Marathon hopeful, 101-year-old , training hard


LONDON - Already Britain's oldest employee, 101-year-old Buster Martin
now aims to become the world's oldest marathon runner by completing
the London Marathon and celebrating with a pint of beer and a cigarette.

Sprightly and bearded, he completed a half marathon at the weekend in
five hours 13 minutes. The former Army physical training instructor
works three days a week for a London plumbing firm and says he has
trained for the April 13th race in his spare time.

"I've said I'll attempt it," he told Reuters by telephone from his
workplace at Pimlico Plumbers. "I haven't said I'll complete it. If I
do make it, all the better. I hadn't thought of doing it before but
someone asked me and the money goes to charity so why not?"

His sponsorship money will go to the Rhys Daniels Trust, which
provides temporary accommodation for families of patients in
specialist children's hospitals.

Martin, who had 17 children and returned to work at the age of 99
saying he was bored after two years of retirement, would beat the
previous record for world's oldest marathon runner by eight years.

"If I finish, I'll do what I always do and have a pint and a fag," he
said. "People ask what is my secret but I haven't got one. They say
fags and booze are bad for you—but I'm still here, aren't I?"