Race Reports - April 2026
Paris Marathon
Race Report by Helen Ryan
After Brighton last year, which I'd give 1/10 for enjoyability, I headed towards Paris with a mixture of terror and excitement.
Woke up early and had my pain au chocolat and banana for breakfast, then loaded up my running belt with gels, kendal mint cake, jelly beans and, Lucozade and electrolytes in my bottle and headed off to the Metro. 5 stops later we were at the Arc De Triomphe ready for the start.
Plenty of toilets at the start and along the route and plenty of food and water stops too. Our wave was due to start at 9.34, but due to the amount of people it was nearer to 10.15 before we crossed the start line. Route was mainly flat with a few slight hills, weather was perfect, not too hot, no wind or rain. I managed to run most of the 1st half, then jeffed the rest of the way with the walking bits getting longer and longer. The last 4 miles was mostly walking as everything was hurting by then, but loved the Paris experience so much more than Brighton. Lovely route past all the Landmarks. Just 1 big blister to pop. Next stop London!!! 🏃♀️
Brighton Marathon
Race Report by Simon Notley
Woke up early and started the day not feeling the best, but stayed positive. Walked up to Preston Park and had so many “good lucks” along the way - the atmosphere had already started before I even got to the start line.
Met up with the Coastie crew and it was nice and warm… until I dropped my bag and then it suddenly got really cold. Big thanks to Sarah for the hug to keep me warm 😊
We waited for our wave to start, and then we were off.
I found the first 20 miles quite difficult - not because of fitness, but trying to pass people meant I couldn’t keep a consistent pace. The crowds were amazing though, calling out our names, live music, choirs singing, they all played their part in making the day such a success.
I was really pleased the hills were in the first half of the course.
At around 15 miles, my plantar fasciitis kicked in and it became a real battle. But I refused to let it dampen the experience. I smiled the whole way round, even when I was in complete agony.
I did have to walk sections, but I managed to pick it back up and finish strong.
4:11:21 – a new PB.
Honestly, I couldn’t have done it without all the support - everyone at the club, everyone who’s helped me train, and all the messages and encouragement along the way. It really does mean a lot.
Such an amazing experience. If there’s no joy for London next year, I’ll definitely be back again.
Paris Marathon
Race Report by Carla Bellini
It was great to see fellow coasties Helen, Jake and Damo at the Expo on the Saturday morning. They were running in a different wave to us so we wouldn't be meeting up the next morning. We wished each other well and got selfies as we waited for the loo!
Next stop - Paris business
5 spice girls dressed up and glitter on! John, Mel, Martin, Sarah and myself. (Guest starring Sarah's friend Illyan)
We started in the Champs-Elysees just off the Arc de Triomphe. The noise as the crowd beat the boards at the side of the road was electric to start us off. We ran along to the Place de la concorde getting lots of attention and cheers as our families waved us off! The water/ aid stations were plentiful and held wondrous treats of cake/sugar cubes/ salty crackers/ bananas/ sultanas/. Any worries we'd had about the cupless/ plastic free water stations were unfounded - the marshals were so supportive and efficient (although they all wanted their photo with Martin - baby spice).
As we powered past the Louvre, we saw lots of fun signs the supporters had made - Pain is the French word for bread; run like you've robbed the louvre etc! We ran along the boulevards and avenues of tree lined streets and through cooling green lush parks. We were struck by how well planted it was for a city and how grateful we was for the shade (and lovely Paris sunshine). At this point, ten miles in, Geri (Jerry/John) pulled away to rest an injury - promising to catch us up. The Band was one down! Sarah's friend Illyan managed to find us at this point and we carried onwards.
We continued on past Notre Dame, running along the river Seine. Looking across at the Eiffel tower was such a pinch me moment and then it just got better and better when a guy in the crowd offered us a Krispy Kreme doughnut! We ran through the under passes they'd made into disco tunnels, but we were always glad to come back out. In one of the tunnels they had pictures of Diana - that felt a bit sad.
