Veteran Bishop’s Stortford runner Tim Kelly raises money for Ehlers-Danlos Support (EDS) UK at Marathon Age Group World Championships in Australia

A veteran marathon runner from Bishop’s Stortford exceeded his expectations as he brought the curtain down on his long-distance racing career in style – and raised almost £1,000 for a charity close to his heart.

Retired Hertfordshire police sergeant Tim Kelly, 69, took on his 78th and final marathon in Sydney, Australia at the Marathon Age Group World Championships on September 15.

He was just hoping to complete the course as he has been forced to call time on his marathon career due to an irreparable knee injury.

Tim, who lives with wife Carloyn, 37-year-old son David and Patterdale terrier Finn in Dalton Gardens, did far better than that, crossing the finish line in 3hr 53min 51sec to come 75th out of 228 in his age category.

And the experienced athlete also raised £850 for charity Ehlers-Danlos Support (EDS) UK as both his daughter Liz, 39, and nine-year-old granddaughter Annabelle live with the condition.

“The early start at 6am and unusually cold weather for Sydney meant that it was only four degrees that morning. You can imagine the assortment of warm kit runners had cobbled together to keep warm before the race,” said Tim.

“As dawn broke, we were soon racing across Sydney Harbour Bridge at first light. A fantastic experience.

“The pace was fast on this rollercoaster of a course. By halfway I was suffering and knew I must slow down to finish as lack of training due to my knee injury began to bite.

“Fortunately I managed to make it to the line in a time of 3:53.51. I was ecstatic with that as to get round was all I could reasonably hope for.

“We raised around £850 for EDS-UK, so if anybody would like to help top up to £1,000, that would be great!”

The EDS syndromes are a group of 13 individual genetic conditions, all of which affect the body’s connective tissue and often with disabling symptoms.

Tim’s daughter Liz, who lives in Beldams Lane with Annabelle and husband Darren, has hypermobile EDS (hEDS), the most common type of EDS.

Symptoms can include joint pain, extreme tiredness, skin that bruises easily, digestive problems such as heartburn and constipation and problems with internal organs.

Tim, who has been running on and off at Bishop’s Stortford Running Club since 1986, made his marathon debut in Gloucester in 1983 and registered a personal best of 2:59.45 at the 2002 London Marathon.

You can add to his fundraising total at www.justgiving.com/page/tim-kelly-1720560818308.