Havering Sports Council have announced that Dave Keeley of Havering '90 Joggers is to be the recipient of The Doug Riden Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award is named after the former Havering Sports Council pesident who died in office during 2002, and who gave a lifetime of support to local sport, particularly athletics and football.

It's awarded annually to a Havering resident who has served local sport for a minimum of 15 years.

It's the only award presented as all other awards are based on achievements of the past year. However, this year there has been little local sport - therefore few opportunities for talent to shine.

Dave was nominated as he had worked tirelessly for Havering '90 Joggers for 30 years and was the club's honorary secretary for 25 years.

One of Dave's greatest achievements is to complete 26 marathons - each commencing with a different letter of the alphabet.

He started in 1985 with the letter P as he sped around the Paris Marathon. He completed his 26th marathon in this series with the letter X at China's Xiamen Marathon.

His fastest came in 1993 when completing the Dublin Marathon in 3 hours and 1 minute. It wasn't all plain sailing as in the Quebec Marathon he stepped awkwardly into a pothole and tweaked a hamstring so causing considerable pain - but kept going to the finishing line.

Dave didn't need to travel far to complete a marathon beginning with L - as he's completed the London Marathon several times.

He gives a good account of himself at all distances, from 5k runs to ultra-marathons.

He's run several ultra marathons up to 100 miles, ran all London Underground & Overground lines "end-to-end" and ran across all London's bridges from the iconic Tower Bridge to the Grade II listed Hampton Court Bridge.

Dave never stands still and already plans his next challenge - as when lockdown ends, he aims to run the length of Crossrail's lines.

Dave was presented with the Mayor's Silver Award by Cllr Linda Trew in 2013 for his service to local athletics, which included setting up the highly popular Harrow Lodge weekly parkruns.

Within a short time of their inauguration they were attracting more than 70 runners a time and now regularly have fields of more than 200, but under a different event director to whom he handed over.

To encourage younger participants he inaugurated a Harrow Lodge Junior parkrun, which attracts 60-70 juniors each Sunday. At the time, one of Dave's Group, Jeff Fenton, stated: "He is a credit to himself and Havering '90 Joggers for all the free time he gives up to help others".

In 2013 Dave was also presented with the Havering '90 Joggers President's Award, which goes to a member who has accomplished outstanding achievements.

Dave's represented Havering '90 at the first meetings of east London clubs that kicked off East London V Inter-Club Series of races known as ELVIS and took part in many of the races. He's participated in many other events such as the Green Belt Relay, a 22-stage 220-mile run around the green belt of Greater London as part of his club's team.

In 2018 Dave won the England Athletics Volunteer of the Year Award.

Dave helped start the Havering '90 Joggers 5 kilometre and 10 kilometre races in 1992, which ran from Hornchurch Sports Centre until rising traffic levels forced a 2002 change of location to Raphael Park.

He served for five years on the Essex County Athletics Association Committee and was a founder member of its road running sub-committee. He still manages the website.

In 2009 he started the Havering '90 Joggers Learn 2 Run scheme by organising a course for run leaders, who would go on to coach those new to running. This was part-funded by Havering Council through Sports Council contacts. He looks forward to again helping out with the Havering Learn 2 Run scheme when lockdown ends.

He's a qualified United Kingdom Athletics official in road race adjudication and risk management, which entails checking that road races adhere to licence conditions.

For Havering Sports Council he's been a true stalwart, representing his club and parkrun, and manages the Sports Council's website In more recent times he's taken on an honorary secretary's role.

The plan is for a presentation at the first Havering Sports Council Town Hall meeting, when government regulations permit such gatherings to resume.