ATHLETICS: Seven to go in Edwards' marathon epic (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Steve Edwards runs his 493rd sub-3hr 30min marathon

7:00am Tuesday 28th August 2012 in Sport

STEVE EDWARDS overcome injury niggles and travel scares to get within seven of his epic target at the Guernsey Marathon on Sunday.

Edwards is bidding to become the first runner on the planet to complete 500 sub-3hr 30min marathons and he ticked off No. 493 in the Channel Islands.

But he was so concerned about both a painful ankle and a hamstring problem that he contemplated pulling out until some physiotherapy gave him the confidence to carry on.

However, his problems were not over. His Saturday morning ferry had been cancelled due to bad weather and he did not arrive in Guernsey on his later crossing until 1am on the morning of the race – hardly ideal preparation as it was a rough journey with many passengers being sick throughout.

With only five hours sleep after a tough eight-hour ferry crossing and nagging issues about his hamstring and ankle, Steve knew he was in for a tough day. He said: “Guernsey is a challenging course, with the first five miles pretty much uphill so I knew I'd have to pace this very carefully. It was also warm – in the low 70s.

“In the end, I managed to grind out a 3hr 13min 22sec race to finish in 12th place overall and third for my age. My ankle was sore and only time will tell if it was the right decision to run.

“However, for now, I'm relieved to have got another sub 3:30 in the bag.”