The crowd were great and remained enthusiastic for us back of the pack runners, they encouraged us with their shouts of Bravo and Allez! (Let's go, come on, go ahead!) Although it was mostly flat and scenic, there were obstacles to overcome - there were cobbled roads and paths, this was tricky to navigate and not kind on the feet. We were humbled by the other runners running for charities or their own personal challenges. We saw a runner with one leg on crutches, a runner with bare feet, a runner wearing boxing gloves, and even another set of spice girls (they had the nicknames on their bibs, but no fancy dress!)
Some of us ran through the firehose spray for a quick refresh, some of us just took the video 🤭🎬.
We were coming in strong for a 6 hour finish, it had been enough time on our feet by then and we were getting quiet. It was down hill to the end, which felt great until we set off on a sprint only to then meet the sign 500 metres to go! Our watches were telling us we'd covered the miles, so we had to push through to get to the finish line. Again more crowds banging the boards at the sides of the roads, we saw/ heard our families cheer us in as we finished back at the Arc de Triomphe and just like that it was all over. We had photos, medals and the all important FREE banana. John came in just behind us and we were reunited and off to Mc Donalds! 🍔
Highlights:
Mel's 50th Marathon 🥳
Water/ snack stations 💦
Sunny 😎
Doughnuts 🍩
Downhill finish 🙃
A golden retriever on a balcony watching us 🐕
5 star company 🌟
Inflatable dinosaur marshal 🦖
Paris library 📚
Fueled by a large cola, 19 Euros 💶
Giving Mel an electric shock! ⚡️
FREE banana 🍌
I would totally encourage anyone who is considering it to run it. It's a wonderful Paris experience, a city break and a flat run. We did it because Sharon and George did it last year and said to go for it! 🙌
Brighton Marathon
Race Report by Sarah Page
My third marathon at Brighton and although that meant I somewhat knew what to expect.. I also very much had in mind that anything can change at any point, it is, after all, as I deliberated that morning an incredibly long way!
I felt so grateful to be at this point, to have the health and opportunity to enjoy what I was sure would be a fabulous yet challenging day!
Myself and Matt had a bet on today's result, that if one got a PB and the other didn't we would have to follow each others training plans... so I knew I needed to beat last year's time, otherwise I'd be running the next 365 days....
I was buzzing with excitement, waking up like it was Christmas at 5.30am waiting for everyone else to get up. As most of the marathon training crew know, this is not standard behaviour, normally turning up still half asleep for the first mile of most runs! Before we knew it we were at Preston Park, meeting all the other Coasties, which added to the excitement and the sense of pride in our club, how supportive and inspirational everyone is. An excellent addition to the Brighton course this year was the women's urinals. A game changer, meaning the women also had the option to not have to queue for 30 minutes! I was super impressed!
And then we set off right on time....I had my plan in my head to not give in to the adrenaline and to hold back at the beginning when it all felt 'easy'.. so hard to practice what you preach! I felt strong, but caught myself at mile 6, while loving the buzz of the loud crowds and drums clocking a 10.05 min/mile and thought, hmm hang on can I sustain this for a whole marathon though?! So I began to hold back a little and play the marathon game and I'm glad I did.. mile 10-20 was steady, but more windy on the seafront and away from the crowds for a while. Crossing past fellow coasties along the route spurred me on and managed to keep to the same sort of pace and surprisingly still felt pretty good, all things considered. Then came 23 miles. I saw the 'just a park run to go' which can be so disheartening when you are struggling with the next 100m let alone 5k! But instead I thought, yes I can do that!! Especially with the crowds that felt electric and actually quite overwhelming chanting 'Sarah, Sarah'. I was in my absolute element... then the crowds dispersed for the next 2 miles to the finish and it became a bit tougher, especially when my headphones cut out at the same point, but this bit is always gonna be tough.Time to dig in and get it done. The final mile felt like 5. I looked down to my watch to see I was very close, if I put my foot down I can hopefully get under the 4.40. I could run quicker, but some funny, somewhat grunty noises started coming out of nowhere with my breathing. Although I felt okay, I thought it's not worth it. I am probably pretty exhausted by this point and lets get over the line in one piece! There were quite a few people walking on the approach to the finish line so I did at parts struggle to keep up the 'lightning' speed I thought I was running at (my mums video of my finish has since brought me back to reality!!) Official chip time was 4.40.03 and quite frankly, I was over the moon, those 3 seconds change nothing! I had taken 17 minutes off last year's time and genuinely enjoyed the entirety of the run. Yes, parts were tough, but that's what makes it so rewarding when you accomplish it!
