Dan Nurse signed off on some “unfinished business” in London yesterday.

The 45-year-old, who is chairman of Severn Athletic Club, completed yesterday’s marathon in an excellent two hours, 50 minutes, eight seconds, a time that was all the more impressive because conditions in the capital were very warm for much of the 26.2 miles.

“I was 11 seconds short of my PB but given the conditions I’ll take that,” said Nurse. “It was hot. The first hour was fine but once I got to Canary Wharf, which was about mile 15, it got really hot.

“It’s one of my best runs. At the time I was disappointed I didn’t get a PB, I had been hoping to run two hours, 47, but the heat took it out of me, as it did so many people.”

Nurse, a self-employed plumber who lives in Matson, was competing in the London Marathon for the second time, although as far as he was concerned it was third time lucky for him in one of the world’s most iconic races.

He told The Local Answer before the race that he had “unfinished business in London” and he said today: “I first ran the London in 2023, six days after running the Boston Marathon when I ran sub three hours for the first time.

“I was feeling good and had had a great recovery. I wasn’t expecting miracles but I still thought I could run sub three hours.”

He’d completed Boston in two hours, 57, but on the eve of the London Marathon he fell ill.

“I got food poisoning or picked up a bug,” he said. “I was up all night, I didn’t get a wink of sleep.

“I dragged myself to the course but I was thinking I shouldn’t be doing this. I actually ran three hours, seven minutes which wasn’t bad considering.”

Indeed it wasn’t but Nurse, a former pupil at St Peter’s School, was to endure more misfortune 12 months later.

“I had a place last year but after running the Yorkshire Marathon in October 2023, I kept picking up injuries,” he said.

“I couldn’t get into a training routine so I had to forfeit my place, all I could do was watch the race.”

What made it all the more disappointing was that the Yorkshire Marathon, which is run in York, is where he’d set his PB of two hours, 49 minutes, 57 seconds.

Nurse, who took over as chairman of Severn AC earlier this month after previously serving as vice-chairman, is not just a long-distance runner.

He is very versatile and is already looking forward to taking part in the Cardiff 5K this weekend.

“I’ve actually been doing really well at 10K recently,” he said. “Two weeks ago I ran under 35 minutes for the first time – I ran 34.53 in Newport – and that was 50 seconds quicker than the PB I’d set in Bourton two months earlier.”

Nurse started running only in 2018. He joined Severn AC in 2020 but enjoys running  with Tuffley Trotters too.

His wife Sam is also a keen runner. She is a member of Severn AC and is also running the Cardiff 5K at the weekend when she is targeting a PB.

Sam was cheering on her husband yesterday – they were returning to Gloucester today – but it may be a few years before Nurse runs the London Marathon again.

“Now I’ve put my London hoodoo behind me and I’ve got a time I’m happy with, I may leave it a few years,” said Nurse, who was one of 10 runners form Severn AC taking part yesterday.

“Maybe I’ll run in the 50^th anniversary of the race in five years’ time, I’ll be 50 that year too, that would be nice.”