A WESTBURY man is running the London Marathon for the first time this month and says that if he can do it, anyone can.
Mark Ogden, who turned 52 last week and started running seven years ago, is now a run leader at Westbury Running Group and will run his third marathon in the UK’s most famous race later this month.
Now, Mark is encouraging others to take up running and join the town’s group.
He said, “I always said I wouldn’t be able to do a full marathon but I have done the Bristol to Bath and the Manchester marathons so far. Now I’m one of the lucky ones to be offered a place in London.
“I started at Westbury Running Group seven years ago when I hadn’t done any kind of sport since leaving school. I loved running right from the start and I’m now a run leader at the group.
“It’s a great way to keep fit and make new friends, and in a few years’ time you could be running a marathon, too! If I can do it anyone can.”
The group meets on Mondays and Wednesdays for an hour from 6.30pm at Leigh Park Community Centre. The club is part of the nationwide RunTogether scheme.
Mark added, “The run leaders who took the groups when I started were very friendly and gave me lots of support and encouragement. Before long I had done my first 5k Parkrun and then came the 10k races and half marathons.
We’d love for some new members to join so if, like me, you’ve never run before or you just want to get fit or meet new people, please give Westbury Running Group a try!”
The group is social, rather than competitive, and has groups to cater for all abilities. It costs £2 per session to attend. To find out more, join the ‘Westbury Running Group’ Facebook page, go online to https://groups.runtogether.co.uk/westburyrungroup or call group leader Steve Nuttall on 07802 245196.