Trying to find my amazing mum and Kate who had been the worlds best supporters, cheering us along with bells, banners and running back and forth to cheer on the whole coastie crew at different sections wasn't easy because there's not much signal or internet connection with thousands of people congregated by the sea. So as I was hobbling along I bumped into some friends who were cheering on my old nursing colleagues taking on the Marathon for charity. I was able to join cheering them over the finish line, so special!
Then I found some of the crew. I was so proud and pleased to hear that Matt had completed in 3.41. He beat his last year's time with plenty of minutes to spare, an absolute pro! Celebrations all round and we can both continue our own plans!!
We were able to hear how each others runs had gone, the strengths, the struggles, but we all got it done. Also we wanted to know how our friends at Paris and London Landmarks had got on, so there was lots of Strava analysis to begin. A great weekend with truly great people!
The Island Run
Race Report by Roger Silvestor
5 Coasties took on The Island Run on Isle of Sheppey.
Both the 5k and 10k runners started together in three waves in a park just off Sheerness seafront. We were soon all running along the sea wall towards Minster. It was a clear blue sky with no wind, despite being April it’s not too early for runners to complain how hot it is.
The 5k runners soon reached the turnaround point whilst the 10kers went on to run The Leas Parkrun course .
For myself, I thought I had gone out a bit too quickly, but at the turnaround we had a lovely sea breeze in our faces which definitely helped cool us down.
With a final push running passed the scenic Sheerness Tesco building, I was really pleased to finish in a time of 56.25 which is my 3rd fastest of all time. Also managed another of my aims to finish in the top half of the field. 154th out of 343. If only I wasn’t driving I’d have had a wine (or two) to celebrate.
Would just like to mention Dennis Paine who was running the 5k at the age of 91 - amazing !
Not Coastie related, but I just had to take a photo of the Sheppey rapeseed fields on my return to the mainland .
Well done to all the Coasties who took part .
London Landmarks Half Marathon
Race Report by Claire Titherington
Fellow Coasties Kirsty, Natalie and I, along with our families, travelled to London by train on Saturday, full of excitement (and armed with impressively large picnics). After arriving at St Pancras, we made a quick detour to a nearby bike shop to keep the boys happy before heading on foot to our hotel.
We were staying at a Premier Inn near Waterloo, and once checked in, we headed out to explore. A wander through the graffiti tunnel, a quick drink at BrewDog, and dinner at Nando’s made for a perfect pre-race evening. Back at the hotel, we kept things sensible with coffee instead of cocktails before settling in for an early night.
Sleep, however, didn’t quite go to plan - thanks to a chorus of snoring husbands and sleep-talking children! Still, we were up and ready in the morning, fueling up with porridge pots and bananas before setting off on the 30-minute walk to the start, which doubled nicely as a warm-up.
Although we’d been assigned different waves, we decided to stick together and aimed for the diamond wave start. Somehow, whether through too much chatting or not moving forward quickly enough, we ended up starting in the final wave, around 10 minutes later than planned. No matter, we were in it together, and crossing the start line to music and cheering crowds was an incredible feeling.
Not long into the race, we spotted our families cheering us on along the Embankment, which gave us a huge boost. The support along the route was fantastic, especially from the Macmillan and King’s College Hospital teams, who cheered loudly whenever they spotted their runners.
The atmosphere throughout was brilliant. Choirs, DJs and bands kept spirits high, while children offered high-fives and spectators handed out sweets. The crowd’s banners were a highlight. Favourites included “The Devil Wears Strava” and “Keep Chafing Your Dreams.”
Of course, it wasn’t without its challenges. There were aches, pains and moments of doubt, but we kept each other going, chatting and encouraging one another every step of the way. Kirsty and Natalie were a little disappointed with their times compared to last year, but for me, completing my first half marathon and achieving a PB was more than enough. Raising money for my charity made it even more special.
As we approached the finish, our families were there once again, cheering us through the final stretch. Crossing the line and receiving our medals from the Pearly Kings and Queens was a wonderful moment.
After navigating the one-way system to reunite, the hugs and proud words from my family meant more than any medal or finisher’s t-shirt (though those were pretty great too!).
