Olympian Long on city's ceremony

Dave Long twice represented Great Britain at an Olympic Games

When the mens' marathon brings down the curtain on the Beijing Games, it will bring back memories for three of Coventry and Warwickshire's Olympic legends.

Basil Heatley, Bill Adcocks and Dave Long all wore a British Olympic vest for that most challenging of track and field events.

And the achievements of all three will be recognised at a special ceremony to mark their area's contribution to the Olympic movement.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Olympic Legends project is close to Dave Long's heart. As an athlete, he competed at the 1988 and 1992 Games. And now, working for CV One in Coventry, he wants to use his experiences and those of fellow Olympians to inspire others ahead of London 2012.

A parade of legends will be part of the Olympic handover celebration taking place in Coventry's University Square on Sunday, 24 August. And Long said: "We want The Legends to inspire young people to get involved in sport.

"We want to say 'look at what we did at the Olympics. It can be done'."

Long only began to appreciate what he had done after he had finished competing.

Even though it is only 16 years since he ran with distinction in the Barcelona Games, the sport has changed greatly. While some of the top names in British athletics now train full time, he combined a training regime of 140 miles a week with a full-time job in Birmingham.

"I actually worked in the schedules office doing bus timetables for West Midlands Travel," he remembers. "One of the perks was free travel on public transport and that could help with my training.

"In the winter, I'd take the train home from work and get off at Tile Hill to run to my home in Wyken. In the summer, I'd get off at Hampton-in-Arden."

Dave remains as enthusiastic about sport, and sport in Coventry and Warwickshire in particular, as ever.

He is passionate about making sure that this area plays a prominent role in the build-up to London 2012. Just don't expect him to make a comeback.

"I toddle about these days," he joked. "The problem is I'm 47 now but my knees are 93."