Neil Featherby reflects on memorable April marathons and racing highs

Particularly when it came to the London, Wolverhampton, Bungay, and Nantes marathons. 

London 1985 was very special - running alongside so many great athletes who, prior to this marathon, I had only read about, and of course getting a big mention from David Coleman on BBC TV as I passed the legend Ingrid Kristiansen at 41k, as she was on her way to a world record (2:21:06) which lasted for 13 years. I finished a few seconds quicker than my official time of 2:20:49, but we didn’t have chip timing back then. 

Neil Featherby finishes the 1985 London Marathon (Image: Neil Featherby)

Then again at London in 1986, albeit not quite the race I had planned for, with a few mishaps going into the marathon in what were awful conditions on the day, finishing in 2:21:20 after having run 2:19:07 in Berlin seven months earlier. However, there was icing on the cake as I received my first England call-up just a few weeks later. 

The following year, April 1987, I made the decision to go back to Wolverhampton, where my marathon running career began five years earlier. By this stage, this event was regarded as the third-biggest marathon in the UK. 

I was also labelled as the pre-race favourite after having run 2:17:35 in the Berlin Marathon and finishing third in the Hong Kong Marathon (2:23:03) two months prior. However, when I saw some of the other names entered - particularly a guy by the name of Trevor Hawes from Leicester, who was a bit of a superstar having won so many UK and overseas marathons - I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to live up to other people’s expectations. 

Neil Featherby wins the 1987 Wolverhampton Marathon (Image: Neil Featherby/Peter Duhig.)

Despite being in a leading pack of five up to 20 miles, I just felt flat and was thinking, if I don’t do something soon, race favourite or not, I am not going to win this. Then, around 21 miles, Trevor went for it. It was like a kick up the backside for me as I covered his move. Half a mile later, he went for it again, and I also covered what was his next move. We then looked at each other, and he said he just wanted to make sure he got the runner-up spot. 

I was gobsmacked. So I then made a really big effort to drop him - and I did. With a mile to go, when well clear, I took my foot off the pedal and just enjoyed the last mile, waving to the huge crowds, particularly when running the last 150 metres uphill to the finish outside the Wolverhampton Wanderers football ground in 2:22:04. 

Due to injury in 1988, I only ran in one marathon, so my next April marathon was the 1989 Bungay Marathon on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. 

For those who have run in this race, they will know that there are some big climbs at the start of what is a two-lap course to also incorporate a half marathon. This race was also just six weeks after finishing third in the Malta Marathon (2:26:35), where Trevor Hawes got his revenge on me when winning the race. 

With regards to Bungay, though, I was more than content to sit in the leading bunch of runners doing the half marathon. Then, at seven miles, an athlete from Nottingham opened a 70-metre gap, for which I said to the others, “Are you going to just let him go?” 

They just looked at me, so I quickly caught him up and started chatting, whilst also being very cocky when saying, “What time are you looking for in the marathon?” He replied saying he was doing the half, whereby I then took off and led through halfway in 70 minutes. 

The downside was that I now had to run a very lonely second lap, which I found really tough, slowing up badly - albeit still winning in 2:30:31. However, and if anything just deserts for what was psyching out the guy from Nottingham, he faded to seventh place in the half marathon after what I had said to him on that first lap. He told me afterwards that it completely flattened him. 

Ironically, I did not run another April marathon until 1992, which turned out to be my last ever marathon - and 33 years ago today (April 4) - which this time was in Nantes, France. I travelled out there with former London Marathon runner-up Gerry Helme and club mate Kevin Taylor. We were also billeted out with families who were involved with the race organisation, for which I stayed with a super family who looked after me so well. 

Gerry and Kevin both started fast, whilst I just settled for an even pace, especially as it was quite warm. I was so glad that I did when passing several athletes during the last seven miles to finish in seventh place in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 52 seconds. To cap it all off, we also won the team prize, for which I still have the huge trophy. 

I ran 28 marathons in total, which also included two England and two GB representations over the marathon distance. But as said at the start of this column, preparing for an April marathon was always a time of the year to look forward to after what had been weeks and months of winter training. You could say that April was made for running a marathon! 

All the very best to everyone running in the Brighton Marathon this coming Sunday.