We stretched out, refueled with snacks and drinks at Piccadilly Circus, and then walked to Pizza Express for a well-earned meal. The journey home was spent analysing our Strava stats, chatting with fellow runners, and already planning our next running adventures.
The Island Run
Race Report by Peter Rossiter
5 intrepid coasties arrived at the start line in Sheerness this morning, to what some might say was perfect running weather!!!
The ladies ran the 5k, while the chaps tackled the 10k. A lovely flat course took us out along the promenade with the gentle breeze behind us, once we turned it was nice to have that in your face. It was nice to see so many people out along the route cheering us all on. All the coasties posted good times today. A special shout out to Becky who posted a new PB for 5k.
I would highly recommend the event.
Race Report by James Alexander
So, after not running since Monday, I wasn’t confident on improving on my PB and I was proved right. The conditions were fantastic, a bit chilly in the shade, but warm in the sun and that played a part in the first 5k. I started far too quick and my body definitely felt it.
For once I started to listen and slowed down after completing the first 5k in order to have something left for the finish. A slight breeze hit us as we made our way back and believe me it was welcomed as we were very warm.
The course was flat overall with only a few small hills. I absolutely loved being back and would encourage more people to give this one a go.
Much love all and a huge well done to all that attended and to all that have completed some very challenging runs recently.
Brighton Marathon
Race Report by Brian Veaney
I've given it a few days to sink in and think about it!!
Well, the Training went well and I was pretty confident in the 2/3 weeks taper period before Brighton, but it was my 1st Marathon and I felt swamped by the Logistics of the whole event. Anyway, Pete and Becky packed me up in the car (thanks), we arrived at the Park n Ride in excellent time.
I wasn't expecting the crowds that greeted me at Preston Park and the nerves kicked in again. After using the loo at least half a dozen times, and seeing the crowd of us Coasties dwindled due to separate waves, our wave was called! The Party wave 8!!
We shuffled forward nervously and with the mantra of 'Don't start too quickly' still embedded in my head, off we went. 12 min miles for 2 or 3, then 11 and half for a few. It was fab to see the Coastie support posse at mile 6 giving me some encouragement.
I felt good and strong and the 9 mile marker came and went. I passed a number of Coasties; Eric, Jack, Amy, Karen, Lisa, Em, Sarah Page and Richards and we all shouted encouraging words, these were a massive help. On I ran, seeing the half way arch at the top of yet a other climb! The Windmill at Rottingdean beckoned, but my motivation dimmed when I realised we had to detour inland before climbing to it as our turn around point.
So 2nd half of the race and I was running well and my target of 4hrs 50 was still in sight. I stopped to rehydrate at one of the large number of water stops and then continued in the company of a 5hr pacer. I kept with him until the pier, but had to stop again for hydration and ran alone to the Marina and back towards Hove. The Crowds were just fab and so supportive, everyone knowing and shouting my name!!
The finish came into view on the left hand side only to vanish again as we still had 6 miles or so to go. I flagged and began Jeffing, psychologically realising my race target had become unattainable. The longest road in the world greeted me and it literally kept on and on. It was at this point, feeling a bit sorry for myself that Sarah Page ran past the other way, smiling and with encouraging words. So off I set for the final 4/5 miles, trying to remember to break the run down and then one of the crowd said “Don't worry, the finish is only a Park run away!!”
Back onto the seafront, then a left turn onto the Promenade and only a bit left until the finish. I went through in 5hrs 7 mins and 58 seconds, so almost 18 minutes off of my self set target, 11th in my 70-74 age group, to be greeted by medal and T-shirt volunteers and then the Coasties, smiling and waving.
My Legs were shot, calf's screaming and head banging. My first words were 'never again'!!. The 1% club had just initiated a new member.
The weather, organisation and fellow runners were all fab!
Was I pleased and proud to complete my 1st Marathon - definitely! Can I do better - without a doubt!
Will I attempt another Marathon - YES.
Couch Potato to Marathon finisher in less than 2 years!! What's not to be proud of!!
Manchester Marathon
Race Report by Paul Devitt
Manchester this year was my 6th marathon, which, along the way has given me plenty of time to get stuff wrong, get stuff right and have runs where despite training going well, things not go to plan.
