Kenilworth's marathon man still running aged 74

David Phillips, who has run an accountancy firm based in Kenilworth for more than 40 years, is hoping to raise £10,000 for the Brain and Spine Foundation this year.

This would bring the total amount raised by David for the charity to £117,000 after he broke the £100,000 barrier last year.

This year’s London Marathon will be David’s 492nd marathon, meaning he will be just eight away from reaching his lifetime target of 500 completed marathons.

David, who lives in Claverdon, aims to complete his 500th marathon in Stratford next year, but he said he will not stop even after reaching this goal.

He said: “I’ll still just keep running, but I won’t have any targets.

“I’ve been running all my life, and I’d love to carry on.”

David will be running the London Marathon with four other people from ‘Team Phillips’, who will all raise money for the Brain and Spine Foundation.

This year’s celebrity captain, who does not usually run with the team, is former hurdler Colin Jackson, who David described as a ‘super bloke’.

David said his training for the marathon was going well.

He added: “I did a half marathon last weekend in Wolverhampton, and there’s a half marathon in Warwick this Sunday.

“I run every day and do a long distance run every weekend.”

David ran his first marathon in 1982 in Coventry, and quickly developed a passion for them.

After running 100 marathons, he had no intention of stopping.

His commitment to raising money for charity through his marathons earned him and his wife Robina to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May, which David was very excited about.

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