A former shipyard worker is limbering up for his 120th long-distance race at the age of 85.
Spritely Hughie Turner will today join hundreds of other runners more than half his age to clock up his latest half-marathon. A veteran of more than 100 full marathons, he describes the 13-mile event as a “jaunt”.
The 5ft 1in, eight-and-half stone dynamo, grew up in a two-bedroomed tenement flat in Govan, Glasgow, with his 12 younger brothers and sisters. The average lifespan for men in the area is just 67. But Hughie is certainly no Rab C Nesbitt.
“I can’t remember the last time I had a meat pie and you’ll never see me in a string vest, just a T-shirt,” laughed the former Cameron Highlander. “And I have no special diet.
“But I love a good plate of soup, eat plenty of fruit and I’m fond of cheese. As a special treat I’ll have a slice of apple pie.”
Great-grandad Hughie took up running marathons and half-marathons at the age of 58 after feeling the need to get fitter. He had a track record of winning races while in the Army in the 1940s and ’50s so knew he was made of the right stuff.
“I competed against men from other regiments and often won,” he explained.
No-frills Hughie, who has three children, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren, insists on running in a pair of cheap trainers, gym shorts and a plain, simple vest. He often camps out in parks the night before events.
His wife, Margaret, 83, says she wishes she could keep up with him. They first got to know each other when a friend urged her to write to a soldier at Christmas in 1950. They met in 1953 and married in 1955 before setting up home in Nuthall, near Nottingham, where he will today run in the Worksop Halloween Half Marathon.
By the time he’d turned 80, Hughie, had clocked up dozens of marathons all over the country and had a cupboard full of trophies. In 2009, at 82, he was even named the fastest 80-plus runner in the London Marathon.
Last week he did four five-mile runs to prepare for today’s race.
“I use a running track and quite often just run on the pavement,” he added. “It was a last minute decision to enter this race but I was coaxed into it by a friend.”
It’s Hughie’s dream to see the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year. His family think he’s a great ambassador for the city. Niece Pauline Graham, a library assistant from Darnley, Glasgow, admits she is in awe of her uncle.
“He must have covered hundreds of miles and every one is a great tribute to his Scottish upbringing,” she said.
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