Ryde Town Crier Steve King belts out a proclamation in the town in his full regalia. Picture by Robin Crossley.
Wight LivingFor most people the prospect of running the New York Marathon would be enough of a challenge but to do it only 14 months after a stroke seems almost impossible.
For Steve King it was the latest in a lifetime of running milestones that have seen him race around the globe in some of the world’s most high-profile marathons.
This month, aged 65, he announced he was finally hanging up his competitive running shoes, although Islanders will still find him running for fun.
He can also be spotted in his new kit, the rather more cumbersome 18th century-style costume he wears as Ryde Town Crier, a post he took up in November.
"I love running, I always have. It’s the sense of freedom, the peace and quiet, you can get away from everyone — unless someone stops and asks you for directions, but I usually just tell them to get a map," said Steve, nick-named Poppa Smurf.
But his beloved sport, in which he has competed since a schoolboy at Bishop Lovett, was almost snatched away from him in June 2008.
"I was out on a short run and I had done about two-and-a-half miles. I was on my way back to the car and bang, I just stopped.
"I could not lift my leg. I was just stood there, holding on to a post, sweating like mad and I could not move. It was a scary moment," said Steve.
After managing to drive home, his wife, Edna, phoned for an ambulance and Steve was taken to St Mary’s Hospital.
"I had no idea what was wrong, I could not believe it when they told me it was a stroke."
Days later he was undergoing physiotherapy when therapists told him not to let his stroke stop him from running.
"I had started to get my movement back and they told me to get back out there.
"They advised me to start running shorter distances, like a mile or a mile-and-a-half, and by last Christmas I was back to running longer distances.
"On Boxing Day, I took part in the IW Fun Run," said Steve, who has also retired from his role behind the bar at Ryde Royal British Legion (RBL) Club.
"I was determined that the stroke was not going to stop me from doing something I loved.
"A lot of people who have a stroke will sit and worry about it, and I think that is the worst thing that you can do.
"I was in the forces for eight years and I did not want to let this beat me. That would be my advice to anyone else going through something similar," he said.
Steve — a founder member of IW Road Runners — spent eight years in the Army Catering Corps, becoming a sergeant mess chef, before moving to London and working in security at Whitehall.
Steve’s love of running started with cross-country racing at school, before he graduated to the IW Marathon, which he still feels is the toughest race he has competed in.
Among the many highlights of his racing career he ran in Athens, completing the circuit that defeated Paula Radcliffe, during the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympics.
He has also taken part in a run that ended in Berlin’s spectacular Olympic Stadium.
But Steve chose to end his racing career — which included a personal best of 3 hours 52 minutes, 57 seconds set in Majorca — by competing in New York last month, before returning to the UK on the Queen Mary 2.
"It was an excellent feeling when I finished New York, knowing that was my last race.
"I had a great time along the way. It took me more than seven hours because I kept stopping and having my photo taken.
"I had my picture taken with the police, the fire service and there was even some drunk guy dressed as Uncle Sam. I took things fairly slow, but put the hammer down for the last mile through Central Park.
"I wanted to really make the most of it," said Steve, who remains vice-president of Ryde RBL.
On Saturday, friends gathered to celebrate Steve’s retirement from behind the bar at the RBL and toasted his health with a specially brewed Smurf Ale, produced by Yates Brewery.
But he will be far from taking it easy thanks to his role as town crier, which sees him in his official capacity in the town centre twice a week, as well as appearances at functions and weddings.
And, thanks to his marathon history, there will be no shortage of breath for his proclamations.