272:. According to press reports, he walked the 26-mile course in approximately 10 hours. The official London Marathon 2008 Results list shows intermediate results for 5 km, 10 km and 15 km but no finishing time for Martin's race number of 32858. His four minders - Harmander Singh (32857), Samm Mullins (32856), Anil K Gupta (51611) and Mirmal Singh Lotay (23984) - are officially listed with a finishing time of 9 hours 59 minutes.
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London bookmakers
William Hill refused to pay out £13,300 in alleged winnings for two bets which had been placed on Martin's marathon efforts and would have benefitted the Rhys Daniels Trust. The bookmakers demand a birth certificate as proof of age, stating that other documents like a passport or a
176:
However, the legal age for contracting marriage in France at the time was 18 for a boy and 15 for a girl, with the consent of their parents, or 21 without the consent of father and mother. The couple stayed together for 35 years until Iriana reportedly died in 1955, although no death certificate has
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If the claims about his age were true, he would have been the oldest recorded marathon participant in the world. However, officials of the
Guinness World Records organisation said that they did not consider Martin eligible for the record because he had never provided proof of the date of his birth.
276:
Robert Young, an independent senior consultant for gerontology for
Guinness World Records stated that his sources had told him that Martin had two birth dates registered with the British NHS: 1 September 1906, and 1 September 1913, the latter of which would have made him 94 years old at the time.
177:
been uncovered. They reportedly had 17 children, born between 1921 and 1934: "twins, triplets, singletons - all sorts", among them
Roberto, Rodrigues, and triplets named Georgina, Georgia and Giselle, but again no record of their births could be found. Martin claimed that they all moved abroad.
196:. After time spent in various other jobs, he returned to the market, where he worked until he was 97. After complaining of boredom, he resumed work, starting at Pimlico Plumbers in London working three days a week, three months before his claimed 100th birthday.
120:, as a van cleaner, and refused to take a day off on the day he celebrated what he claimed was his 100th birthday. He also received coverage in the media for reportedly fending off an attack from a group of youths in 2007; he was cited by the former
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Martin stated that he would "only give up when they put me in a wooden box". He also offered his view on older workers: "Employers should pick people like us; we want to work and it puts money in our pockets and keeps us active". His boss,
149:. He stated that his mother fell pregnant to a member of the affluent family she served, and he and his mother were smuggled to Britain to avoid the disgrace. His mother was put in a convent and he was placed in an orphanage near
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On Martin's claimed centenary, his employer suggested that he take the day off to celebrate. However, he turned up for work. His colleagues threw him a surprise party at the company's headquarters and organized a tour of
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After walking the 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) distance of the Great
Capital Run in 2 hours 22 minutes and the Roding Valley Half Marathon in 5 hours 13 minutes, Martin was entered for the 2008
216:, stated in an interview with a French TV station that they use Buster in all their publicity and managed to increase their business by 36% thanks to his popularity and the media interest.
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Doubts have been raised about all of Martin's historical claims, including his age, which may have in truth been 97 at the time of his death, as well as his purported marriage and family.
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ground. Until 2006, Martin claimed never to have taken a day off for sickness in his ninety years of work, until an ingrown toenail forced him to take a few months' leave of work.
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as "living proof of why people should not be written off once they pass retirement age". Martin stated that he would not retire from working.
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161:, when he was three months old. Martin says that he picked up his nickname "Buster" at age three for "whacking a priest on the nose".
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for a documentary on the marginalisation of older people in
Britain. The Zimmers shot to fame in 2007 with their cover of
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naturalisation certificate are only "proof of nationality" and, in this case, based on "self-certification". The
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174:"I got married in 1920 and had to go over to France as I couldn't get married here due to my legal status."
172:, when he was 13 and she was 12. He claimed that they were married a year later in France. Martin stated:
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reported on 12 April 2008 that Martin "follows a diligent regimen of beer, cigarettes and red meat".
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304:"100-year-old [sic] Buster at the head of Pimlico's float for the Lord Mayor's show"
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newspaper, Martin claimed to have been born "up in the hills of the Basque
Country" in
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Race: BUPA Great
Capital Run 2007; First name: Buster; Surname: Martin; Race: 12341
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Iggulden, Amy. "Buster groomed to become king of rock 'n' old".
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as an "agony uncle," offering advice to the magazine's readers.
104:(1 September 1906/1913 – 12 April 2011) claimed to be the
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Martin died on 12 April 2011 at the claimed age of 104.
429:"The centenarian hailed by Ming for seeing off muggers"
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He reputedly met his future wife, Iriana, a native of
306:. Lord Mayor's Show. 27 October 2006. Archived from
826:Buster Martin in an excerpt from the documentary,
772:"British marathon man's number: 101, or maybe 94"
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227:Through the intervention of celebrity publicist
239:. The group was put together by BBC film maker
389:"I'll work till I drop, says 'Mr Centenarian'"
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627:"'Oldest' marathon runner Buster Martin dies"
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523:"Centenarian Martin runs toward world record"
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727:"Roding Valley Half Marathon 2008 Results"
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478:"How do record holders prove their age?"
359:. Metro. 8 February 2007. Archived from
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357:"Karate kick Buster, 100, floors gang"
251:". Martin also accepted a position on
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41:1 September 1906 (or 1913; disputed)
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646:"OAPs are rock stars of the future"
497:"The strange tale of Buster Martin"
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16:British marathon runner (1906–2011)
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464:"The Times & The Sunday Times"
335:"100-year-old told 'take day off'"
116:, a plumbing company in southeast
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84:Claimed oldest employee in the
805:"Buster told to prove his age"
753:"London Marathon 2008 Results"
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884:English male marathon runners
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427:Kirby, Terry (3 March 2007).
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770:Thea Chard (12 April 2008).
337:. BBC News. 1 September 2006
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548:Glendon, Mary Ann (1989).
854:Grenadier Guards soldiers
551:Age of Marriage in France
194:regimental sergeant major
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59:12 April 2011 (104 or 97)
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437:. London. Archived from
395:. London. Archived from
180:He claimed to have left
139:In an interview with
363:on 29 September 2007
310:on 27 September 2007
264:London Marathon 2008
864:People from Lambeth
828:HOW TO LIVE FOREVER
733:on 10 February 2012
678:on 14 November 2007
600:The Daily Telegraph
399:on 14 November 2007
393:The Daily Telegraph
859:Royal Navy sailors
811:on 15 August 2008.
237:old age pensioners
784:on 6 October 2008
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879:1906 births
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698:"Great Run"
241:Tim Samuels
233:The Zimmers
223:The Zimmers
124:leader Sir
94:Pierre Jean
74:Van cleaner
838:Categories
507:18 October
290:References
108:'s oldest
37:1906-09-01
682:20 August
166:Tonbridge
135:Biography
794:(page 2)
788:17 March
737:11 March
708:12 March
652:12 April
631:BBC News
533:12 April
503:. London
482:BBC News
155:Cornwall
110:employee
445:3 March
403:3 March
367:3 March
341:3 March
314:4 March
245:The Who
182:Brixton
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151:Bodmin
147:France
118:London
102:Martin
98:Buster
63:London
49:France
790:2009
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710:2008
684:2007
654:2007
556:ISBN
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247:'s "
170:Kent
56:Died
31:Born
257:FHM
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