Ever Presents Club runners complete 40th London Marathon in a row

The London Marathon celebrated its 40th running on Sunday, and although it was an unorthodox event with elite-only and virtual races, it was an enormous success. The elite races produced dramatic and entertaining finishes, and more than 40,000 people participated virtually. Ten of those runners are members of the Ever Presents Club, a group that “you can’t join, you can only leave.” The Ever Presents — all of whom are British — have run every London Marathon, from its inaugural edition in 1981 til now, 39 years later, with the unusual virtual format. All 10 of the Ever Presents completed the race on Sunday, bringing their London Marathon records to a perfect 40 in a row. 

Ken Jones, our 87 year-old London Marathon ever-present is off and running taking on his 113th marathon! ?

Best of luck Ken! We all love you.#LondonMarathon #The40thRace pic.twitter.com/0UoXxEzbnq

— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) October 4, 2020

While the Ever Presents have been running the London Marathon since 1981, they didn’t make it an official club until 1995 after they each ran the 15th edition of the race. Back then, there were 42 Ever Presents, but as the years have passed, for one reason or another, 32 of those runners have missed a London Marathon at some point. Once a member misses a race, he can’t get back into the club. Of the 10 men left, the youngest is 61-year-old Chris Finill, and at 87 years of age, Ken Jones is the oldest. 

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After 39 years without missing the London Marathon, being a part of this club is understandably a big deal to these men. As Jeff Aston explained in a video produced by London Marathon organizers, one year he came extremely close to losing his spot in the club. He said he had run two 20-mile races within a few weeks of the marathon. The runs left him with an injured back, and he figured he wouldn’t be able to run the race. As he was already signed up, however, he decided to walk it and see how he fared. He ended up finishing, and while it was far from his best time, it saved his place as an Ever Present for at least one more year. 

? "It's a club you can't join, you can only leave"⁣
⁣
Meet the only people to have run every single London Marathon.
⁣#LondonMarathon #The40thRace ⁣ pic.twitter.com/qswrtEH2Gf

— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) March 10, 2020

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A virtual race certainly wasn’t how the Ever Presents expected to celebrate their 40th anniversary, but considering how important this is to each of them, they wouldn’t dream of letting that stop them from completing the run. Before the race, Jones spoke with the BBC, saying he doesn’t have any plans for this to be his last race in London. “I’ll have another go next year,” he said.

At 7:53:34, his final time was far off his personal best of 2:41, but after running more than 100 marathons over several decades, he doesn’t seem too worried about how long it takes him to cross the finish line. “We’re going to take it easy and finish,” he told the BBC. “That’s what we’re going to do.” Jones and his nine fellow Ever Presents each made it to their virtual finish lines on the weekend, and whether they were taking it easy or shooting for a certain time, they’ll all be able to extend their streak to 41-straight London Marathons next year. 

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The Ever Presents’ results:

Chris Finill (60-64) — 3:13:00

Michael Peace (70-74) — 4:53:17

William O’Connor (75-79) — 5:03:35

Roger Low (75-79) — 5:06:00

David Walker (75-79) — 6:48:00 

Jeffrey Aston (70-74) — 6:51:22

Malcolm Speake (75-79) — 7:01:46

Charles Cousens (75-79) — 7:40:25

Terry Macey (70-74) — 7:45:01

Ken Jones (85-89) — 7:53:34