Prolific and pioneering racer in the 1970s and 1980s was a popular and striking figure who won dozens of marathons and set world bests in ultra-running

Distance running trailblazer, world record-holder and multiple magazine cover star, Leslie Watson will be fondly remembered as one of the most iconic athletes during the original jogging boom.

The glamorous globe-trotting runner notched up more than 60 marathon victories around the world. These included the Womens AAA title in 1981, plus world best performances at 50 miles and 100km.

She died on New Years Day aged 78 after being hospitalised on December 23.

I imagine you will struggle to find a single person in the world who would have a bad word to say about her, says Lawrence Brampton, one of her friends and former training partners.

Born as Leslie Mary Watson in Glasgow on February 4 in 1945, her father was a doctor and her mother a dancer who specialised in Russian Cossack dancing.

Despite having modest ability as a runner, she was attracted to athletics and joined Maryhill Harriers, where she came into contact with a PE teacher called John Anderson. Under Andersons coaching she won the Scottish Schools 880 yards title followed by the Scottish one mile crown, plus Scottish cross-country national titles in the late 1960s. Later, she put much of her success down to Andersons guidance.

She qualified as a physiotherapist, moved to London and began to be drawn to the marathon, although this wasnt a straightforward option for a female runner in the 1970s due to rules that forbade women from racing against men.

Id much rather be a sprinter, she later told AW, but as I have no natural talent the marathon is my next favourite event.

In 1975 she made her debut at 26.2 miles in the Masters and Maidens Marathon in Guildford. Her motivation? She thought running such a long way would help her lose weight off her already slim physique. It crossed my mind that marathon running might be slimming, she said.

The race didnt go well, though, as she clocked 3hr 31min knowing that I had run a stupid race and knowing that I was unfit. But it was certainly slimming! she added.

She soon found her stride in the marathon, though. Whereas her absolute best remained a relatively modest 2:44:18 from the New York Marathon in 1982, she became a prolific racer at the distance, notching up an estimated 60-plus victories.

Racing for London Olympiades, Watson proved a pioneering runner in not only the marathon but ultra-distance events. In 1979 she finished the first female in the London to Brighton race over 54 miles despite being an unofficial entrant due to women not being permitted. The organisers soon changed their rules to allow women to compete, though, with Watson turning up in 1980 to successfully defend her title, this time receiving a trophy and proper recognition for the victory.

At the peak of her career she ran a 50 miles world best of 6:02:37 in Connecticut, United States breaking the old mark by two minutes before returning to the UK to race 3000m on the track the following Saturday and the Womens AAA Marathon in Rugby on Sunday, which she won in 2:49:08. For good measure she then won the Isle of Wight Marathon the next weekend in a 2:52:56 course record!

Writing in a runyoung50.co.uk article entitled queen of the roads, Katie Holmes says: Her prolific racing led to her becoming the public face of the womens marathon in the UK.

In addition to appearing on the cover of AW (above), she was featured on the front pages of magazines like Runners World and Jogging magazine. In a sign of the times and with the distance running world dominated by men, newspaper articles often referred to her as the glamour girl of marathons.

Magazine covers aside, she featured in adverts for companies such as the London Runner, which led the shop being inundated with enquiries from runners who not only wanted to buy some shoes but also simply meet Watson, who had links to the store due to her physiotherapy work.

Chris Brasher, the co-founder of the London Marathon, described Watson in the Observer newspaper as a beautiful woman with a magnificent shape which is famous throughout the world of long-distance running: famous because its beauty brings a smile to all men who run with her.

The website scottishdistancerunninghistory.scot, meanwhile, described her as elegant, long striding, hair flowing and she always seemed to enjoy every step of her running.

The site added: If (Scottish marathon pioneer) Dale Greig broke through the glass ceiling keeping women out of marathon racing remember that it was only in 1969 that women were allowed to race as far as 3000m on the track then Leslie shattered it so that it could never be put back together again.

In the twilight of her career, she won the Glasgow Marathon in 2:45:03, whereas in 1989 when at the age of 44 she won Adelaide, Australia, in 2:49:49.

With more than 200 marathons under her belt, her final one was the Isle of Wight Marathon in 1994 which she won for the seventh time. She then retired from running but turned to powerlifting while maintaining her work as a physiotherapist.

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Given her achievements, she built up enormous experience, so when it came to her advice to athletes, she told AW: The most important thing is to train hard over a number of years. Enjoy the competitions and race often in as many different events as possible to find what suits you best. Dont be put off by a bad race. If you train hard and race frequently the good times will eventually come.