THE football rivalry between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley will this Sunday spill over into the London Marathon.
A representative from each English League team -- whether on the staff or a supporter -- will don their club strip and compete in the "Football Challenge" -- a race within the main 26 miles and 385 yard run.
The main aim for the runner -- apart from completing the race, of course -- is to help their side finish as high up in their division as possible, maybe even going for the League title.
For Rovers, David Hancock head physio at the Academy, will take part in his first gruelling marathon -- and has been getting training tips from the best.
David has been treating Great Britain's 10,000 metre runner, and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, John Nuttall in preparation for John's quest for the Olympic Games in Sydney this year. And he's been asking the Preston runner about the way to success.
"Unfortunately I can't go training with John as he runs at the most five minute miles. I think that might be just that bit too quick!" said David. "He's been given me plenty of stick about the marathon -- and so have the lads."
Despite the good-humoured abuse, David has been getting out of Rovers luxury £7.5m complex at Brockhall and pounding the streets at his own pace.
"I have always wanted to do a marathon and when I moved from Wolverhampton Wanderers football club to Ewood last year, I asked if I could run for the club. Surprisingly, no one else wanted to! "I aim to run about three hours and thirty minutes. I've been building up to this for a while now and I hope I've done enough," added David who will run in a specially designed Rovers running strip.
If he doesn't make it, injuries can't be used as an excuse!
Facing him in the Claret and Blue corner is 25-year-old Lisa Robinson, who could be in line for picking up Burnley's first trophy this season -- awarded, for the first time, to the winning "Football Challenge" lady.
"I only heard that I would be running about eight weeks ago so I've been cramming it in," said Lisa who used to work as the gym manager at Turf Moor.
"I ran 16 miles the other week in two hours so I'm getting there. I'm just hoping to get under four hours."
It's also Lisa's first marathon -- and she's more than happy to do her best for the Clarets.
"It's always been my dream to run a marathon and I am really excited. I will be fulfilling a lifetime's ambition."
As well as donning the Burnley strip, Lisa will also be raising money for Childline.
"I read some information about the number of calls Childline have to answer in one day and I just thought I would try and do my bit to help them as well," she said. On the pitch, the team almost everyone wants to beat is Manchester United -- and on the streets of London, it's probably going to be the same.
The Reds have got Deputy Chief Executive Peter Kenyon out of his suit and into his shorts for the race and money and a good manager won't help him this time.
Peter has set himself the target of three and three quarter hours but this won't be good enough to push the Reds to the top of the pile as Wolves runner Mark Farnell -- who won the Football Challenge last year in a time of 2:32:35 -- is racing again.
Over at Deepdale, running for Preston will be Projects Manager Brian Dewhurst, hoping to beat his 4:06:18 from last year.
"I got into the Football Challenge accidentally last time," said Brian, a North End fan. "I bet my friends I could beat their time of four hours 15 minutes, entered London and got rejected. Then a friend at PNE told me about the "Football Challenge" and I got the place.
"Preston rang me this year and asked me to do it again and there was no hesitation.
"The atmosphere is great. All the way round I could hear, "Come on North End" and there's so much noise when you pass the pubs with the loud speakers and kids shouting. It's a great day." At First Division Bolton, Simon Marland should have no problem calculating how far -- and fast -- he has to run.
Simon is an accountant at the Reebok and wants to repeat his Football Challenge race from 1997 -- he won it!
"I remember it was the year we got relegated from the Premiership and all the way round all I heard was 'going down' which spurred me on.
"There was only 100 metres to go and they announced that the Aston Villa runner was the winner. So I sprinted and overtook him on the line to beat him!"
Simon hasn't finished out of the top three since 1997 and last year's time was 2:47:38 -- making him second in the English leagues -- although he has run faster.
At Bolton's neighbours Bury, their sports reporter Phil Thorp is preparing to put on the white and blue of the Shakers for the first time -- but race around the streets of the capital for the second year running.
"It is probably the nearest I will get to representing Bury FC," said 41-year-old Phil who is aiming for a time of around three hours thirty which would be his best yet. Phil does have a claim to Bury fame though -- he scored on the hallowed turf of Gigg Lane in his amateur football days, and apparently has the video to prove it! Other "names" running include Aston Villa manager John Gregory who has a tough act to follow.
The Villa runner last season raced to the top of the Premiership in a time of two hours 50 minutes -- and it's up to the Villa boss to beat that!
And running for Cardiff City is their manager Billy Ayre, who's ambition has always been to run a marathon.
I will be aiming to help Rochdale finish as high up the Third Division table as possible. I've been brought up on trips to Spotland and on one visit there the secretary -- knowing I did a bit of running -- asked me if I fancied competing for them.
Without really thinking I said "yes".
The pressure's not really on as it took the lady who ran for the Spotland club last year five hours and 50 minutes, and they ended up joint bottom of all the divisions -- so I just have to better that.
The Third Division "title" went to the Barnet runner who finished in two hours forty eight minutes last year. I won't get anywhere near that but I might just scrape into a play-off place.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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