Minister is vowing to run his swansong
Long-distance runner Neil Richardson is hoping for another shot at a sporting swansong after what was supposed to be his final race was cruelly ended by injury.
But the retired minister will not be hanging up his running shoes for good, as he convinced family members that a half-marathon will be his next venture.
The 71-year-old of Ludlow was training to be a part of the Chester Marathon at the beginning of October, but tore a calf muscle in the build-up and was sidelined for the event.
He said: "Training was going well and I was at the taper period before the race which is, generally, when the training calms down as you prepare.
"Then I got the freak injury. It was a muscle tear about a week before the marathon. I was pretty gutted."
The grandfather-of-four has worked at churches all over the country in his time from Manchester to Lincoln, Oxford and Bristol
He's vowed to return strongly as he steadily builds up his training, targeting a New Year return.
He said: "I've had a month or so's rest under the physio's orders. They gave me a good programme to stick by and it's gone well.
"Generally, I've been lucky with injuries. It was a pity it came a week before a marathon. But it's my first major injury in many years. I'm due back on the roads this week.
"I promised my wife, Rhiannon, that the marathon would be my last full one but, after pulling out with an injury, I hope that they will let me have another look for one in the early months of next year.
"It'll only be half-marathons from now on!"
Richardson, who is the former president of the Great Britain Methodist Conference, revealed that he had been running for well over half a century, citing school and university, where he ran socially.
But it wasn't until he hit 50 that he decided to run competitively.
Running may seem a far cry from his former day job, but Richardson runs to support the Hands Together charity, which is based at Ludlow Methodist Church.
He added: "I've been a minister my whole life. The Hands Together charity was originally set up under the title of 'Ludlow Under Pressure' by two members of my church.
"Many churches that I've worked for over my time have been very understanding with my running passion. They've allowed me to have Sunday mornings off to go all over the place and run.
"A lot of the time it has been the London Marathon. I've run that seven or eight times. I've done about 14 marathons in total over my time. But I was usually back for the evening service anyway."
Sport is something that flows through the blood of the Richardson family.
Son Simon is a retired professional cyclist, who won the British National Mountain Bike Championships in 2005.
