Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2012/January 2013 | Page 27

INTERVIEW Bedford: my Island slog started it all! Above: Virgin London Marathon 2011 Winners Dave Bedford (centre) with Mary Keitany and Emmanuel Mutai By Peter White Former world record holder David Bedford has revealed how a run around the Isle of Wight sparked his interest in athletics that subsequently earned him worldwide fame. David was a raw teenager when he set out on his epic Island journey that set him on the road to athletics stardom. He recently returned to the Island, where he still spends a lot of time, and talked to ‘Island Life’ about his amazing running career, and life after he retired from the track. David recalls: “The Isle of Wight was always one of our favourite holiday destinations, and I was down here a lot between the ages of about six and 16. Initially it was around Sandown and Shanklin, but later we spent quite a few holidays in Yarmouth. “I didn’t really start running properly until I was about 14, and that coincided with a holiday we spent at a caravan site at Norton Green. I had probably never run more than about 12 miles maximum in one go, but I got it in m