Great South Runner Receives Special Number
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has revealed the first picture of the special number ‘500’, which will be proudly worn by Simon Ware at the Great South Run this Sunday.
Simon has worked as Collections Assistant for the Mary Rose Trust for 21 years and has run in every single Great South Run since the start in 1990, and to honour this great achievement he has been given the ‘golden’ 500 running number, to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Mary Rose (the ship to whom Simon has devoted his career).
Race organisers believe Mr Ware is the only person who has taken part in every single race – but are keen to hear from anybody who can prove them wrong.
Simon Ware, 48, from Rowland’s Castle, ran his first race back in 1987 in Surrey where he completed 10k, he then went on to run in the Windsor Great Park Half Marathon on October 4th of the same year.
Since then, his enjoyment of running has grown and he runs two to three times a week, clocking up 5-12 miles each time. Simon has taken part in three of the London Marathons and has raised around £2000 for local hospitals. Each time he runs he picks a different charity to raise money for, and this year he will be drumming up support for the Alzheimer''s Society.
Simon explains: “I have always enjoyed playing sport and used to play football. The running came after I gave up playing football. The Great South Run is special to me as not only does it mean I get to run through the Historic Dockyard where I work, but there aren''t many events in which you can line up on the start line with so many excellent athletes.”
His best time for the ‘Great South Run’ was in 1993 when he completed the 10-mile course in 1hour and 4 minutes.
David Hart, a spokesman for Nova International, which organises the race, said: “To have run in every one since it began is a great effort. We have seen the biggest interest so far for 2009, so it should be the best yet!”'
