FOR many runners, completing one marathon is a lifetime's ambition.

However, when Hugh Pritchard laces up his running shoes before the start of the New Forest Marathon on September 16, it will be the hundredth time he's tackled the distance.

What's more, it will definitely be a case of 100 not out for the Sarisbury Green pensioner.

A great-grandfather of four, Hugh, 72, said: "I was always late to school and had to run to get there before the bell, so that was where it all started from. Some people play football, tennis, or cricket, but I found that running is something I can do and the marathon is just a distance I like.

"Twenty years ago I was quite fast and could break the three hours, but this time I'm aiming for five hours as that's set by the London Marathon people as good for our age.

"I've done 17 or 18 Londons before and it's always a great occasion where you have lots of fun, so it'd be nice to get an automatic qualification."

Former Fareham Borough councillor Hugh competes as part of the Gosport Runners team, which he founded nearly 30 years ago.

"We didn't have a club in the area, so I put an advert in the paper asking if people would like to come jogging," he said.

"The first week 20 people turned up, and the following week 60 turned up, and we've been going from strength to strength ever since."