Madge Sharples, marathon runner; born 1917, died August 8, 2000
MADGE SHARPLES reached her 60th birthday by the conventional route of marriage, motherhood, and grandmotherhood. But behind the angelic face of this petite Glasgow-born lady lay an adventurous character.
Settled in south-east England, she shocked colleagues and family on retirement by announcing that she had signed up for a trek to Everest Base Camp, an ambition she had successfully hidden for years. Told by expedition organisers that she had to be fit, she began lunchtime sessions of gentle jogging round a football pitch. Urged to see a doctor to check on her physical fitness, she merrily related later that her young GP wasn't half as athletic as she
had become.
Himalayan success gave her new confidence and a quest for greater goals to achieve. It was just at this time that the marathon boom began, and in 1981, aged 64 she completed her first distance of 26.2 miles. With her friends slipping into old age, Madge went on to run 49 more.
Madge possessed the most beautiful face, skin, and fair hair, always immaculately groomed, her charisma winning hearts everywhere. Back in her native city to promote the second Glasgow Marathon in 1983, she freely gave of her time to help at a launch of Friends of the SNO, classical music being one of her great loves. At the reception she appeared among the glitterati dressed in immaculate tracksuit and trainers, and in her speech turned her considerable charm on the Friends' chairman, Sir James (later Lord) Goold. He proved one of her few failures in not being persuaded to take up running - but, as it later transpired, it was a hairsbreadth failure.
She became a running celebrity in the UK and Europe as well as farther afield. None of her marathon times was remotely in the championship class, but the crowds loved her none the less. An absolute sportswoman, her protective instincts were the saving of at least one athlete. At the 18-mile mark in the 1985 Edinburgh Marathon, she met up with a girl, young enough to be her granddaughter, who had ''hit the wall'' badly. Madge nursed her along until the floodlights of the finish at Meadowbank were in view. But the young woman protested she could go no further.
Madge wheeled her into a pub for a reviving dram and persuaded the hard-nosed barman that marathon runners, like royalty, carried no cash. So moved by Madge was the barman that he threw in free sandwiches as well.
There were two sadnesses in Madge's life. The freeing of her spirit late in life broke up her marriage, while injury finally put paid to any more marathons after 50 not out. But to her 84th year she remained close to her beloved sport, occupying an honoured seat on one of the stands at the annual London Marathon exhibition, beaming her beatific smile to all and gleefully encouraging old friends to follow the slogan on her T-shirt: ''Kiss a non-smoker - taste the difference''.
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