You are the perfect ROAR role model in that you started running at 62! And ran your first marathon at 65! Tell us about why you decided to become a runner in your 60s?
I actually started running at age 63, and this is my story. At age 60, I retired from my medical practice in Preston and moved 275 miles south to Royal Tunbridge Wells to be near our 3 grandchildren: my daughter Sophie and her Husband James and daughter Helena, who lived in London.
While there, my wife and I did lots of long 20K and 30K walks around the Kent coast and all over London. My daughter Sophie constantly asked why are you walking so much; you should run. I didn’t think I could run.
One day, after Sophie asked me one too many times why I was not running, I decided to start. I did a 5K and thought, this is great, this is easy, and this is fun. It was mentally therapeutic; it was freedom from all the problems in the wide open world, just me, my legs, and the road and the world. I have found a new identity. I am a runner. I increased to running 5 K twice a day, 5 times a week. Then my daughter asked why are you running so much now; you will get an injury. I continued running. Twice a day. Nothing is going to stop me now. I listened to about 6 running audiobooks. This was better than reading medicine. This was the new me. I didn’t think I could do 10K in one go; that’s why I did 5K twice a day.
In April 2024, I went to Toronto as a surprise to my brother, who was being honoured for services to Medicine. The day before the ceremony, I thought I would try a 10K. I did, and it was easy. I thought Canadian air must be better. So back in England I did 10K, then 15 K, half marathon, 25 K regularly.
During my running, I suffered some injuries that led to not being able to run for 4 months. I felt doomed. I listened to audiobooks on Buddhism to find a path through my non-running misery. I had to defer my London Marathon place in 2025 to 2026. I could hardly walk more than 10 mins due to pain, but I did. The surgeon said to use a walking aid for at least a month. I got them but only used them for one day. I walked half an hour, then an hour, and by January 2 hours. I avoided the route my daughter, who is a doctor, took to work, but she sometimes saw me walking with a limp, which was not good.
By April 2025, I was running again. I went to Rio and had one of the best experiences in my life running barefoot along the waterline of the white sandy beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. This was it; I was back and ready to train for London. Over that bridge another time. So I continued training for London, and in Dec I decided to do the Park run in Tonbridge. There were hundreds of proper runners doing all their stretches and exercises; I felt humbled in their presence. In my first run, I think I came 4 th in my age range; in my second park run I was the fastest in my age range. Things were looking good. I am a runner!! A real runner!!
On one of my next training runs, I ran into a tree, and anMRI scan showed a complete tear of my left adductor tendon with muscle retraction. I did hear and feel it snap and thought this was the end of London 2026 training. I was advised to stop running. I did, but just for 1 day. I missed one training session but continued to train despite the pain. My performance suffered; I was then only 85% predicted to hit sub 4 in my first marathon at age 65. I kept going, but the interval training and strides were tough and painful. In Feb, my sciatica worsened. I couldn’t walk more than 10-15 mins without needing to rest due to severe pain. Somehow I could run 3-4 hours with no pain but couldn’t walk 15 mins or stand more than 10 mins. I saw 3 pain doctors; all said I shouldn’t run the marathon.
One laughed loudly when I said I would run, but I knew the walk from Greenwich station to my starting pen was 30 mins, then you have to stand for 2 hours, so it wouldn’t be easy. Could I do that? I Couldn’t defer again, so I had to run London 2026. I did and ran it in 4:12:1, within 7 mins of a Boston Qualifier for age on my first marathon. So that’s how I came to run the London Marathon 2026!! It was a torturous journey, a journey where I discovered a new identity: that I am a proper runner; I am no longer just a retired doctor. There were some very dark days, but also many exhilarating, blissful days. I had to see through the dark days to enter into the blissful light. I somehow knew that, come what may, I would do this. I did make some mistakes on the run, but I am due to run the Copenhagen Marathon in 2027, aiming for 3:58, and run Boston in 2028. Boston qualification for my age is 4:05. So I might see some of you in Boston….. hopefully.
How has running changed your life and how will you build on this new “life layer” in the future?
Running has given me a new identity. An identity, something I am good at that I never knew I could do until age 64. I wish I ran in High School or in Med School. Where would I be now if I did? Run for Great Britain? Who knows. My whole life might have been different. That’s the past; I now know who I am. I am not just a retired doctor or a proud grandad of 5; I am in my own right somebody. I am a runner, in a family of high achievers in the UK and Toronto, and I have claimed my identity. Others can excel in other fields; that’s commendable, but this is me. A newfound confidence. I can value and respect, and glory in the achievements of others from my standpoint as a runner. I can say no to things I can’t do or might be difficult to do. I no longer need to please everyone all the time to win their affection. Running has solidified my core strength. I know who I am, and I have been featured in Runner’s World and my local village magazine as a motivational example to others. Running has given me a lot.
I hope to get a Boston qualification in Copenhagen in 2027 and run Boston in 2028. I am not looking forward to heartbreak hill, but I am looking forward to conquering it. And then I intend to run the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2029 in honour of my late mother Iris’s 100th birthday. That will be a very emotional run. Then the Cape Town marathon for my 70th….That’s my plan so far. Hope nothing stops me! Running is not just a new layer in my life; it’s my core, my soul; it’s me.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a new fitness regimen in their 60s? Give us some words of inspiration and wisdom!
For me to be asked this question is such a privilege. It creates such positive energy within me. I was the one who shied away from PE at school, who buried my head in books as I felt couldn’t compete on the sports field with my brother Ian, who was a shining star. I was told 15 years ago by 2 cardiologists that I should retire and spend more time with the family as I have 3 calcified coronary arteries. So thank you for this question!!
My advice would be don’t hesitate to start exercise or running or a sport of your choice; start today, provided you have no significant medical problems preventing you. Start small and gradually build up; let your body be your guide. You don’t have to run a marathon in a month, but you can in a year. Once you make a start, there is time to build up; there is no rush. Don’t push yourself too much in the beginning and get injured like me several times. Learn from my mistakes. Talk to others, attend webinars. Read or listen to audiobooks on your chosen sport. Learn the best form and learn techniques and practice them. You never know; you might discover a hidden talent as I did.
If you have a setback, sit it out, be patient use the time to cross-train. Learn and improve your understanding of your sport. Don’t give up hope. Know you are still in the game and preparing for your return. Come out better equipped after the setback. You can power your success in high days and in low days.
Being in your 60s is no barrier to starting your chosen sport. My first proper race was the Brighton Half Marathon at age 65. I did it in 1:51:40. It was cold, very windy, and raining heavily. I loved it. I was running among the young crowd; I was overtaking runners 20+ years younger than me. I was surprised, and there were thousands of runners behind me; that was what was most motivating. So forget your age, go out and do that sport or fitness regime you always wanted to do, or try something new and see where it takes you. It might open a completely new world of positive experiences. Good luck.
Read about Brian’s running journey at runnersworld.com/uk.
