Ryan McLeod | Heart Surgery to 2:19 Marathon at 40

I was the British Half Marathon Champion in 2014 and 2015 but I had to stop running in 2016 due to heart surgery. 

Now healthy again, motivated after a Guinness World Record in the 2025 Great North Run pushing my mate in his wheelchair, I'm ready to go. I am getting fit again at 40 years old, and aiming to do a fast marathon in 2026.

Having personal bests of 13:41 at 5000m, 29:04 at 10k and 64:18 at the Half Marathon I was never going to get back into personal best shape at those distances... but I never did run a marathon, so I had an idea. 

After an impromptu decision I entered the 2025 Chester Marathon, and 6 days later without a proper build up I ran 2:33:17!

After only 6 months of specific training, and part of PUMA's Project 3, London Marathon was a huge success coming home in 13th in the mass race with a time of 2:19:41, and 1st place aged 40 and over.

Now fully focused and aiming towards the 2026 Chicago Marathon, how much faster can I go?

Follow my journey here.