TONY Bowman has to keep pinching himself to make sure it's not just a dream.

And no doubt a few of his fellow competitors will be pinching themselves too after the incredible 71-year-old carried off one of running's most prestigious prizes.

Despite suffering a heart attack just over a year ago Mr Bowman beat off competition from men and women young enough to be his grandchildren when he romped over the finishing line of the famous Powderhall Sprint at the New Year.

His victory makes him the oldest person ever to have won the 138-year-old race.

And with the previous oldest' winner being a positively juvenile 41-year-old who made his mark in the 1940s this new record looks set to stand.

Mr Bowman, of Guiseley, modestly admits that the 110 New Year Sprint has a handicap starting system to even out the chances for everyone.

But nevertheless in an event which is open to runners as young as 17 and which attracts top-flight competition from around the world his achievement seems quite remarkable.

And for him it's an incredible feeling to take the winning trophy in the prestigious race he first heard of as a schoolboy.

"I can't believe it," he said. "I keep pinching myself. When I talk about it the hairs are standing up on the back of my arms."

"I have heard about the Powderhall ever since I started running at school. It is probably the biggest race in the world for sprinters"

The event only became open to professionals in recent years, and Mr Bowman first took part in the 1990s.

He laughs when he hears he was apparently tipped to win the race back in 1972, or that he used to play rugby for Headingley. In the rash of publicity surrounding his win he believes he is being mixed up with other people - and confusingly he does share the same name as a rugby player.

But he takes any mistakes good-humouredly in his stride and seems to be enjoying the spate of newspaper articles and interviews.

For someone who once dreamed of competing in the Olympics this latest success must feel pretty good, and he wants other pensioners to see just what they can achieve.

"Life isn't finished - you can still do all these things," he stresses.

But life could so easily have been finished for him when he suffered a heart attack in a doctor's surgery in 2005.

The attack was mild and he refused to go to hospital after an ambulance was called for him. But his GP referred him for tests and the severity of his condition was discovered.

"They did an angiogram and found a 90 per cent blocked artery - and said you are so lucky to be alive.' "

After undergoing surgery to have a stent fitted, he was keen to start training again. He was back out jogging within ten days, and admits that he began hurdling again sooner than he really should have.

His love for athletics stretches back to his early childhood.

"I have always loved running," he said. "And when I was at school I was Middlesex schools hurdling champion."

He competed up to his mid-20s, when he gave up athletics, concentrating instead on tennis and hockey, which he has played for Middlesex as well as Ben Rhydding and Harrogate But he came back to athletics at the age of 42 when a friend told him about the British veterans' races - now known as the masters.

Since then he has competed around the world, bringing home a haul of medals and trophies.

It was in his 40s too that he went to university to take a qualification in social work to become a probation officer. He also worked in a youth club.

"I spent 14 years as a probation officer and absolutely loved it," he said.

"It was ideal for me because I could use my sporting experience in helping the clients get out and about and do things other than nicking cars and fighting."

"Most of these lads all they know about is football and cricket, but I introduced them to jogging and walking, and playing squash and tennis and table tennis .

"I never found it stressful because I came from an ordinary working class background myself.

"I always think there but for the grace of God - I could have been one of them. But fortunately I had the two most marvellous parents. They were both beautiful people and they gave me a lot of support.

His sporting prowess extends throughout the family. His father was a good golfer - a trait inherited by his brother Peter, who lives in the USA.

"He is a great golfer - he could have been a pro," Mr Bowman says.

And he knows his family's sporting genes have played a big part in his own success.

"It has got to be mainly my genes," he said. "I know I am lucky to be blessed with good genes.

"But you can't achieve what I have achieved as a runner just by sitting watching TV. I go out training every day in all sort of weather. There is no gain without pain - that is so true in my case."

And it's not just as a runner that Mr Bowman has achieved success. He and his dancing partner, Julie, showed the youngsters a thing or two when they reached the last 100 of last year's Strictly Dance Fever - being told by one of the judges you have got rhythm coming out of your veins'.

It was an experience he describes as "really wonderful."

"There were thousands who entered - you are talking 20,000 entrants. We were very fortunate to get through to the last 100 especially with our age.

And with most of the contestants so much younger there was room for confusion along the way.

"They were miles younger than us, and some people said who are you with? Have you got a son or daughter in the competition?' "We said - no we're in the competition."

He got a few quizzical looks at the Powderhall as well where he was the oldest of around 112 competitors. But he wasn't prepared to let age stand in his way.

"I don't feel any older than about 45 really," he said.

And he is certainly not planning to slow down yet.

With competitions in Puerto Rico Brisbane, Italy, France, Finland, Norway and Sweden, already under his belt, he is planning to take part in competitions in Iceland and Italy this year.

And he is hoping to set a new record in the indoor 400 metres at the Scottish championships in Glasgow. Naturally a short distance man, he says: "Four hundred meters is a real challenge for me."

And he is keen to keep challenging himself despite his surgery in 2005.

"I have never thought I've got to take it easy because I might collapse," he said. "I go out there feeling like a 40-year-old and give it everything. After 400 metres I am on my knees and gasping for breath - but that's not because of my heart."

To help maintain his competitive edge Mr Bowman trains with one of his Wilf Paish - the man who coached Tessa Sanderson - and who lives nearby.

As his only sponsorship is six-months free membership of the David Lloyds sport centre in Leeds, the £4,000 prize money from the Powderhall will come in very handy - when he finally gets his hands on it.

He had to undergo a routine drugs test after his win and will not see his money until the results come back.

He said it was not entirely unknown for older athletes to take banned substances - but in some cases they simply fall foul of the rules because of medication drugs.

It is a subject he is very aware of as he is going to chair a committee on doping.

"We have got one guy who has been disqualified for two years because he was taking steroids on doctor's advice," he said.

It's a pitfall older athletes in particular need to be aware of.

"Most people when they get to my age are suffering from something or other and take medication," he said.

"I don't get my money until they have cleared me," he said. "But I am confident. I do take four different drugs and I do take a few supplements - but I'm happy that I'm going to get my £4,000."

After his amazing win in this years Powderhall he is not anticipating a repeat performance next year.

"If I compete again I will probably never win another race as a professional because it is all handicapped," he said.

But that's no reason to stop running."My ambition is to get down to my marks when I'm 100 and then live for another 20 years," he says.