What's it really like to run the London Marathon?

Posted Thu 24th Apr 2014 at 16:10
by Diane Schadenberg

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We spoke to each of our runners to find out, first hand, what it's really like to compete in such an iconic event.

We would sincerely like to say a massive “Thank You” to our fantastic runners who not only completed the gruelling 26.2 mile course in amazing times with only minutes separating them, but they also managed to raise a staggering £7,000 for Tourettes Action and donations are still coming in.

On marathon day, we were lucky enough to see all of our runners at various locations throughout the course. When we were stood at the 400m to go mark, Ash even stopped to have a chat adding on a couple of minutes to his time no doubt.

The London Marathon actually has three starting points and after a couple of miles, all routes meet up on the same course. Within each starting area, the runners are then divided into sections. All of our runners started from the red area with their feet typically crossing the start line about 10.30am. On the day all runners said they felt a mixture of nerves but on the whole were really excited to get going.

We caught up with them to find out first hand, what their thoughts were about the big day, how they’d prepared for the impending task and if there were any special treats waiting for them as they crossed the finish line.

We know you’ll feel both inspired and proud after reading their stories. If you would like to find out more about taking part in the Virgin London Marathon 2015, please email Diane for more information.

Any mishaps before the race, snapped shoelaces, numbers falling off, playlists not working etc.?

Martin: No mishaps luckily

Lucy: I had a mishap! I felt like I had been set up. I spent the whole of Saturday afternoon creating the ‘ultimate’ marathon playlist, with 1.2 days of music at my fingertips. I then crossed the start line listening to 5 seconds of FatBoy Slim and my iPod broke. I have never run without music in my life and always rely on it to set my pace and to keep me going. I was so bitter that I had to run the whole thing without it, carrying my broken iPod in my hand..! I was a lot slower as a result but still managed to run the whole thing without stopping which I’m really proud of.

Ash:  No Mishaps

Was anybody cheering you on along the course?

Martin:  My family saw me at Canary Wharf and again at West Ferry. I had a fantastic time during the event. The crowds are just amazing, having your name on your vest is worth its weight in gold as hearing your name being shouted is a great boost.

Lucy: My parents saw me but I didn’t see them! I had other friends running around to all sorts of locations to try and see me but no one did! It was such a shame because I could have really done with that extra boost at some points… Everyone had a great time though and my parents had grand stand tickets so could see me cross the finish line, which was amazing.

Ash:  My wife and daughter came along for the day, and i managed to greet them at a mile from home, which was very emotional! It was an experience that we all will not forget for a long long time.

No April Showers, just lots of April Sunshine. Was it tough going in the heat and did you hit any brick walls?

Martin: Yes it was very hot out on the course considering all my training was done in cold/wet weather. The same happened when I did the Sheffield Half Marathon 2 years ago. It just meant I had to take on more liquid than I had been doing in training. My knees were shot at 17 miles but that could also be something to do with visiting the Tate the day before as it involved a lot of walking. However I wouldn't have missed it as my son Luke loved the event.

Lucy: I tan quite easily so have got nicely tanned arms and a big, fat pale strap across my wrist where my watch was. In my opinion, the weather was perfect. I’m used to training in all sorts of weathers – running outside inthe freezing winter months and running on the treadmill in the boiling hot gym so I think I was quite well prepared. There was a lovely breeze in the air too which kept us cool – absolutely perfect!

I had trained for 6 months and had done a few 20 mile runs so knew where to expect the pain to kick in. For me, I struggled from miles 16-21 because you still feel a long way from the end and the miles just seem to go on for ever (especially without music to get you round!). It was a mixture of the crowd who were amazing – shouting out my name and giving me sweets to keep me going, and the thought that I have been training all this time to run the whole thing that kept me going. I also kept telling myself that if I stopped, my legs would seize up and I wouldn’t start again and I would have to walk the 10 miles to the end! The key is to simply JUST KEEP GOING.

Ash: the actual race itself went very well up to 13 miles, and then it got tougher, mainly due to the heat, which led onto me having to have a sports massage at 19 mile mark due to severe cramps. I pulled myself together for the last 7 and managed to jog / walk it to the last mile which i managed to nearly run it all

What special treat did you promise yourself after you’d crossed the finishing line, glass of wine, meal out?

Martin: I said from 3 weeks out I wanted 3 things when I finished:

1) My recoveries

2) A pint of cider - I hadn't had an alcoholic drink since my birthday on 20th January.

3) A pizza

2 & 3 didn't matter what order as long as I had them

I got all three before going home :-) 

Lucy: I haven’t been drinking for the last 6 weeks so have been looking forward to relaxing properly. However, I wasn’t hungry or after anything in particular after the event – I think it was all the adrenaline! But it was quite nice to say ‘oh I had better eat this Mars Bar’ and not feel guilty!

Ash: Never really prepared a treat afterwards, i got home put my feet up and enjoyed an ice cold cider or 3 

If you could give anybody advice for the 2015, what would it be?

Martin: Train hard and just enjoy the day... The atmosphere is electric and carries you round when you feel down.

Lucy: Firstly, you absolutely must do it. It is just an incredible experience - I am going to sign up for a ballot place for next year! It is hard and you absolutely cannot do it without training but I would say make sure you do at least one 20 mile run before you do it because then you understand your body’s limits better and how to train yourself to keep going, and also have an iPod that works!

Ash: If you are to do it next year, get the training/miles in, don’t overdo it, watch the body for signs, and most importantly on the day, enjoy it, it’s a lifetime experience.

Inspired? Email Diane@tourrettes-action.org.uk for your 2015 application form.

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