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Marathon hopeful, 101-year-old , training hard
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 3/6/08 | Peter Apps

Posted on 03/06/2008 2:46:14 PM PST by NormsRevenge

LONDON (Reuters) - Already Britain's oldest employee, 101-year-old Buster Martin now aims to become the world's oldest marathon runner by completing the London Marathon and celebrating with a pint of beer and a cigarette.

Sprightly and bearded, he completed a half marathon at the weekend in five hours 13 minutes. The former Army physical training instructor works three days a week for a London plumbing firm and says he has trained for the April 13th race in his spare time.

"I've said I'll attempt it," he told Reuters by telephone from his workplace at Pimlico Plumbers. "I haven't said I'll complete it. If I do make it, all the better. I hadn't thought of doing it before but someone asked me and the money goes to charity so why not?"

His sponsorship money will go to the Rhys Daniels Trust, which provides temporary accommodation for families of patients in specialist children's hospitals.

Martin, who had 17 children and returned to work at the age of 99 saying he was bored after two years of retirement, would beat the previous record for world's oldest marathon runner by eight years.

"If I finish, I'll do what I always do and have a pint and a fag," he said. "People ask what is my secret but I haven't got one. They say fags and booze are bad for you -- but I'm still here, aren't I?"


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: elderly; hopeful; marathon; training
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To: NormsRevenge

Source

21 posted on 03/06/2008 3:36:19 PM PST by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: timm22

This guy was in the news only a couple of years ago for beating off three muggers single-handed. Chuck Norris is a pussy compared to Buster Martin......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=439089&in_page_id=1770


22 posted on 03/06/2008 3:43:19 PM PST by thundrey
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To: thundrey

Cool, Thanks for that link!!


23 posted on 03/06/2008 3:50:09 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE’s toll-free tip hotline —1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRGeT)
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To: Kennard

“5:13 for a half is 2-1/2 miles per hour
the average person WALKS 4 mph
training hard?”

An “average” person is NOT 101 years old. But you could have thought that one through, right?


24 posted on 03/06/2008 4:07:23 PM PST by truth_seeker
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To: thundrey
This has got to be a hoax of some sort. Now I feel silly.

There is no way one old man could kick so much butt.

25 posted on 03/06/2008 5:31:30 PM PST by timm22 (Think critically)
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To: Kennard
5:13 for a half is 2-1/2 miles per hour the average person WALKS 4 mph training hard?

When you turn 101, get back with us have far you walk in 5 hours and 13 minutes.
26 posted on 03/07/2008 6:27:39 AM PST by usastandsunited
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