10 year old, Thomas heard about Italian runner Dorando Pietri, clearly first in the 1908 Olympic marathon – a race lengthened so royalty could watch – but then disqualified because officials had helped him.
“From that day I’ve always wanted to run a marathon, although I never got round to it until I was 50,” he said.
A stressful job, no exercise and being a smoker for 20 years got in his way, a period where Thomas now admits, “I was drowning”.
He started some evening walks to relax, walked further, found it seemed to be taking too long and began running little bits, which gradually became more and more.
“It’s now a disease, I can’t go anywhere without taking my running gear,” he said.
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