ON SUNDAY, Evan Cook became the British Veteran Marathon Champion. At Wolverhampton, in hot conditions not conducive to marathon running, Cook recorded 2:39.41 to succeed Clayton's Alan Clarkson, last year' winner. Clarkson failed to finish this year due to injury.

Cook ran the opening miles at a conservative pace, and when the half marathon runners finished, he was left in fourth place. At around 17 miles he passed a Kenyan athlete lying at the roadside with the paramedics in attendance. He caught the third man at 19 miles and eased away at 22, holding second place to the end. Triathlete Paul Rogers of Tipton won, but M45 Cook was first veteran.

Evan Cook came to the sport late, starting to run at 37 after giving up playing football. He was living in Canada and joined his local club Cambridge Harriers.

In his first race he ran 38 minutes for 10K, and later he went to the Toronto Marathon and recorded 2:41. That performance earned him a guaranteed entry into the Boston Marathon where he logged 2:35. He set his PB of 2:28 in the Toronto Marathon finishing first veteran and 16th overall in a field of 3,000. On his return to England he joined Accrington Road Runners, but has switched recently to Blackburn Harrier. Now he is preparing for next month's Dublin Marathon.

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