A CARMARTHEN postman who had never previously left the United Kingdom took part in the round of his life last month as he ran 26 miles around one of Europe's major cities.
Vince Bailey, of Ross Avenue, took part in the Berlin Marathon to raise money for a charity that has become close to his heart in recent times.
Andy Joyce, who owns Carmarthen Electronics, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and Vince, who has been delivering Andy's mail for the past 15 years, wanted to do something to help.
"I remember I was delivering mail one day and Andy told me he was waiting for news from the hospital," said Vince.
"Around that time I had decided to run the marathon and asked Prostate Cancer UK if I could raise money for them and run it on their behalf.
"Then, around the time I got the e-mail confirming that I could do it, I heard from Andy that he had been diagnosed.
According to the NHS, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed each year, and Vince has now raised more than £2,500 towards the fight to tackle the condition, thanks to the generosity of local residents and businesspeople.
It was some effort from the Carmarthen postman to complete the 26 miles, as he admits that during his very last training run he hit what runners call "the wall."
"I used to run all around Carmarthen and the surrounding areas as part of my training," said Vince. "I know the areas well of course because I've been delivering post there for years. But, on my last training run, I was in Llanllwch and I just had to stop after 23 miles.
"I paused for a minute and gave it another go, but I just couldn't carry on.
"I must admit that did concern me a bit going into the marathon."
When he approached the 23 mile mark in Berlin, did doubts begin to creep into Vince's mind about "the wall", and whether it would present itself again?
"I put it out of my mind completely," said Vince. "Thankfully, training and running a race are totally different things."
Being able to complete the marathon distance is a far cry from the situation Vince was in some years ago, when he barely did any exercise at all.
"About 10 years ago I was slightly overweight," admitted 47-year-old Vince. "Then one day I decided to get off the couch and go for a run.
"My motivation was just to be healthier and more active. I thought that if I had grandchildren one day I'd like to be around to see them grow up, and it's worked out pretty well because now I have a grandchild and there's another one on the way!
"If you'd have said 10 years ago that I would be able to complete a marathon I would never have believed you.
"I'm just glad that I was able to help in a small way and raise some money for such a good cause. I had a sense of relief and happiness when I crossed the finish line in Berlin because I knew I hadn't let anybody down."
After such an effort, it would be completely understandable if Vince had taken a long holiday after the race and subsequently avoided his running shoes completely. The truth is somewhat different.
"The race was on a Sunday and on the Monday I had a rest and put my feet up, but on the Tuesday I went for a nice long run."