A SMALL part of Jeremy Holt secretly hoped the Swindon Half Marathon would stay dead and buried when the British Heart Foundation pulled the plug in February.

The 59-year-old, who has completed all but four of the marathons and half marathons in Swindon since 1985, was looking for that one excuse to have a year off.

But old habits die hard and after SEQOL resurrected the town’s blue riband (CORR) event, Jeremy was soon on board again and set his sights on another October tilt at breaking the two-hour barrier.

“I had mixed feelings because it was a good excuse for not taking part one year, but I am pleased it went ahead really,” he said.

“These events need momentum and if it had gone one year it might not have come back.”

The Clark Holt Commercial Solicitors partner missed four events in the late 1980s either because of injury or business in China.

Such is Jeremy’s commitment to the town’s number one running event, he nearly persuaded himself to tackle 13.1 miles while in China, at exactly the same time as those setting out from Pipers Way.

He has run the major city marathons in Paris, 1984, and London, 1985, but kept on ticking off Swindon each and every year.

“I never set out to do them all, but felt I had to have a good reason for not doing them,” he said.

Entries to Sunday’s race are still open. For information, visit swindonhalfmarathon.org.uk.

“I am tremendously grateful to all those who marshalled the events and organise these things.

“It wouldn’t happen without the volunteers and I am enormously grateful to everyone whose helped to organise it.”

With personal bests of three hours, 45 minutes for the marathon and one hour, 55 minutes for the half marathon, the solicitor doesn’t profess to be super fast or a front runner.

“Gradually, if you’ve done it for a long period of time, you find out what the tricks are and find out how to do it, but I suppose personal fitness was always high on my agenda,” he said.

“If I ever go two or three days without exercise I start getting irritable and feel a bit like a marshmallow.”

The Museum of Computing founder settled in Old Town’s Belmont Crescent in 1985 with wife Dr Antonia Newell.

Keen to stay in good physical condition since his university rowing days and his service with the Territorial Army, Jeremy almost fell into running because of its simplicity and minimal equipment.

Jeremy opts for a full rest period in the two or three days before the race, he also recommends ensuring your toe nails are finely cut pre-race and also invest in Vaseline.

A tip he learnt from his military days: apply one strip of the jelly to your forehead to avoid any sweat running into your eyes.