Geoff Langston is a great representative for Stroud and District Athletics Club, seeing as he’s been running with them for 35 years.

He’s also a good person to talk to if you’re thinking about taking up running.

In fact, he’s likely to motivate you to want to start there and then.

And it’s safe to say that with 40 years’ total running experience, he knows what he’s talking about.

So, what’s his favourite thing about the pastime?

“I like the freedom and being in the open air. You get to be totally free and alone with your own thoughts – there’s no distractions,” he said.

“With other sports like swimming, there’s conflicts and distractions from other people in the pool. I enjoy being able to run on my own.”

This experienced runner isn’t short of achievements, either. “I’ve run a few London marathons,” he said.

“The last one was about 19 years ago though. I’m 70 now.

“I’ve also done the Stroud half marathon. I was first in my age category – I got sent a plaque to prove it!

“I mainly do half marathons nowadays. I’m doing the Forest of Dean half marathon in March.”

Running with the club certainly sounds like an enjoyable thing to do.

“You get to mix with other people. We usually run in the countryside, often off-route in the summer during weekends. We run anywhere in the Cotswolds really, up the hills and far away,” he laughed.

“With the club, we run about seven or eight miles. I’ll run 10 or 11 miles at the weekend.”

He admits that his fitness isn’t what it once was, but that won’t stop him from running or setting targets for the future.

“I aim to maintain the level of ability I’ve got. I would really like to get under one hour and 45 minutes for a half marathon,” he said.

If you’re under the impression that running is a hardship and reserved for the very fit gym-goers of this world, you need to think again.

It can be a thoroughly enjoyable pastime for everyone, not just a way to shed some pounds. Geoff’s passion serves as proof for this.

“I started it to lose weight, but I do genuinely enjoy it. It’s a great way of keeping fit,” he promised.
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So, what are you waiting for?

Grab your trainers and get running!