Running the London Marathon is about so much more than 26.2 miles
25 April 2025, 12:54
For some it’s about beating their personal best and for others, it’s about raising thousands of pounds for charity.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
For me, running the London Marathon was about taking on a huge personal challenge.
I never liked running at school. I would often be the one trying to get out of a PE lesson and would hide in the corner of the school field with friends to skip a lap in the cross country. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day be signing up to run a marathon.
Fast forward a few years and during a tricky time at university, I was given a social prescription for parkrun by my GP. I never tried running before my doctor thought it would help support my mental health, but it quickly became what I turned to in order to keep my wellbeing in check.
A few parkruns and even a half marathon later, I still questioned whether I was capable of taking on the full marathon distance – 26.2 miles is a long way! But this then turned into my motivation; knowing it would be a big challenge to train for the London Marathon in 2024.
As the news presenter on Heart Breakfast, my day starts very early and so I knew just getting through the training block would be a big ask. I worked my training runs into my commute home from work, and luckily, my partner was running the marathon too, so we did some of our training together.
I trained through every kind of weather, from snow to sunshine. My weekends revolved around long training runs and making sure I took on the right fuel to power me through.
When race day arrived, I realised signing up for the London Marathon had been about so much more than just running 26.2 miles. It was about resilience, willpower and proving to myself I could achieve something I never thought I’d be capable of doing.
Race day is just the victory lap.
For anyone running the London Marathon this year – see this as your celebration.
Take in the crowds, high-five the children lining the route and be proud of everything you’ve achieved so far. The London Marathon really is the most iconic race in the world.
________________
LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.
To contact us email views@lbc.co.uk
