21 consecutive years. 44 sub-3 hour marathons. One streak I never planned.
Where it all began
My first marathon was way back in 1982, when I lined up for the Cardiff Marathon in Wales as a 16-year-old. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but somehow managed to finish in around 3 hours and 48 minutes. Not too bad, considering.
Fast forward almost 20 years to the 2001 Richmond Marathon, where I managed to break three hours for the first time, finishing in 2:59:36.
I didn’t manage another sub-3 in 2002, but bounced back with a 2:57:43 at the Shamrock Marathon in 2003. The following year, marathon running took a bit of a back seat as I concentrated on training for my first (and only) Ironman Triathlon in Lake Placid, New York.
The streak that wasn’t supposed to be a streak
Then, in May 2005, I ran the Frederick Marathon in 2:59:26. Little did I know that I’d still be chasing sub-3 hour marathons more than 20 years later.
Since that race in Frederick, I’ve somehow managed to run at least one marathon under three hours every single year. It certainly wasn’t something I planned, and for a long time I didn’t even think of it as a streak. I just enjoyed running marathons and trying to run them as quickly as I could.
Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Between 2005 and 2026 I’ve also finished eight marathons outside three hours, and there was one particularly forgettable morning at the 2013 Houston Marathon, where I recorded my only DNF.
Some years I’ve managed several sub-3 marathons, while in others I’ve scraped under the three-hour mark with just a handful of seconds to spare. But somehow, the streak has survived.
A few memorable races
Winning the Cayman Islands Marathon in 2010 was certainly one of the highlights. I finished in 2:52:18, and the finish-line photograph still makes me smile.
Running for Wales at Chester, 2023
One of the proudest moments of my running life came on October 8, 2023, when I was selected to represent Wales, the country where I was born, at the Chester Marathon in the Masters international against England. Pulling on the Welsh vest and lining up as part of the team meant something special to me.
I finished comfortably under three hours, adding another race to the streak. The official British Masters Athletics Federation championship results list me fifth in the men’s 55 category, representing Welsh Masters Athletics, in 2:51:12 gun time (2:51:10 chip time). I placed 100th overall out of 3,465 finishers and fifth in the MV55 category out of 150. The time matters, of course, but on this occasion the opportunity to run for Wales is what I’ll remember most.
View the official 2023 BMAF Chester Marathon category results (PDF).
A few numbers
| Consecutive years | 21 (2005–2025) |
| Sub-3 marathons during the streak | 44 |
| Fastest | 2:45:22 — Boston 2011 |
| Closest call | 2:59:54 — Cayman Islands 2017 |
| First-ever sub-3 | 2:59:36 — Richmond 2001 |
| 2026 | Still to be decided! |
For an independent archive of race finishes, see Steve Speirs’ marathon results on MarathonView. The database may not include every marathon or virtual event.
Every sub-3 marathon, 2005–2025
Here are all 44 of the sub-3 hour finishes that have kept the streak going. Some of these races feel like yesterday. Others seem a lifetime ago.
| Year | Marathon | Finish time |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Frederick Marathon | 2:59:26 |
| 2006 | Shamrock Marathon | 2:55:35 |
| Frederick Marathon | 2:54:51 | |
| Marine Corps Marathon | 2:53:56 | |
| Charlotte Marathon | 2:51:00 | |
| 2007 | Shamrock Marathon | 2:52:55 |
| Marine Corps Marathon | 2:54:01 | |
| Richmond Marathon | 2:57:12 | |
| 2008 | Shamrock Marathon | 2:53:05 |
| Frederick Marathon | 2:51:37 | |
| Richmond Marathon | 2:51:27 | |
| 2009 | Shamrock Marathon | 2:56:01 |
| Richmond Marathon | 2:58:12 | |
| Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:59:02 | |
| 2010 | Boston Marathon | 2:54:25 |
| Marine Corps Marathon | 2:47:20 | |
| Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:52:18 | |
| 2011 | Phoenix Marathon | 2:47:14 |
| Boston Marathon | 2:45:22 | |
| Marine Corps Marathon | 2:53:53 | |
| Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:57:17 | |
| 2012 | Richmond Marathon | 2:55:01 |
| 2013 | Shamrock Marathon | 2:50:52 |
| Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:56:18 | |
| 2014 | Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:56:54 |
| 2015 | Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:58:19 |
| 2016 | Shamrock Marathon | 2:52:14 |
| Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:58:46 | |
| 2017 | Shamrock Marathon | 2:56:11 |
| Marine Corps Marathon | 2:49:15 | |
| Cayman Islands Marathon | 2:59:54 | |
| 2018 | Marine Corps Marathon | 2:59:29 |
| 2019 | Richmond Marathon | 2:58:01 |
| 2020 | One City Marathon | 2:56:31 |
| 2021 | Striders BQ Marathon | 2:59:26 |
| Striders Marathon | 2:53:08 | |
| 2022 | One City Marathon | 2:56:55 |
| Shamrock Marathon | 2:57:07 | |
| 2023 | One City Marathon | 2:56:07 |
| Shamrock Marathon | 2:56:49 | |
| Chester Marathon | 2:51:10 (chip) | |
| 2024 | One City Marathon | 2:53:57 |
| 2025 | One City Marathon | 2:56:47 |
| Boston Marathon | 2:58:19 |
How much longer?
Over the last five or six years, keeping the streak alive has become a pretty good source of motivation. There have certainly been times when I’ve questioned whether I could manage another one, but having that little target in the back of my mind has helped keep me training and getting out of the door.
Now that I’ve turned 60, I’m realistic enough to know that the streak can’t continue forever. Running a marathon under three hours certainly isn’t getting any easier, and sooner or later there will come a year when I don’t quite manage it.
And when that happens, I’ll be fine with it. I’ve had a pretty good run. Literally.
For now, though, the challenge continues.