Thank you for visiting this site, and to any returning sponsors.
I ran the London Marathon on 26th April with the declared goals of enjoying it, aiming for four hours or so and not hurting myself too much in the process.
Being strict , I think I achieved about half of that. It was a very rewarding experience being cheered along every step of the way by a massive crowd, I just missed my 4 hour goal and I have damaged my legs in the process (though hopefully only temporarily). Certainly a few days on they are pretty useless to me, and every staircase presents a serious challenge.
I finished in 4h09, with the last few miles being very much a case of mind over matter as I tried to speed up a bit and found that the accelerator peddle was no longer working. I ran most of the way with a friend from University days, which helped alot. Then about half way through I saw another runner in an 'Action on Addiction' vest and chatted to him a fair bit. He explained that the charity had helped him as a heroin addict when he was 15, and that he is now married with children and works designing IT systems for a major corporation. It was a striking example of the difference that this charity can make to people's lives.
So thank you to everyone who sponsored me (and if you haven't already, it's not too late!).
John
