All-rounder Reidy has been racing with Wolves on Wembley Way!

And with a success rate in ‘wacky races’ to match Penelope Pitstop rather than Dick Dastardly, Sean Reidy can amazingly lay claim to both these records, albeit his Wembley opponent was a wolf.

If that’s not enough, the celebrated Peterborough Nene Valley AC multi-eventer has also earned money as a runner by being part of an art exhibition at London’s Tate Britain gallery.

It started in 2008 at the Tate Britain in an exhibition by Turner Prize nominated artist Martin Creed called exhibition 850.

“At the Tate I was paid £10 an hour,” Reidy, who is now a self employed caricature artist, explained.

“The runners had to run 15 reps of Tate Britain’s Duveens gallery which is about 100m long.

“We then ran beneath the gallery, through an underground corridor stuffed with stored art and start all over again.

“We’d do that four times in a shift, which ultimately meant we’d run 12km, 6km of which would be run at my 800m pace all on marble flooring.

“Then there was the added fun of a stair descent and climb at the start and finish of each rep.

“After my first shift I had passers by on the Pimlico streets and on the tube asking me why I was hobbling, and whether I needed them to get help.

“No calf pain was as bad as how those shifts made me feel!

“We had to go and have an ECG at the Olympic medical centre before they’d accept any runner on Work 850.

“The odd thing about it was I’d be in teams of four that normally included a couple of athletes I’d know from the circuit and a couple out of work actors that had bit parts in TV shows like Silent Witness!

“It was like being in a sporty version of Ricky Gervais’s Extras!”

Next came the Timberland Wolf race on Wembley Way in 2009, which was part of an advertising campaign lead by England Rugby star Ben Cohen.

“A friend contacted me and asked if I was up for another weird running challenge” added Reidy.

“I was told I’d get a T shirt and a new pair of trainers so that was me sold.

“I beat the wolf, which thankfully was running in a cage.

“I remember looking into its eyes and it having the same look of any athlete that has been roped into an event they’ve never done before because their club needs points.

“I’d seen that look many a time in the Southern Men’s league!

“I think motivationally a wolf’s speed is relative to its potential to eat you. With the caged running lane between us it settled for second place and the race was mine.

“I think it would be a different story if we met in Canada on his terms!”

In 2010 Reidy wore his ‘I run with Wolves’ T shirt as he lined up alongside nearly 100 other people to sprint the final furlong at Kempton Park in the inaugural ‘Peoples Race’.

Living in Chiswick at the time and working for Sky TV, Reidy was also paying sky high council tax, so collecting the £1,000 on offer to the winner was his main incentive.

Surging through the field during the race, he eventually won by several lengths against a mix of fast runners and slow runners, a few of whom were Big Brother and Apprentice contestants.

As reigning champion Reidy raced again in 2011. Pushed for time before the race, he ran in his formal work clothes, but with a pair of trainers on his feet.

Reidy’s win was as convincing as it was timely. Once he’d collected the prize he dashed off to Gatwick Airport for a flight to Madeira, with a £1,000 extra holiday spending money in his pocket.