David Picksley was probably already a bit of a London Marathon hero, but after his unstoppable performance in this year’s race on Sunday, he’s probably worthy of inclusion in the annals of the event’s all-time greats.
Unstoppable: Trinity old boy David Picksley, 91, the oldest finisher in Sunday’s London Marathon
At 91, Picksley was officially the 2024 London Marathon’s oldest runner (in fact, he was the race’s only nonagenarian this year).
But he was far from the last of the 53,000 to finish the 26-mile 385-yard route from Greenwich Park to The Mall.
Picksley clocked 7hr 57min 15sec, a tad slower than his 2023 effort – he’s a committed marathoner – but with good reason.
Picksley possibly had his eye on last year’s finishing time, 7:16:46, the fastest recorded by someone in their 90s in London.
But at around 15 miles Picksley, who walks the route with the aid of a walking stick, tripped on a bump in the road and suffered a bloody nose – the signs of which can be seen in his finishing photo.
Undaunted, Picksley picked himself up and carried on…
Picksley is an old boy of Croydon’s Trinity School, and took part in this year’s marathon raising funds for Bowel Cancer UK, in memory of his sister, who died of the disease.
“In my 50s and 60s, I ran 13 marathons, including four in London,” Picksley said.
“When a virtual London Marathon was introduced in 2021 I took it on, even though I walk with my stick. After a finish in under 7.5 hours, I did it again in 2022, in 7:13:15. In 2023 I succeeded in the ballot for the actual event in London. On April 23, two months after my 90th birthday I was in the start line for a memorable day as the oldest of 49,272 starters.”
And he was looking forward to what he describes as “that unequalled event” again this year, no doubt not expecting to get a bloody nose.
But having already exceeded his fund-raising target of £2,500, Picksley has proved unstoppable again.
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