Why Me? [I]

In 1986 I was a fire-fighter and a 'bit' of an athlete. I was comfortable with my position as a fire-fighter. After all I was a pillar of the community performing a valuable service...wasn't I? And, most of all, I was a friend of the local police...wasn't I? So when I was caught drinking and driving in April of that year I thought I could "pull on a few favours" and get a slap on the wrist. How wrong I was?

I came up against a bobby with integrity and a pride in his job. My punishment was duly served to me in the form of a 12 month ban and a £100 fine. What is more had it not been for Ken Gray, I could have lost my job. At the time this was the worst thing that had ever happened to me [allegedly]. How would I ever get through the year without a car? How would I be able to fulfil my contract as a day-manning fire-fighter? Part of my contract stated that I had to live within a mile of my station and be available from home five nights a week.

I spent the following year responding to fire calls by either running or cycling the three quarters of a mile from home to the station. My only method of getting to places, apart from public transport, was to rely on family and friends - or my own two feet.

My year passed without too many mishaps and without me missing out on anything too important. What's more, at the end of the year I realised that I had more friends than I had first recognised and my family were happy to help with any difficult situations if I would only ask. But the big bonus was that now I was fit, very fit indeed. In fact so fit that, by building on my fitness, I was able to finish the London Marathon in 3 hours and 6 minutes in 1989! In those three years I had lost 98 pounds in weight.