'I'm addicted to running the London Marathon'

For many people standing on the start line of the London Marathon is a once in a lifetime opportunity, however, for one Shropshire man it is a challenge that he has become "addicted to achieving again and again and again".

John Brewer, 63, has finished the race 20 times, but despite catching the marathon bug, he has only ever completed one 26.2 mile (42.2km) course.

Mr Brewer said his commitment to the capital's race stemmed from his first marathon experience in 1982, which instead of finishing with a medal, ended in a hospital bed.

Over four decades, Mr Brewer, who lives near Shrewsbury, has returned to London to "exorcise his demons" and "climb back on the horse", after his first race turned out to be "a complete disaster".

Standing on the start line for the first time in 1982, he remebers: "I was a very motivated, competitive, reasonably-fit, Loughborough student, but I ran like a complete idiot and I didn't finish," he said.

Only 20 years old at the time, he had not had enough to eat and drink during the race, but despite collapsing and being taken to hospital one mile from the finish, he said it was "the best thing that ever happened to him".

Mr Brewer continued to study at Loughborough University and, after his initial disappointment, his experience inspired him to specialise in endurance sport nutrition.

It was in 1984 that he finally experienced a feeling of "euphoria" as he crossed the London Marathon finishing line.

"The race became very special to me because of the problems I experienced first time round.

"I didn't want to run any other race because it would seem like a second-rate experience.

"I finally got rid of the issues that I had but felt I had to do it again as I had failed the first time, so I only had a 50% success rate," he said.

In his mind, Mr Brewer still had something to prove.

He went on to run the National Sports Science and Rehabilitation Centre in Lilleshall, near Telford, for almost two decades, and he credited his career for offering him the opportunity to complete the over-subscribed event so many times.

The 63-year old became a renowned marathon expert and has even chaperoned some famous faces, including Greg James, Amanda Mealing and Sophie Raworth, around the London Marathon course.

But Mr Brewer said the marathon he would "remember more than any" was in 2017 when he ran alongside journalist and counselling psychologist, Sian Williams.

"Sian was an ambassador for Heads Together, the mental health charity that was fronted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."

About 15 miles into the course, Sian grabbed my arm and said there they [the Duke and Duchess] are shaking hands with runners, he said.

"Before I knew it I was shaking hands with royalty.

"One day I'll be able to say I met the King and Queen in a very hot, sweaty, fatigued state," Mr Brewer said.

Mr Brewer said the event had "changed enormously" since his first race in the early 1980s.

"It was a male-dominated event back then, we have seen huge progression in women's sport, which is absolutely fantastic and we must applaud that."

More than 840,000, a record number of people, applied to run this year's London Marathon, yet Mr Brewer remembers "it was relatively straightforward to get an entry" in his early days of running.

"Above all else, the crowds were nowhere near what they are today, there will be about 750,000 people around the course at the end of April. In those days there were stretches where you were on your own with nobody cheering you", he said.

Mr Brewer added: "It's one of the jewels in the crown of British sport".

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