Marathon man Ray joins trip to France

Ray (75) and wife Maureen joined a party of 18 friends and running mates from Maltby Running Club on a trip to Rotherham’s twin-town of Saint Quentin.

But the grandad-of-three, of Maltby, said he had been unable to take part in the running as he was suffering plantar fasciitis.

“Unfortunately, on the morning that we were due to go I couldn’t put my foot on the floor - I’ve never had it before,” he said.

“But we got a wonderful reception and I really enjoyed the experience. 

“The French hospitality, which included a lot of wine and a lot of food, was fantastic - especially as I wasn’t running.”

The Maltby runners joined forces with the town’s running club ACPI to take on the Ludovic Coquelet La Napoleonienne challenge, which included 10km and 17.5km runs.

It was part of an exchange project between the two clubs, which has run for a number of years.

Ray added: “We, as a club, did come away with some fantastic results and we had a really enjoyable, successful time.”

The Advertiser believes Ray should be knighted after completing 75 marathons in 75 days to raise cash for Newman School.

He raised more than £30,000 for specialist playground facilities at the school.

We have submitted an application to the Cabinet Office and you can show your support by writing a support letter, stating why you believe he should be knighted, and sending it to [email protected].

We will forward it on to the Cabinet Office, in support of our application.