Putting the fun into fundraising

John Starbrook, 86, was the oldest male runner to take part in the 2016 London Marathon.

Out of the 51 marathons John has completed since taking up running aged 43, he has fundraised around £40,000 in support of Age UK.

Until very recently, John was training to take part in two marathons a year, New York in November and London in April, with a triathlon in between, just for good measure. He says, ‘I’m always getting told ‘act your age John, you’re 86, you should be sitting down’ but no I can’t do that!’

I’m #ProudtobeAgeUK to prove that age is a number not a barrier. I’m 86 and look forward to embracing new challenges each day.

When asked about his motivation John said, ‘I’ve always loved sport and I’ve been active since a young age. I’ve also done sky dives in between marathons – it’s all a bit of fun!’

John is also inspired to keep running by his grandchildren. His granddaughter Yarna, then 18, completed the London Marathon with him in 2015 and his youngest grandchild, Alfie, 11, promises to run alongside his grandfather when he turns 18. John will be 92 then, but he’s not ruling it out, ‘it is a bit of a tough ask, but that would be some achievement!’

Go back to Annual Review 2015: #ProudtobeAgeUK