Running the London Marathon as a family - Mike Barnes' inspirational running story continues
Two years ago, England Athletics spoke to Mike Barnes, who had run his first marathon at age 70, and was preparing to take on the London Marathon at 72.
Mike was running in aid of Bowel Cancer UK, after his eldest daughter, Laura, sadly passed away from the illness aged 36, just 18 months after giving birth to twin girls.
This year, Mike and his two daughters are running the London Marathon together for the same charity. His daughters, Emily and Harriet, will be running their first marathon, in memory of their elder sister.
Mike will be attempting to complete three marathons in two weeks, now aged 74.
Still achieving personal bests in his 70s
Just after we last spoke to Mike, he managed to beat his previous personal best over the marathon by a huge 45 minutes. He’s since run half marathons, a couple of full marathons, and even an ultra run.
“The running community just keeps bringing me back to the runs. I get a real FOMO when I see a run and I’m not involved! I just meet so many fantastic people when I run in these ‘races’ that are so encouraging, welcoming and hugely supportive.”
Last year, Mike ran the Brighton and Paris marathons with just six days in between, before taking on a 50km ultra run on the island of Tiree across 16 beaches with a force-nine gale and horizontal rain!
“To say the other runners were supportive would be an understatement. To be the only person running along a deserted beach for as far as the eye could see was a once in a lifetime opportunity (though I may well do it again!)
“From that one run alone, and from the island community and runners I raised £1,000 for Bowel Cancer UK.”
As Mike prepares to take on this spectacular challenge at his ripe young age, he recognises the importance of recovery between races but is confident that his body can handle it – despite not realising the short time between races when he first applied for the marathons!
“I see lots of advice saying that your body takes about five to six weeks to get over running a marathon – so lets see what happens when you’re 74!
Running together in memory of Laura
Lining up for the London Marathon with his two daughters, Emily and Harriet, in memory of his eldest daughter Laura, will be an emotional experience for all three of them, and Mike plans to run with them the whole way.
“Running London with Emily and Harriet will not only be absolutely amazing, it’ll be something that will be indescribably emotional. It will be their first ever marathon, and although they keep saying “It’s alright for you, you’ve run a marathon!”, I know that they will both absolutely smash it!
“We will aim to stay together all the way round and cross the finish line on the Mall hand in hand remembering Laura, their older sister and my daughter who will be with us all the way round too. My challenge will be to stop them talking all the way round! But to say I’m proud would be a total understatement.”
Benefits of running both physically and mentally
Our sport means so much to so many people, and Mike recognises that running helps with both his physical and mental health.
“Running adds so much to my life. It gives me a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, a sense of doing something very special not only, selfishly, for me, but for the wider community.
“Since losing my daughter, I would have undoubtedly been quite morose and feeling sorry for myself, for which my daughter would have absolutely told me off. There are sayings that the old 60 is the new 40, but I think with running, I actually forget what age I am!
“When I run on my own, running gives me a chance to completely clear my mind and enjoy the countryside and the freedom. If I’m ever feeling a bit down, my wife will say to me, ‘Oh go for a run!’
"When I run with others, the sense of ‘we are in this together’ and the support that is given is just brilliant. Running doesn’t make the grief go away, but it does give amazing reasons for running. Many people I know within the Cancer community would love to be able to do what I do.”
Mike hopes that his story will inspire others of a similar age to take up running, and also to raise awareness of the benefits of running on people’s physical health.
“The latest research shows that continual exercise can help to reduce someone’s risk of cancer. If by my running I can spread awareness of symptoms; tell people what help is out there; and raise funds for research to help stop people suffering from cancer, then I will run!”
RunTogether groups key for Mike
Our national RunTogether network has been a key part of Mike’s running journey, having joined three local groups to him, all of which have given him a welcoming, friendly environment to train along the way.
Mike first joined Lions Running Community, and although he was nervous at first to go along to a group run, the group soon made him feel very welcome.
“On one of the nights they have what they call a long run, and a short run and you can choose whichever you like, which is really beneficial as sometimes you don’t always feel like, or feel capable of, a long run.
“It slowly became a weekly habit and something which I looked forward to every week. A great bunch of folk, all of varying running abilities, with the faster runners looping back to the tail runners so that no-one ever feels that they are at the back or running slowly.”
Mike says joining a new group or club at a certain age isn’t an issue, as everyone has a shared passion for running no matter what age they are. As well as Lions Running Community, Mike is also a member of Red Rose Road Runners, and Manchester-based ‘Made’.
“The support and encouragement of the group spurred me on to challenge myself – being one of the oldest members is quite fun as they tend to now call me ‘the legend!’, but it’s all in good fun.
Find a RunTogether group near you“Yes there are many who are a lot faster than me but that makes no difference to the friendship that you receive. Three very different groups but three amazingly encouraging groups of people.”
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