Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Dwight Yorke admits there were more than a few raised eyebrows when he told his footballer friends he was running the London marathon. "Every current footballer I've spoken to, and all the ex players, said, 'You've got to be a crazy guy to do this.' All of them said they would never do it which is really astonishing."
The former Manchester United striker will be joined by ex-footballers Muzzy Izzet and Chris Perry, although neither of those are aiming for the lofty target of running 26.2 miles in three hours. Sat among a group of former Olympians taking on the challenge – from rowers Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell to athletes Iwan Thomas and Jamie Baulch – Yorke shifted in his seat as they guffawed at each others' chances of finishing anywhere near the three-hour mark. But then none of them have a distance running pedigree like the 39-year-old.
"I've always been a decent long-distance runner," says Yorke. "I've always been able to run. When they've put on running sessions in football I've always come out on top. The furthest I ever ran before this would have been half a marathon at school, but I wouldn't be here if I had doubts. I'm confident."
Yorke, who retired from football in 2009, still looks incredibly fit despite having started his marathon training only two months ago, in stark contrast to the former athletes alongside him. "I've always been one of those people who has kept themselves reasonably fit. I don't feel like I've let myself go totally, I just needed to put some time in. From what I know about sport I think I've put in enough to run a decent time."
He admits that the training – sustained running being so different to the stops and starts of football training – took some adjusting to. "I don't think anything I've done is as hard as this has been. When I first set out to do the training all my bones were aching and the constant pounding on the road is not what your body is used to. But I feel better each time I go back doing it."
"My longest run has been 16 or 17 miles and I've heard that the next 10 miles is all about the adrenaline and the atmosphere of the occasion. Having been in that sort of surrounding as a footballer I know the kind of energy you can get from people shouting and encouraging you."
Yorke says the decision to run the marathon was about fulfilling a lifelong ambition, but also raising money and awareness for the charity Vision that helps blind and visually impaired children. Yorke's son, Harvey, whose mother is Katie Price, suffers from septo-optic dysplasia, a disorder that affects the optic nerve.
When Yorke talks about the eight-year-old Harvey he does so tenderly and with some melancholy as he admits that his relationship with Price has soured. On hearing that she has pulled out of the marathon with a knee injury he looks relieved. "I wouldn't have been running alongside [her] anyway I can assure you. I haven't spoken to Kate in five years, I have no information as to her whereabouts so that's music to my ears."
Does Harvey know what his father is doing? Yorke looks distant. "I'm sure he will be aware that the reason I'm doing it is because of his troubles. But whether he understands it is a different thing."
Yorke estimates that his efforts will bring in around £15,000 for Vision – the largest donation of which came from his old gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson. He will follow Manchester United's progress in the FA Cup t as a TV analyst and admits his former team-mates will be equally curious to know how he gets on on Sunday morning.
"That's the part I'm dreading most," he says with a grin. "Not the run, but that if I don't come in within the time I've said I'll really get it."
In the women's elite race the defending champion, Liliya Shobukhova, takes on the former winner Irina Mikitenko and the Olympic champion Constantina Dita, while in the men's race Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia is the favourite against the accomplished – but out of form Kenyans – Martin Lel and James Kwambai.