Firstly, thank you all so much for your support both financially for St. Gemmas and morally for me over the last few months of training. You really did keep me going at times and I was determined to run well (at least do my best!) for you all.

Here's the story of the race...

New York was a fantastic trip and turned out to be an amazing marathon too. From the minute we crossed the huge Verizano Bridge after the start line on Statten Island and looked across the Hudson Bay towards the Manhattan skyline I knew it was going to be a marathon to remember. The crowds were amazing, not just because 2 million of them had turned out to support us but because they were having a party for 26.2 miles along the side of the street.

I decided to run 2 half-marathons from a timing point of view, I needed to beat an average of 11 minutes 27 seconds per mile over the 26.2 miles so decided to go for 10 minutes 27 seconds on average in the first half and no more than 12 minutes 27 seconds in the second half...that would get me across the line in just less than 5 hours...my target for the race and 33 minutes quicker than my London time.

Having got to Statten Island on the official runners bus at 4:30am(!), Dawn and I had a perishing 6 hours to wait for the start of the race (along with the 37,000 other runners). When we finally got to start, I set off at a quick pace to warm up in the November sun. The 11 mile run through Brooklyn was supported so well that at times it was like running through a football crowd in full voice...just amazing...at the half way point in Queens, just before crossing into Manhattan I had averaged 10 minutes 21 seconds...I'd beaten my first target and felt fresh enough to hit my second half target too. As we crossed the Queensborough Bridge into Manhattan at 16 miles I started to feel tired in my legs, especially as we ran up the long incline to the centre of the bridge before it drops down into Manhattan. With 10 miles to go I needed a lift and reached for a GU (energy syrup pouches) some Jelly Beans and a piece of Chocolate Fudge cake offered to us on a tray by a kind cake shop owner! It did the trick...my pace picked up and the next 4 miles up Manhattan's 1st Avenue breezed by. I knew before the race that when we reached The Bronx at mile 20 we were in the final stages and virtually home and dry...my average at that point for the second half of the marathon was 11:15 and I wanted to keep it that way. With some more GUs at mile 21 and 24 I virtually sprinted down 5th Avenue soaking up the roars from the crowds and the shouts of "way to go Kev" (I had my name on my shirt!!).

I crossed the line at 4 hours 48 minutes, an amazing time for me, something I didn't dream of during my training runs leading up to the race. I put it down to 3 things:

1) The crowd - 4 times louder and crazier than London and they really spurred me on

2) GU - we discovered it at the marathon expo 3 days before the race and I have to say that without it I wouldn't have had the energy. I'm going to import some from the States for future long runs!

3) I was determined not to beaten by any Scooby Doos (not that we saw any!) this time

Dawn finished in 3 hours 53 minutes, beating her target time by 7 minutes and impressing even the hardened marathon runners at her running club in Wetherby withsuch a quick time for her first marathon.

That's it until the next marathon. We are already talking about which one to run next year but New York will take a lot of beating.

Thanks again for your support - it means a lot to me and to the guys at St. Gemmas who deserve every penny for the sterling work they do day-in day-out.

All the best

Kev