101-year-old aims to "buster record"

05/03/2008

 Legendary centenarian plumber Buster Martin is planning to run the 26-mile London Marathon at the tender age of 101.

 

Obviously being a working plumber, a member of the legendary rock band the Zimmers and completing the Roding Valley half marathon in Essex in five hours 13 minutes (before asking for a beer on crossing the finishing line) is simply not enough. And why should it be?

 

Described by some publications as having "an invincibility complex", Buster has been making quite a few headlines over the past year - from refusing to take a day off work to celebrate his 100th birthday and becoming an agony uncle for men's magazine FHM, to "kicking the asses" of a gang of muggers. And if he finishes the London Marathon, hell be the oldest recorded marathon participant in the world.

 

Buster, who has 17 children, started work at Pimlico Plumbers in London three years ago because he was "bored", and astounded the managing director of Pimlico Plumbers by appearing at work on Monday morning after running the Essex half marathon.

 

Mr Martin's trainer is marathon enthusiast Harmander Singh, who helped Fauja Singh, 96, break the London marathon record for the over-90s.

 

Good luck to him, say all of us at Mature Times!