Sir Stanley Burgess, Ed Sherlock, Calvin Hansey and Cal Dill might be some of the first names that come to mind when mention is made of the annual May 24 (Half) Marathon Derby,but it may not be long before George Jones find himself in such iconic company.Jones has never won the annual classic but his claim to fame is still mightily impressive.Sir Stanley and co. are famous for their runaway victories but Jones holds a record of his own.When the gun goes off to signal the start of the 13.1 mile race from Somerset to Hamilton nest Thursday, 75-year-old Jones will leave the start line for the 39th time.He ran his first Derby in 1973 and hasn’t missed one since. Nobody can match that record.This year, however, the Elbow Beach Hotel employee will be running for a purpose, hoping spectators will follow his example of living a life free of drugs and acohol.Bermudians Against Narcotics (BAN) have chosen the veterand as their standardbearer.“We have in the midst of our Bermuda community and individual who has exemplified the positive results of drug-free living,” said Clinton Muhammad, a spokesman for BAN.“We in BAN applaud George and we hope the rest of Bermuda will do the same on his 39th Marathon attempt.“We see George is an excellent example of this drug-free lifestyle and we encourage all athletes and sports persons in Bermuda to follow his example.”While Jones considers the Marathon Derby his favourite race, he’s taken his running shoes all across the USA.On his list of his achievements are 11 New York Marathons, two marathons in both Washington and Las Vegas and another in Chicago, not to mention the 20 times he has covered the 26.2 mile distance during Bermuda’s January Race Weekend.And he doesn’t aim to hang up those shoes any time soon.“I’ll keep on running as long as I can,” he said.