Marathon veteran refuses to act his age

Les Marsh, 88, will be the oldest competitor in today's Rotorua Marathon. Photo / Alan Gibson

His surgeon warned him against it and his family asked him to stop but Les Marsh has got the marathon bug.

The 88-year-old Katikati man will be the oldest competitor in today's 45th Lion Foundation Rotorua Marathon. It will be his fifth time crossing the finish line in the country's biggest marathon.

Mr Marsh first competed in the event in 2003 with his son John when he was 81.

"I thought, 'I won't be doing it again'," he said.

"It was agony. A couple of weeks later a package with a wooden trophy in it came in the mail. It said I'd won first place in the over-80 category. I looked at the records and not only had I come first but I'd come last because I was the only one in it."

That recognition was enough to make the World War II veteran go through it all again.

He has raised money for various groups and this year has collected about $4000 so far for the Child Cancer Foundation, Starship hospital and the Bible Society.

Mr Marsh had a hip replacement in 1993 and, after doing his first three marathons, phoned his surgeon to tell him how he was doing.

The doctor asked him to get an x-ray to see how the hip replacement was doing. He discovered the disc in his hip had slipped about a quarter of an inch.

"He said, 'I wouldn't be doing any more if I was you'," Mr Marsh said. "I thanked him and went on my way."

Mr Marsh's keenness has also worried his family but it will not stop him.

"They said, 'No Dad, you should not do it'. My wife says, 'Dear, I think you better slow down. Listen to what your body's saying. Act your age'."

But after pleading with him to stop, Mr Marsh's son John and daughter-in-law Sue secretly registered to compete in the marathon this year hoping to surprise their father.

The internet-savvy octogenarian saw their names registered on the internet, which he checks each day to see how many over 80-year-olds have signed up.

He hopes to finish the marathon in under seven hours or before the cut-off time of seven-and-a-half hours.

However, he is still nursing a pulled calf muscle after completing a 42km training walk on the outskirts of Katikati in seven hours and 42 minutes two weeks ago.

Snells Beach resident Peter Ridley will today be running his 100th marathon and 15th Rotorua marathon. A part-time accountant who also works in the chilled foods department at Orewa New World, Mr Ridley has also run the 42km in Boston, London, Honolulu, New York, Berlin and various parts of Australia.

Event organiser Angela Salmon said that by 3pm yesterday, 2572 people had registered for the marathon and 780 for the 5km and 10km fun runs.

Mr Marsh is one of four men in the over-80 category. The oldest female competitor registered by then is 75.

Competitors have been encouraged to volunteer for the Adopt a Runner programme helping to get school children interested in exercise. Organised by Sport Bay of Plenty, it partners a runner with a Rotorua classroom. Children support and cheer on their "adopted" runner and ask questions about their training and nutrition.