Stokie postie Steve makes Potters Arf history
The Potters ‘Arf is just around the corner, so we spoke to this Stokie postman who’s ran every single Potters ‘Arf - and the former Potteries Marathon up to 2005 - every year since it started in 1982. Steve Tuck, now 62, has “a lifetime experience of running”, and doesn’t even need to train anymore as his body is just so used to it.
As well as marathons and half marathons in Stoke-on-Trent, the Kidsgrove runner has also competed in marathons all over the globe and has raised thousands of pounds for charities in his milestones. He has mainly fundraised for charities in the Six Towns, but has also raised money for the likes of the Dougie Mac, the RSPCA, and the British Heart Foundation.
The former Maryhill pupil was the youngest person in ‘The Seven Up Club’, which was a running group founded by Don Shelley many moons ago. Now Steve mainly walks his dog to keep up his fitness and says “it’s not a race, it’s a matter of getting around it” these days.
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The grandad said: “The wife has entered me [to run the Potters ‘Arf] again. I’ve always loved running from when I was a kid and I used to be on the running team years ago but that’s stopped over the years because I was the youngest in the Seven Up Club when I started and now I’m 62. Everyone who’d run seven marathons would get a tshirt.
“I’ve got a lifetime experience of running, but I haven’t trained in about seven years. Experience gets me round, I do more walking than anything else because I walk the dog everyday.
“This will be my 41st one because they stopped it during covid. I’ve done marathons around the world including the London Marathon to race but it was for fun, so I didn’t do it during the actual marathons. I’ve also ran in Beijing, San Francisco and Las Vegas. I also used to go up and do the Great North Run with Biddulph Running Club.
“I’ve raised money for local charities in Stoke-On-Trent. Sometimes I turn up in fancy dress and do it and make a weekend of it, then I bring the money back to Stoke for the charities. We’d choose a different one every year, including fundraisers for children who’ve had illnesses and things.
“I'll probably be full of aches and pains but I’ll get around. It’s not a race, it’s a matter of getting round and enjoying it. People have always been fantastic over the years, there’s always a crowd, even when it’s raining.”
The Potters ‘Arf will take place on Sunday September 29 from 10am.