British Marathon Running Legends of the 1980s

After the running boom of the 1980s, British marathon running standards gradually started to decline.

This was despite the continued advancements in scientific backup, training methods, equipment, full-time professionalism and sponsorship.

As a consequence, in the late 1990s, Gabrielle Collison decided to research the factors as to why this was happening and conducted interviews with some of the top British marathon runners from the previous era.

Interviewees include London Marathon winners: Hugh Jones, Mike Gratton, Veronique Marot and Joyce Smith; Olympic bronze medallist, Charlie Spedding; and several other “Big City” marathon winners.

The stories about their lifestyles and training make riveting reading, and it is certainly a must read for any aspiring marathon runner.