Andrew hoping to be on the road to Commonwealth Games
Marathon man Andrew has no plans to slow down as he hopes to be on a list of athletes heading to the Commonwealth Games this summer.
Mr Davies, 42, lives near Newtown and is hoping to be in Team Wales’ selection for the Birmingham event.
If selected, it will be his third Commonwealth Games and he is likely to be one of the older athletes competing.
“The racing’s going well. I’ve had a few PBs this year in the marathon, the 10,000m and the 10k.”
He also holds the record for the fastest marathon time for a British male over 40.
“I think it’s consistency – training week in, week out, year after year. I train just as hard as I ever did.”
Sponsored by New Balance, Davies’ talents were discovered at primary school and he later went on to join an athletics club in Newtown. And, he says, growing up on the family farm in Forden, just outside Welshpool, put him on the right track:
“Being on the farm from an early age put us in good stead.
“I also had a paper round – it was nine miles on my bike after school every night – it would take an hour - and that was definitely a big factor in building my strength.”
He went on to play football for Caersws.
Sporting achievement seems to run in the family. Sister Jacqui represented Wales in hockey, older brother Tim has competed for Wales as a fell runner while Dad Edward, 67, is also defying his years, running ultra-marathons, racing from Llangollen to Newtown last year with more events to come this summer.
Building up to competing in a marathon, Davies will get up to 95 to 100 miles a week in training. And on top of that, he teaches at Newtown College.
“Touch wood, I’ve been lucky to be injury free as an athlete. I’ve had niggles that last for a few days but that’s all.”
He lists competing at two Commonwealth Games - Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 – as career highlights:
“It was nice, especially in Glasgow, I couldn’t believe it on the Sunday morning – it was really cold and windy but there were so many people out on the course with Welsh flags. It was really nice to have the support.
“The Athlete Village is amazing – seeing so many people from different sports and different countries come together.
“It’s such a privilege, it’s inspiring and one of the main reasons I want to go back. And being part of Team Wales is so special.”
“I’m not taking anything for granted – I don’t know if I’ll be selected.
The all-important Team Wales line up is due to be announced on June 8.
