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