To Steve Murdoch, in his own words, running has been a lifelong love affair.
But to the retired chartered accountant it is also very much a numbers game.
For example, Steve has completed 1,955 races during the course of his 63 years, in 50 countries, clocking up 283 victories.
How does he know? “Training diaries go back to my very first run, 55 years ago,” he explains.
That was in 1969, amid the picturesque setting of Mungrisdale sports, where he finished second in the under-10 boys’ sprint and won two shillings aged eight.
“I remember it well. I was just a little lad and I was racing against all these big lads. It was like racing against grown men,” he recalls with a smile.
Fast forward more than half a century to Saturday, 16th November, 2024, and Penrith parkrun at Frenchfield Sports Centre. Steve completed the 5km two-circuit course along with 240 other enthusiasts and, in doing so, reached the magic mark of 100,000 career miles.
“It was a really personal day,” he told the Herald. “People gave a round of applause but I’m not sure many could mentally get to grips with how far 100,000 miles actually is.
Typically, Steve knows exactly how far. “It’s over four times around the world,” he says, throwing in a fun fact just for good measure. “If I hadn’t burnt the calories by running I’d weigh 215 stones (i.e. 1.3 tonnes — the weight of a car), if that were possible. I’m actually 6ft 4in tall and 10-and-a-half stones. Alternatively, I’ve had 12 years’ worth of ‘free’ calories from eating and drinking — to date!
“A website exists listing all runners in the world who have ever achieved 100,000 miles — about 50. As far as I’m aware, no better record is kept.
“It’s been a lifelong love affair and, necessarily, the internal journey has been equally important as the external one.
“I’ve had it in my diary for about a year,” he says of the 100,000th mile. “I knew it was going to be just before Christmas, all being well, and I’ve not had any serious injury concerns for a long time. It’s sensible to miss days when anything hurts. That said, I’ve run every day in 2024.
“I don’t know anybody else that’s been this crazy and gone this far. I still can’t quite get my head around it. It’s a whole life spent running.”
Hailing from the North East, Steve was originally a member of Jarrow and Hebburn Athletics Club, training and racing with former world, European and Commonwealth champion Steve Cram.
After moving to Cumbria, he became a member of Carlisle’s Border Harriers. He has also been affiliated to southern hemisphere outfit North Shore Bays, of Auckland — he holds permanent New Zealand residency — and briefly joined Penrith-based Eden Runners.
His mother and father, Gerald and Margaret, formerly of Penrith, live in New Zealand. So too do his sister Linda and brother David — the latter represented the Great Britain cycling team in the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
Back to Steve’s numbers. He has completed 432 parkruns, including the first ever at Penrith in 2014 aged 52. That was also his parkrun debut and he recorded his best Frenchfield placing when coming home third overall.
Further afield, he has finished first at 10 other parkruns and completed the event alphabet earlier this year, ticking off 25 venues with a different starting letter other than X. This included 5k runs in Orebro, Sweden; and also Zary, in Poland.
Steve’s remarkable record-keeping also includes his personal best times: 14min 28.1sec for the 5,000 metres on track; 30:19.1 over 10,000m on track; and 66:40 for a half-marathon on the road while representing a Northern representative team. “Truthfully, today, it really does seem as if it must have been someone else who ran those times,” he admits.
“My first one, at Mungrisdale, stands out from them all and that half-marathon time of 66:40. I was thrilled to bits with that.”
There have been other impressive achievements, too.
Steve was northern 10,000m track champion in 1994. Over road and cross-country he has twice been selected to run for Great Britain in World Masters Championships. He finished eighth in a half-marathon, eighth and 10th in the 10k and also won team silver and bronze medals; “regrettably,” he reflects ruefully, “never a gold!”
He was placed second at the New Zealand road championships in 1993; second and third at the British Masters road championships, respectively, in 2001 and 2002; and donned an England vest at the Home International cross-country championships during 2001, finishing sixth overall.
Closer to his current home at Stainton, near Penrith, he is a former Keswick, Penrith and Cumbrian Run half-marathon winner.
Steve has also trained his sights on off-road terrain. He represented British orienteering teams between 1977 and 1988, was British senior team manager at the world championships and World Cup finals from 1988 to 1992, and was British senior coach during the mid-to-late 1980s. Back in 1974 he had been fourth while competing at the British junior championships.
There has been fell running, too. He is a life member of the Fell Running Association, has completed all 214 Wainwright summits several times along with all Lakeland tarns and lakes. He holds records for the double Ullswater Round (77k high level route, in 2013) and Lowther Show half-marathon (73:14, in 1998) and has completed the gruelling Bob Graham Round.
In his working life before retirement Steve was employed in Cumbria as a chartered accountant at Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth. He later taught maths at Penrith’s Ullswater Community College and was head of accountancy.
So what would his message be to anyone thinking of running? “I would just tell them to do it and enjoy it,” he said. “Some people who start running can be put off. They think it’s about losing weight or keeping fit, which it probably is.
“But you’ve got to be enjoying it. Go with some friends. Take the kids. Have a laugh.”
