Where did you stay?

Leonardo Royal, Tower Bridge

How did you get to the location/race?

Flew to London on the Friday before the race to try an avoid the expo being too busy. Race day – walked from the hotel to London Bridge train station and took the train to the start line at Blackheath.

Were you running for a cause?

I was running for Jersey Hospice Care and raised just over £3000.

Why did you decide to enter this race?

I wanted to do something memorable for my 50th birthday year and needed a challenging running goal. If I’m only ever going to do one marathon it had to be London right?! I’ve always been a fan so it was on my bucket list but never imagined I would ever actually either be fit enough or brave enough to do it.

How was your training? Did you have a coach?

Training was tough during the winter and trying to fit the longer runs in around life. At the peak of training, I was running half marathon distance and over, back-to-back, for several Sundays, which was exhausting but I loved it! Only had a ‘this is too hard!’ meltdown one week! Rik provided a generic training plan for Rock N Road Runners which I tried to stick to as much as possible. In addition, I watched my nutrition and did strength training and yoga.

How was the race organisation beforehand?

Logistics for the London Marathon are mindblowing! I was impressed by the communications before hand – great emails and Instagram walkthroughs of what to do when you got the Expo. The race guide and pre-race checklist were really useful. Getting around London is pretty easy, so getting to the Expo was straight forward and queues managed efficiently to pick up bib numbers and t-shirts. But I was glad we went relatively early as apparently it was carnage on the Saturday.

Did you have a specific race strategy, and if so, did you stick to it or have to adapt during the race?

As I hadn’t run any further than 26k in training, I was worried how I would feel once I got to that point. Having completed the Hospice 2 Hospice half marathon at the end of March and improved my previous half marathon time by 7 minutes, I knew I would be able to get to the halfway mark within 2hrs 30mins, so if the second half took me 3 hours with some walking, I would be happy with that. What I hadn’t taken into account was how warm it was going to be or the overwhelming number of people making it quite congested, which meant I needed to walk more than I would have liked.

Were there any unexpected challenges you faced during the race?

It was really busy and much hotter than expected, which meant that I walked more than I would have liked. I didn’t want to add too much more distance on a hot day by having to weave in and out of people, so got frustrated at not being able to run at a couple of points.

How did you manage to overcome those challenges?

The crowd were amazing! When I was struggling, people shouted my name and spurred me on. I also accepted that it was probably better to just walk in places rather than stopping and starting. So just went with the flow. Three of my friends managed to find me around the course and help me with extra gels, sweets and water, gave me hugs and pushed me on my way again. We’d worked out where I might need them most and they were there!

What was the best bit?

Running over Tower Bridge with Joe Wicks was pretty cool! I also loved passing London’s iconic landmarks and savouring running the course I watched on telly every year.

What was the worst bit?

Once I passed the halfway mark at Tower Bridge, you start to see the runners who are 7/8 miles ahead of you coming the other way, some really struggling, which got me thinking that’s what I’ve got to come. It played on my mind for the whole section around Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs, making it much tougher mentally for me. Once I got back to Tower Bridge, I knew I’d be fine.

How were the crowds/supporters?

The supporters were amazing! From a gospel choir to a steel band, amateur DJs playing banging tunes from their front gardens, marshals making speed bumps entertaining, kids looking for high fives, power up signs and people offering sweets and shouting words of encouragement, the atmosphere was just incredible. If I asked for help, people were more than willing and delighted to have been asked to assist.

What would you do differently next time?

Not worry so much about how I might feel and trust the process. Remember that all the hard work is done before race day.

What advice would you give other runners doing this race?

Remember that conditions on the day might change your race plan and that this is a race like no other. You will be carried by the crowd, go with the flow and enjoy it.

How did you celebrate completing your race?

Went out for a couple of beers and dinner with my friends, then relaxed back at the hotel with a cup of tea, the 1% Club and a long soak in the bath!

What's next?

I’ve caught the bug and need to look to the next challenge. I’d like to do the Marathon de la Liberte in Normandy, but I’ve entered the London Marathon ballot for next year so who knows!