Hundreds of thousands of runners will today attempt to complete the London Marathon. But unlike most, Ken Jones has completed every single one since it began, 38 years ago.
Every year, the 85-year-old travels over from his home in Northern Ireland to take on the iconic race and loves it as much now as he did back in 1981 when he first took part.
Speaking to the Metro.co.uk, he joked it's high time he was given the VIP treatment by the event organisers.
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He said: "I'd like the London Marathon to make more of a fuss of me, and shower me with gifts and presents and things like that.
"I've asked them to lay on a car for me and that's not happening. But they'll lay a car on for all the athletes."
Instead, Ken's love of running comes at a pretty hefty cost and every year he has to fork out hundreds just to compete in the race.
He said: "I'm a little amateur and it costs me a small fortune to come all the way from Northern Ireland, with all the aeroplanes, trains and taxis and everything.
"I've got to stay in a hotel. I've got to buy my food and taxis. It's £25 one way and £25 the other.
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"Then I have to get on the bus. That's £20. That takes me to the airport and then there are the airline tickets which are about £130 because I paid in advance.
"So it's a lot of money when you work it out. It all comes to about £600."
Ken is the oldest member of a very exclusive - and dwindling - group of runners, called 'The Ever Presents', who've completed every single London Marathon.
In that time, the pensioner says he's seen the event mushroom from just a few keen runners to one of the most iconic races in the world.
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He said: "When it all started there were about 3,000 people and we couldn't believe that many people were entering it.
"And now there are 464,000 entries. It's just unbelievable to think that many people have the ability to say 'I can run a marathon'."
And though he might not be as quick around the course as he used to be, Ken will still be giving most a run for their money.
He said: "You just can't do it at 85. I've been running since I was in the army in 1951. That's a long time.
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"I'll probably be doing 16-minute miles but in my heyday, I was doing sub-six-minute miles.
"My best ever was two hours and 41 minutes in 1967. That was from Windsor to Chiswick, well before the London Marathon got going."
So what's the secret to Ken's endurance?
He added: "I don't agree with drinking alcohol because it not only affects you the next day but the day after that.
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"Oh, and the other benefit of not drinking is you're a lot wealthier." Good luck, Ken!
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: SPORT, UK News, Interesting