Colin Taylor of Beverley Athletic Club chose to celebrate his 65th birthday in style by running the Edinburgh Marathon last Sunday. On the eve of this milestone birthday he ran the 26.2 mile course in a commendable 4 hours 37 minutes and 14 seconds.
The Edinburgh Marathon was celebrating its 10th birthday and a record number of 23,000 runners competed in various races during the course of the weekend. Although the weather was fine for spectators it was hot for runners and Taylor chose to run the marathon at a sensible pace for the conditions. He said “I ran for survival and to reach age 65 on Monday!”
Taylor acknowledged the help he had received from fellow Beverley Athletic Club member and training partner Richard Clark:
“He was a big influence in making it possible for me to run this marathon.”
It was Taylor’s fourth marathon and his second time in Edinburgh. In 2010 he finished slightly faster in 4:33:56. His best time for a marathon was set in 1988 when he ran the demanding Isle of Wight Marathon as a member of Ryde Harriers in 3:46:39. He is considering returning to the Isle of
Wight in October to tackle the very scenic but hilly marathon course again.
This year the Edinburgh Marathon was won by Kenyan John Mutai in 2:19:52. The first lady was Natalia Lehonkova from the Ukraine. She completed the course in 2:39:48.
Reported by Kay Farrow
