Jeff Waters is preparing to run his 36th consecutive Stroud Half Marathon.

That’s a pretty impressive stat in its own right, but it becomes even more impressive when you consider what Jeff has had to overcome just to get to the starting line for many of those races.

Jeff was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis some 20 years ago which means a simple jog around the garden can require a lot of effort.

Not that that has stopped him pursuing the sport he loves.

It was a long time ago when the now 57-year-old started running when he was 21-22 “just so I could get fit”.

It was at this time the first Stroud Half Marathon was held and Jeff, born in Stretford in Manchester but a very much adopted Stroud-ite, has been a staunch supporter of the event ever since, never missing a race.

Jeff enjoyed his running in those early years – he was a decent runner – before his world came tumbling down on 28th January 1996.

“When I was 36 I had a viral infection in the spine,” he said. “I was paralysed from the neck down.

“I spent seven weeks in Frenchay Hospital where I had two operations and another 16 weeks in Gloucester Hospital where I tried to get myself right. I didn’t wake up for 10 days when I was in Frenchay.

“I came out of Frenchay in a wheelchair and I left Gloucester on sticks to help me walk. It took me six months to learn how to walk again without sticks.

“Some doctors had said I may never walk again and they all said I definitely wouldn’t be able to run.

“I said I’ve got to because I want to take part in the Stroud Half and they said they’d be amazed if I did.”

Well, they were amazed because Jeff managed to walk and jog his way around the 13.1-mile course in three to three-and-a-half hours. That was in 1996 and he’s looking forward to this year’s event on Sunday 22nd October as much as he has the previous 35.

“The MS does get slightly worse every year,” he said. “It does hurt to run these days but you’ve just got to keep going.”

Jeff gets plenty of support from his 26-year-old daughter Rebecca, who like her dad, is a member of Stroud Athletic Club.

She is taking part in the Stroud Half for the fourth time and although they will be together on the starting line she won’t wait for dad once the race has started.

“She’s much faster than me,” he chuckled. “Her target time is about one hour, 50 minutes while I’ll be happy to run two and a quarter hours.”

That’s not a bad time, of course, although well short of his half marathon time best of one hour, 24 minutes, five seconds, set in Bath in 1995.

As well as Rebecca, Jeff has also received plenty of help from Stroud Athletic Club.

“When i first started back at the club after being in hospital I’d go jogging with them,” he said, “but I kept falling over. I persevered and everyone said to keep going.

“Now I don’t want to give it up and as long as I can still do it I will.”

Amazingly Jeff, who has a best Stroud Half time of “one hour, 28 minutes something” believes he has been one of the “lucky” ones over the years.

“I’m lucky because I’ve got slow progressive MS,” he said. “Other people who get MS can end up going straight into a wheelchair.”

Jeff, who has been married to Karen for 36 years with whom he also has a son Callum, still runs three times a week – twice on his own and once with Rebecca on Saturday mornings.

For the past two years he has taken part in the Cotswold Trails runs – a 14 and a half mile cross-country hike.

He has also run 11 London Marathons although only one since 1996. That was in 1998 and he ran it “just to make sure he could”.

He could – just – but said he was in a “terrible state” after the race.

The Stroud Half is the race closest to his heart and he says: “It’s very well organised and it’s a nice flat course. The scenery is lovely as well. I’m just lucky I can do it.”