A Tredegar man is looking to have a statue of marathon legend Steve Jones erected in the athlete’s home town.

Parc Bryn Bach RC’s Lee Aherne is aiming to raise £5,000 to immortalise his hero in Ebbw Vale where the marathon man grew up and began along the path to international distance running.

Jones rose to stardom in the 1980’s following a period as one of the world’s top endurance athletes. This reign included wins at the Mars London Marathon in 1985 and victories at the New York, Chicago and Toronto Marathons.

It was at Chicago in 1984 that Jones broke the world record with a mark of 2:08:05. A year later Jones returned to the windy city and ran a lifetime best of 2:07.13. The time also stood as the British record for 33 years until it was surpassed by Mo Farah at the Virgin Money London Marathon in April 2018.

Amongst Jones’ other achievements were a record nine Welsh Cross Country titles, a long-standing British record at half marathon and a bronze medal over the marathon at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

He continues to be active in the sport as a coach with a large stable of athletes training under his leadership and contributing to the careers of several British Athletes that venture to Colorado to train under Jones at high altitude.

It is because of his pedigree as an athlete and his continued work within the sport, that his loyal fan believes he should be immortalised with a timeless tribute to his athletics achievements. It is also because Jones now lives in Boulder, Colorado that Aherne worries he isn’t known as much as he deserves in the community where he grew up.

Aherne is now looking to accumulate support for his tribute to Jones by raising funds through Just Giving. More details can be found here.