Completing the London Marathon is something that I had always dreamed to do. Over the past 18+ months I started my running journey and I’ve put a hell of a lot of hard work in. With the support from friends, family and the Thanet Roadrunners, that dream became a reality. Nothing quite prepares you for running the London Marathon with pre-race nerves, anticipation and excitement for one of the most incredible races in the world. Having run the Brighton Marathon just two weeks ago, I found preparation for this race strange with only two weeks to rest, recover and prepare again although I was full of confidence that I could do it. I followed the same pre-race preparation as I did at Brighton to ensure there was nothing new. The biggest difference for this race was that I had a lot of friends and family coming up to support me watch was great but I didn’t want to let them down. 

At the start, the shear number of runners is intimidating and inspiring. Nerves continually attempting to get the better of me but vanished as soon as the race began. I managed to quickly get myself into a comfortable rhythm and stuck to my race plane for the first few miles. Excitement got the better of my all the way up to Tower Bridge as I pace got quicker and got worried I had gone out to quickly. I blame this entirely on the impressive crowds of people, cheering and shouting my name at every turn. At half way, I knew I had some tough miles ahead. I could feel my hamstring and calves had already started to tighten up. This I told myself was just a hangover form the previous run and nothing to worry about. Literally running past both Eliud Kipchoge and Mo Farah albeit that they had only 4 miles to go and still had 13, was a real highlight for me and gave me a much needed boost to keep going. As the route snakes around Canary Wharf I was really starting to feel it but I was up on where I was aiming to be in terms of pace and Just focused on keeping going. 

With about five miles to go my calves felt like lead and I felt like I was struggling. I knew these last few miles where going to hurt but I knew that I could afford to empty the tank and go for broke. I had the chance for a new PB and decided to grit my teeth and go for it. Running down the embankment with the swelling crowds was an unbelievable experience that I wasn’t ready for. Every fibre of my body was telling me to slow down or walk for a bit but the crowds told me otherwise. Not long after going past Big Ben with Buckingham Palace almost in touching distance, I got another glimpse of my family who were waiting at the 800m to go marker. I got a little emotional but also knew that I had to relish this moment. I kicked on for the final stretch down The Mall filled with so many emotions. The pain had evaporated and I was about to finish the London Marathon. Crossing the line was an incredible feeling made all the sweeter by managing a new PB of 03:33:59. Running this marathon is truly an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. 

Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t reach your goals. With plenty of hard work and determination you can achieve almost anything. Thank you to everyone for your support especially my wife, family and friends that came and supported me around London. Thank you also to everyone that has sponsored me. So far I have raised £2,358 for the incredible charity that is St John Ambulance whose work at events like this really makes a difference.