The Stroud Half Marathon will always be something special for Gary Philpott.

That’s because it was the first race he took part in and a dozen or so years on he is looking forward to the race as much this time around as he did in the mid-noughties.

Now 46 and a member of Kingsway Runners, he chuckles when he looks back on how he got started in the sport.

“I had a little bet with a colleague at work about who could run the half marathon faster,” he said.

So, who won?

“I did, quite easily,” he laughed. “I went round in one hour 50 minutes and he was a long way behind. I think he got beaten by an 81-year-old. He doesn’t run these days!”

Philpott’s own enthusiasm for running waned for a few years but he’s now got the passion back and is loving the sport more than ever.

“I ran my fastest time in the Stroud Half last year,” he said. “I ran one hour 29 minutes so I was very pleased with that.”

Philpott describes himself as a “reasonable runner” but is not expecting to go close to that time this time around.

“I’ll be happy just to finish,” he chuckled. “I’m getting over an Achilles injury. I’ve just run the Great North Run – I say run, I mean run, then walk, then run!

“If I can sneak under two hours I’ll be happy.”

Philpott, who lives in Hardwicke, is a big supporter of the Stroud Half.

“It’s a great event,” he said. “I really enjoy it, it’s really well organised and there’s great support from the spectators.

“It’s great for Stroud too. It puts the town on the map and hopefully brings some money into the town. I’ll keep running it for as long as I can.”

It’s not just the Stroud Half that Philpott has a passion for. He is the Event Director for the Kingsway parkrun which takes place every Saturday morning at 9am.

And every year he takes himself off to West Wales to compete in a ‘race the train’ event.

“It does what it says on the tin,” he laughed. “We race against a steam train. It starts in the town of Tywyn and then goes up into the hills and back again.

“It’s a 14-mile trail race and it’s pretty tough.”

So, how does he do?

“It’s 2-2,” he said, “I’ve beaten the train twice and the train has beaten me twice.”

Philpott will be hoping he stays on track for the Stroud Half!

The Stroud Half takes place on Sunday 22nd October and starts at 9am.