“Having run my first English Schools Championships in 1970 - finishing just 144th in the Intermediate Boys cross country for Kent - it took many year’s of training to get to the top.

Slowly improving, I reached the top 20 all-time marathon runner’s in the World, with a highest World ranking of 11th in 1983.

With the London Marathon win, following the bronze in 1982, and the Commonwealth Games Marathon bronze, also in 1982, it has been a wonderful career for me to look back on.

Many year’s later I am still training and competing - loving the buzz it gives”.

Having been third in the London Marathon in 1982 with 2:12 (pic above), then taking the bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane the same year, winning the London Marathon in 1983 with a time of 2:09:43 became the pinnacle of my competitive career.

Passing on the knowledge gained is very much my life now.

Armed with a Physical Education degree, and over 50 year’s of running behind me (I had finished 7th in the English schools 1,500m in 1970 before winning the 5,000m in 1974), my coaching interest grew while still competing. This led to teaching the Endurance coaching awards programme in the South of England, and to be the contributing coaching editor of Runner’s World Magazine.

Apart from Training Camps and talks, coaching interest is now predominantly with the individual.

A self-coached runner for most of my career - it wasn’t until 1981, and I’d become a seasoned marathoner, that UK Senior Coach Cliff Temple helped, and guided me from 2:16 to 2:09 in 1983. Importantly, I have had the opportunity to develop coaching theories that I have applied to myself and a lot of athletes over many years.

Taking people beyond where they thought they could go, from beginner to International, understanding the runner is the most important thing - I have coached runners who have gone from 4:48 marathon to 2:48 in three years, and those who thought they couldn’t improve any more, from 3:30’s to 2.50’s and below.

I look outwards to the athlete. Considering their ambitions and constraints, and where they can go in a more holistic way: It is not about the coach, it should be athlete lead, but using the coaches positivity and skills, to progress past previously held limitations. Jenny Spink, now a 2.31 Marathon International, once said at a seminar, ‘I had a target in the early days to run 3:15, then Mike said I could do 2:50. If Mike said I could, then I could’. Through the ups and downs of her career, Jenny has far surpassed that.

Mike Gratton is based in Surrey in England, is a Life President at Invicta East Kent AC and currently trains with Aldershot, Farnham & District senior distance running group - contact: mike@209events.com.