TRUE to his words, west Belfast’s very own running man Francie Arthurs will return to the marathon beat tomorrow - 14 years after his last, and just two weeks short of 82nd birthday.
Since taking up running at the age of 48, Francie has lost count of the amount of marathons he has completed on a journey that has taken him to New York (where he did the 26 miles dressed as a leprechaun), London and all across Europe.
In an interview with The Irish News last year he said his ambition was to run the Belfast marathon again, and tomorrow morning he will join the hordes at the starting line.
It will be the first time Francie - who celebrates his 82nd birthday on May 18 - has undertaken the full 26.2 miles since competing at the 2005 World Masters Athletic Championships in San Sebastien but, having lived the life and prepared as diligently as ever, he has no fears about the task ahead.
“I spent six months out in Benalmadena over the winter there, and I did a half marathon not so long ago - my time wasn’t brilliant but I got round. I’ll be happy enough to get round here,” said Francie, who is running to raise money for suicide awareness charity PIPS.
“I do a 10k every Saturday down round the docks in Belfast. I’m was born and raised in Sailortown and I like to go round and see the photos… there’s pictures of all the people who lived down at Sailortown through the years, and I’m in one of them driving a Lambretta scooter. I’ve a big mop of black curly hair, it must be from about 60 years ago.
“When it comes to running, I just put the head down and away I go. I did a leg of the Belfast marathon when I was 71 but I haven’t done the full thing since the Worlds – it doesn’t bother me though.
“I still feel good, it’s for a good cause and when I get something in my head, that’s it. I wanted to do this for my birthday, and once you get started you enjoy it.
"I'm looking forward to it."
