Roy Northcott’s first ever race – certainly as an adult – was the Tewkesbury Half Marathon.

That was in 2006 and he must have quite enjoyed it because he’s run it every year since.

He’ll be lining up for this year’s race, of course, which takes place on Sunday 12th May, along with many, many others for an event that has become a major occasion on the town’s calendar.

Former Tewkesbury School pupil Northcott was born in Malta – his dad was in the Army – and he moved to Tewkesbury in 1983.

Running wasn’t really something he did until the mid-noughties, preferring to play five-a-side football, badminton or tennis.

He also used to enjoy circuit training, so how has running become such a big part of his life?

“I had planned to run the London Marathon in 2006,” explained the 47-year-old who works in IT. “It was on my bucket list, it’s such an iconic race.

“But I didn’t do it that year because I didn’t do enough training.”

He had done enough training to run a half marathon, though, so that’s why he ran the Tewkesbury Half that year.

“I think I ran around one hour, 50,” he said.

That’s a pretty decent effort for someone who recorded a personal best over 13.1 miles of one hour, 39 minutes, 59 seconds in the White Horse Half Marathon in Oxfordshire some seven or so years ago.

And it was certainly good enough to encourage him to try for the London Marathon a year later.

Happily, that was something he was able to tick off the bucket list although it was by no means straightforward.

“I picked up an injury about halfway round,” he said. “I had a sore foot, it came out of nowhere. I could feel blisters on the arches of my feet so I stopped to put on some plasters. But then when I put any weight on my left foot it hurt.

“Then my right knee started hurting as well!”

Anyone who has run any distance will tell you that there can be some tough, tough times during races but the runners who take on these challenges are just as tough and Northcott battled through the pain to reach the finish.

“I was a bit slower than I’d hoped,” he said, “I ran about four hours, 45. My original target had been to run under four hours.”

A sub four-hour marathon is a benchmark for many and Northcott, who has run three Londons, achieved his goal a year later when he completed in around three hours, 56.

That’s when he decided that running was for him. He joined what is now Tewkesbury Running Club in January 2008 and has been captain of the club for the past four or five years.

Ask him what his favourite distance to run is and he’ll say: “Somewhere between a half marathon and a marathon. A half is more manageable but I’ve run more marathons.”

He’s actually run 44 marathons and would love nothing more than to join the 100 marathons club.

“I’ve been inspired by a couple of friends of mine, Phillip Howells and Angie Sadler, who are members of Tewkesbury Running Club who have both run 200 marathons or more,” he said.

Northcott is a big fan of Tewkesbury Running Club.

“It’s a good, friendly club,” he said. “We’ve got quite a range of abilities. We used to be known as Tewkesbury Athletics Club but we don’t do athletics, we do running so we changed our name.

“The club is open pretty much to everyone. We do the Couch to 5K and try to develop the slower runners.”

Northcott is also a fan of the Tewkesbury Half.

“It’s our local race and it’s big race through the town,” he said. “You get decent crowds and finishing in the High Street is much better.”

The other major race in the town is the Guy Fawkes 5 which is put on by Tewkesbury Running Club.

That’s over five miles and is an event that Northcott’s wife Julie has run.

She’s a member of Tewkesbury Allrunners and although the Guy Fawkes 5 is the only race she’s competed in, she has entered this year’s Tewkesbury’s Half.

She’s obviously not as experienced a runner as her husband so will he be helping her round the course?

“I think she’ll be running with the Allrunners,” he laughed.