On Monday, Steve Edwards will reach a goal that’s been decades in the making. He will compete at the Milton Keynes Marathon, marking his 1000th marathon. This will be an exceptional finale to an astonishing goal.
The IT technical support specialist from Coventry ran his first marathon in 1981 at the age of 18; since then, he’s been checking them off. His 100th Marathon was at St Albans in Dec 1990, making him the youngest person to run 100 marathons at that time.
How are you feeling pre-1000 marathon race?
I’m nervous and excited in equal measure, and I’m also quite daunted about the prospect of what comes after! Up until now, I’ve always been chasing a record or a challenge, and for the first time in over four decades, I won’t have that anymore.
If you were to sum up your running journey how would you describe it?
Probably that’s it’s been a journey of learning & discovery on many levels.
From learning what an amazing machine the human body is, to discovering that my limits far exceeded anything I could ever have imagined. I’ve learned about nutrition, recovery, training techniques and indeed race tactics, all of which have contributed to my consistency and longevity in the sport.
I’ve discovered many new places that I wouldn’t necessarily have visited had it not been for attending a race there. Met lots of interesting & like minded people and made many new friends.
There’s also been an evolutionary element in that over the years many things have changed and therefore realising that I’ve never stopped learning and had to be prepared to adapt to enjoy continued success, especially as I’ve got older!
It’s been an amazing journey that I will always look back on with fond memories. I often think back to my very first marathon in 1981 and wonder where all that time has gone! This has taught me two valuable lessons in life, never turn down an opportunity as you never know where it might lead and don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
What is the average time based on the current 999 to complete a marathon?
Currently 3hrs 21min 45sec.
Expecting the final average finish time to be 3hrs 21min 47sec for 1000.
Which marathon have you chosen and how can runners support you on the day?
Milton Keynes on Monday, May 6th, starting and finishing at the MK Dons stadium.
Personal achievement aside, since 2012 I wanted to dedicate my marathon running to raising money for Kate’s Home Nursing, a palliative nursing care charity local to us in North Gloucestershire. For many years, my wife Teresa was part of their incredible nursing team looking after terminally ill patients in the latter stages of their life, hence our connection to this amazing charity.
If anyone would like to consider making a small donation to our JustGiving page, that would be amazing.
What lit the spark to aim for 1000 and what does it take to achieve these milestones…
In 2012, my 50th birthday year, I achieved my original lifetime challenge to run 500 marathons averaging sub 3hrs 15min and thought that would be my limit. However, I felt I could raise the bar a little higher so pushed on to 600, then 700.
After that I realised that 1000 averaging sub 3hrs 30min might be a possible. Covid put paid to a planned finale in 2022, my 60th birthday year but thankfully the will power was just about strong enough to see it through.
Unfortunately, there is no magic banana, it’s just good old fashioned hard graft and following the 4 Ds, Discipline, Dedication, Desire & Determination. And perhaps most importantly, having a very understanding partner, I couldn’t have achieved all that I have without Teresa’s loving support.
What does the running community mean to you?
I know that people run for many different reasons, maybe it’s the competition against others and oneself, maybe it’s the social aspect or, raising money for charity etc, or maybe a combination of all of those.
However, I think the common factor that I learned a very long time ago is the mental and physical health benefits that running brings. This I think is the common bond that the running community has, it is without doubt the best medicine in the world.
If you had a message for every runner what would it be?
My motto has always been ‘Never underestimate your potential, follow your dreams.’ If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my own journey, it’s that we are capable of achieving more than we could ever imagine.
