"this fat boy slimmed down stands as a beacon of hope to Britons still aspiring to take part in the Olympic Games on the capital's streets in 2012". Daily Mail
Steve Way will have a little extra pride in his stride as he toes the line for Team ENGLAND in the International Team Challenge at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on September 26th. Just 3 years ago, he weighed 225lbs with a 38" waist. "He smoked, drank, and thought eating kebabs was good nutritional advice." He ran the 2006 London Marathon in 3 hours 7 minutes as "a fat bloke bouncing along next to club runners," in his own words!
Then he lost his job with a bank, owing to the recession, and he began training in earnest. By this April he was down to a svelt 145lbs and the now-part-time postman from Poole clocked a remarkable 2:19:38 at London – 17th overall in "the world's greatest race" at age 36. Described as "a fairytale international call-up", Way confesses: "If you'd told me three years ago that I'd have had an England vest in September this year then I would have laughed at you."
Joining Steve WAY on Team ENGLAND in their Challenge against Team Canada and Team Japan this year, are Altrincham's Dave NORMAN; Herne Hill's Brian WILDER; Reading's Sarah GEE; Wakefield's Julie BRISCOE; and Vale Royal [Birmingham's] Nicky ARCHER.
An experienced marathoner, Dave Norman ran his 2:18:34 PR in 2005, and notched a 2:19:05 at this April's London race, just ahead of Way. Relatively new to the distance, Brian Wilder ran 2:24:18 in London 2010.
While Reading's Sarah Gee has been marathoning for five years, she's come a long way lately, with a major breakthrough victory at Edinburgh in May in a personal best of 2:38:10. Julie Briscoe was runner up in Edinburgh in 2:41:31, her debut over 42km. Twenty-five year old Brummie, Nicky Archer has a PR of 2:42:22 run at this year's London.
In a year that features both European Championships and Commonwealth Games, Team England maybe lacking in individual stars on Toronto Waterfront this year, but are hoping a solid, consistent, team performance will carry them to a strong finish in the Scotiabank International Team Challenge. Win, lose or draw, Steve Way is an inspiration to us all!
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