84-year-old Milnrow grandad completes his second Manchester half-marathon

An 84-year-old veteran is proving that age is just a number, having taken up running as a pensioner and completing the Manchester half-marathon for a second time on Sunday 13 October.

Gordon Aaron, from Milnrow, was the oldest competitor this year, yet he shaved nine minutes off his previous personal best finishing in 2 hours 56 minutes.

His first Manchester half-marathon was in 2018 which he finished in 3 hours and 5 minutes.

Gordon ran for the army in the famous Berlin Olympic Stadium, coming second in his first ever 400m race while he was on National Service with the Border Regiment in his 20s.

He was recently awarded the Changing Lifestyles trophy at Rochdale Borough Sports and Culture Awards at Middleton Arena and has now been put forward for the Greater Manchester Sports Award at Emirates Old Trafford on 15 November.

The 84-year-old grandad said: “Last year I was watching TV and I saw a young soldier climbing Mount Kilimanjaro on prosthetic legs. On the last bit he was struggling, and he removed his legs and walked up to the top on his stumps.

“I clapped when he completed it and I thought ‘if he can go through so much then I can do a marathon’.”

 

 

During the 1980s, Gordon completed three Rochdale 10k runs to raise money for the Mayor’s Charity Appeal, but it was not until he won his battle with prostate cancer that he took up fitness again aged 83 last year.

His wife of 56 years, Doreen, has dementia and moved into Shawside Nursing Home three years ago. Determined to get himself fitter, Gordon began exercising, which turned into walking and now he easily walks to Hollingworth Lake and back, some seven miles.

His GP surgery suggested he attend a meeting with project worker Bev Fowler from Veterans In Communities and since then, has never looked back. Gordon is also now a regular at the Sandbag Café in Heywood where he met Sarah Chard from Link4Life and has joined her walking group at Hollingworth Lake.

He attends the Rochdale Armed Forces Breakfast Club and also joins another walking group from Milnrow Library on a Monday. All of this, whilst visiting his wife daily at the nursing home.

He said: “If you look after yourself it will help you later in life. I have met some marvellous people. Sarah and Bev have really helped me - I was lonely but now I look forward to going out, to the trips and meeting people.”

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/129456/nature-walks-have-a-huge-impact-on-rochdale-man