GRANT Johnson, Walney’s fast-rising marathon man, knows exactly where he is going – but he is no hurry to get there.

In fact, it could take anything up to 10 years for the 24-year-old athlete to hit his peak and achieve his ultimate goal of winning an England vest.

Johnson is in his first full year of competitive racing and has taken to long-distance running like a man born to the sport.

What began as a fund-raising exercise a while back has become almost a passion for Johnson who finished 25th among the non-elite runners in the London Marathon in a personal best time of 2 hours 25 minutes and 16 seconds.

He is now taking a couple of weeks off for rest and recuperation ahead of the next item on the schedule – preparation for the Great North Run in September.

“That is the only race I am booked in for at the moment,” he said. “Things are going brilliantly right now but I am still very young in marathon running terms.

“I am feeling as fit as ever but it could take anything between five or 10 years for me to be at my peak as a long distance runner.

“Fortunately, while I was running just to raise funds for charity, I found that I have a natural talent for it.”

Proof of that discovery came when Johnson won the 2015 Keswick to Barrow event.

“My long term ambition is to win an England vest but in the meantime I have been advised not to run too many marathons,” he added.

“I have to improve my speed over the shorter distances – though I am not too keen on the five or 10k runs.

Although he has moved on from Charity runs into a string of personal best times in a series of races, Johnson is still in close contact with Kidney Research where it all began to support his biggest fan, girlfriend Amy Rowlinson, who was suffering from kidney failure.

She has since undergone a successful transplant and Johnson said:”After all the money I raised last year it was very difficult to keep it going.”

The atmosphere at the London Marathon helped to strengthen Johnson’s taste for the life of a long-distance runner.

“It was an amazing atmosphere,” he said. “The streets are lined with people and there is no part of the course were people aren’t shouting. People are just cheering all the way round.”

The crowds and cheering fans may be missing as Johnson pounds the streets of Walney or the byways around Furness area but there is no shortage of support from Amy.

“She’s very proud of me,” he said.

If Johnson can hit his 10-year target; an England vest and a place among the country’s top marathon men there will be no mileage left in the line about the loneliness of the long-distance runner. He will have plenty of support.