Nick Matthews is in upbeat mood as he looks ahead to the London Marathon later this year.

The 49-year-old’s preparations are on track – appropriate enough as he’s a railway engineer! – even though it has been delayed six months and he certainly has fond memories of the world’s most iconic race.

This year’s spectacular is on Sunday 4th October will be the third time that Matthews, a member of Tewkesbury Running Club, has competed in the showpiece event.

The most recent was in 2015 when he produced the run of his life to finish in three hours, 38 minutes, a time that remains his personal best over 26.2 miles.

He’s not expecting to go round quite so quickly this time although he does want to beat his 2012 time of 4.06.

“That day in 2015 was a really, really good day,” said Matthews. “The aim is to go under four hours this time, maybe 3.50 or 3.45.”

Matthews is a relative newcomer to competitive running having joined Tewkesbury Running Club in 2007.

Born in Birmingham, the one-time RAF man moved away from Tewkesbury for about five years before returning to the town, and Tewkesbury Running Club, some four years ago.

So, what persuaded him to take up running more seriously when he was in his mid-30s?

“I did the Swindon Half Marathon,” he said. “I was in a pub with a friend, we’d had a lot of beer and it seemed like a good idea at the time!”

That was in 2005 and he clocked up a time of two hours, 10 minutes which he describes now “as not the best”.

“I’d always done a bit of running, just to keep fit,” said Matthews.

But once he joined Tewkesbury, things really started to take off.

“I ran my first marathon in Edinburgh in 2008,” he said. “I ran just over four hours which wasn’t bad at all.”

The London Marathon will be his seventh race over the distance and he added: “The London Marathon is the ultimate, it’s a rare privilege to be given the chance to run in it.”