Marathon Madge (1917 - 2000) - The gran who kept on running

Madge Sharples, who lived in Winchester, became world-famous as the oldest woman to take part in the London Marathon. She took up running in her sixties and competed in more than 50 marathons around the world raising funds for a number of charities. After a lay-off due to crippling arthritis she made a comeback at the age of 79. Sporting two steel knee joints, she walked the gruelling 26-mile 1996 London Marathon course in just over 11 hours. One of Madge's finest moments was when the Princess of Wales presented her with a statuette for sporting success on behalf of the charity Help the Aged.

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