My 60in60at60 Challenge

60 marathons in 60 weeks at 60 years - Yes folks, I know it should be 52 in 52 at 60 and 8 in 8 at 61, but that doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it, so I’m using a bit of poetic license here.

The idea really started one Tuesday evening in October 2008, (over a beer like a lot of crazy ideas do). I was in the Littledown Harriers bar after a typical training session talking to fellow Harrier Paolo (Iron Man) De Luca about marathon running of course. “Hey Barry I’m reading a great book at the moment” he pulled it out of his bag and showed me. It was called 50 50 (50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days). The marathons were completed in 2006 by an American ultra marathon runner Dean Karnazes. It was my first year of running marathons 4 in all, London 3.28.49, Belfast 3.34.53, Edinburgh 3.33.39 and Dublin 3.44.15, some club mates had commented that I had been mad to run 4 marathons in a year and even madder to run the first 3 in 6 weeks. I flicked through Dean’s book and was amazed that someone could actually do that. I thought to myself I must get that book as I was starting to become hooked on marathon running and already starting to plan my events for 2009. Of course stuff happened and I just didn’t get round to buying the book. Fast forward to Christmas day, after dinner, we all sat down to give out and open our presents. We drew lots to see who opens their presents first (an old family tradition – I always seem to be last) and presents that had been carefully and meticulously wrapped (at least my wife’s were) were ripped open in seconds. Of course you know what’s coming – my present from my daughter Karleh was Dean’s book.

By Boxing day afternoon I had read the book from cover to cover – what a great read, amazingly Dean’s 50th marathon and the fastest was New York with a time of 3.00.30 – fantastic. It was the same year that 7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong ran with a time of 2:59:36. I started to think, wouldn’t it be great to do something like that and started to discuss it with the rest of my family, who soon became very peed off and bored by my marathon talk, especially as my nose had been in Dean’s book for most of the afternoon. There was no way I could even dream of doing something like that, all those marathons in consecutive days, or was there? I new that at 57 with still 94 marathons still to run to complete my 100, I would have to take some drastic steps during the next few years to make it happen. Then it dawned on me, in 3 years time I was going to be 60, perhaps I could run a marathon a week for 60 weeks during 2012. Would it be possible to do that? I would have to train hard, stay healthy, fit and injury free. Then I realized that 2012 was also going to be Olympic Year, – it would be a great year to run lots of marathons especially London again.

I also discovered that 2012 was going to be the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, and that celebrations will centre around an extended weekend on 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th June to mark 60 years of the Queen’s reign – while I must admit to not being a great royalist, it would be nice to do the 60 marathons to mark this event.

Yes, I was there at the Coronation of  Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – well, at the street party in Brixton!

So that’s how this idea started, I wouldn’t say that I’ve been wishing the last few years of my life away (at my age time is precious) but once I get an idea in my head I find it hard to shift. I like targets and challenges and it’s strange how it seems that several things have transpired over the last few years to make me think that somehow fate or dare I say destiny, has been playing a big part in my preparations.

Only time will tell if I can complete this Challenge, but I’m very determined to succeed and going to give it every thing I’ve got. There’s lots that can go wrong, I’ll just take it a marathon at a time and see what happens. One things for sure it’s not going to be all about the running, Patsi and I like travelling and I hope we can see and experience lots of new places and meet loads of interesting people (and even a few runners!) – we’re looking at it as an opportunity for a great adventure, so watch this space and wish me luck, I’m gonna need it.