Me.

Right, errr... like what do I say now? OK, started running early 07 as an alternative to the work's canteen at lunch-time! First run was a gut-wrenching 3 miles across the flat Cheshire fields that flank my place of work. In the previous weeks before I'd caught myself staring at the hills from my comfy office chair thinking I'm too old (at 47) to be running up the likes of those.

After surviving the first few field runs, I met up with a group of 'footy' runners, a couple of affable lads who liked to do 3mile tarmac plod two or three times a week to aid their 5 a-side stamina. The route they religiously followed passed a sewage treatment plant. This is where I first learned to pick up a bit of pace, a kind of forced Fartlek. Sewage works? Fartlek? Sorry.

After a month or two of no more than 3 miles I met another runner whilst changing a character known as 'Collie Dave'. We decided to run across some water-logged fields, a little flat 4 miler we later christened the 'Bog-trot' Never looked back after that little run and got a taste for running off-road, it's all his fault! As the miles increased I started getting niggley injuries here and there eventually stopping my running altogether. Sorted the problem out with two experts from Macclesfield physio and podiatrist who made me new feet! my running improved and I enjoyed many training runs in the hills with Dave.

It was about then that I decided to run Snowdon Mara 07 - training had been interrupted by injury but hell - I did it anyway and loved it. So much so that I did it again this year and shaved 4 mins of my Snowdon pb.