I've had occasions where last minute illness or injury have meant I've had to scale back expectations, which hurts when the marathon is the only goal throughout those long weeks of training.
What I have discovered works for me is having a few events over the 4-5 months before that, where I have a good go to get used to paces and pain! Which is what I did this time. Due to this and results, I arrived in Manchester in the unusual mindset that I was confident that if all was ok on the day (no stomach issues, rogue farts, heat, dehydration) I'd hit my time goal.
Thought the organisation was excellent - easy to find, signposted and marshaled and plenty of loos, more importantly plenty of loo roll! The course was relatively flat - my Strava says 111m of elevation.
I kept a steady pace, arriving at mile 20 (in my mind where the race starts) on track. After telling myself I hadn't put in all that work so far to let it go here, I kept it going, crossing the line in 3:18, just quicker than my goal of 3:20.
Sadly, I didn't see the other Coasties, but around mile 20 there was a loud Coastie shout-out from the crowd which was nice. Shout out to them all for doing fantastically and looking forward to their race report!
A great event that I'd definitely go back to. Love how running brings people together. Shout out to the Thanet roadrunner and Whitstable runner I met! And shout out to those legends organising long runs at the weekends for us. So much easier facing that training in winter, running with good people!
P.s the recharge lounge was worth every penny! Especially as I chose to drive back after.
Boston Marathon
Race Report by Sharon McAvoy
The Boston marathon for me more than lived up to expectations. Marathon fever truly grips this small city. Runners everywhere - and I mean seriously fit runners! The lovely thing about this city marathon is that the expo is beside the finish line. So everything marathon related happens here. Saturday races - 5k. Youth mile and children's races add to the excitement.
The number pick up was so exciting. Famous marathon athletes giving talks and rapturous cheers and bell ringing for first timers and those seeking their 6th star.
The Boston marathon is an out and back marathon from Hopkinton to Boston central. Yellow school buses - like on the Simpsons - shipped 30000 runners out from Boston common to the start. Lots of runners from all over the world. All of us chatting about running and fueled on adrenaline gels and bananas. I must admit I had severe imposter syndrome at this point!
The weather could not have been more perfect. Cool with a slight tail wind. Very unusual for Boston. I guess it's the luck of the Irish! I made my way to my start - what a moment that was! I qualified 20 + years ago and wasn't able to go. And women have only officially been allowed to run this marathon since 1972! In my lifetime! Apparently we were seen to be physiologically incapable of running 26.2 miles! Tell that to Ashley Paulson who ran 100 miles on a treadmill at the expo. At an average of 7.40 min miles!!!!
It was a rolling start. Emotions swelled as I crossed the start line l couldn't quite believe I was taking part in this monumental marathon!
I was led to believe - falsely!!!- that the first 16 miles were downhill and the famous Newton hills are from miles 16-21. I asked a seasoned Boston marathoner on the bus what those hills were like. He said not to worry about them, it's the hills beforehand that you got to worry about!!! I was in for a shock!!! There is a lot of downhill. But boy oh boy there are a lot of hills! l should've turned up to Em's hills more often!!
The first half was manageable and the crowds along the route are incredible, especially passing through Framingham and Natick. But nothing prepared me for the wall of cheering from the Wellesley college girls holding up their 'kiss me' signs. Some runners did stop for snogs!!
I had almost forgotten about the Newton Hills at this point. 4 hills. And the final hill - Heartbreak Hill - it broke me!!! Only the cheers from the crowds got me to the top. Next a downhill 5 miles to the finish!!! Or so l thought!! More hills. I'm sorry to say I walked. A lot! Don't tell Nike!!
At last the big Citgo advertising sign signals 1 mile to go to the finish and the noise and riotous cheers from the spectators was unbelievable. Now for the most emotional part of the race - right on Hereford and the world's greatest left-hand turn onto Boylston. The finish line straight ahead. I just about managed to haul my carcass across and boy I sobbed!! My 3rd star. And a hugely emotional one! I gave a little nod to the memorial at the finish remembering those who lost their lives at the bombings in 2013.
Boston puts on an incredible marathon. And I know how lucky I am to have been there! And how lucky I am to have had huge support from the Coastie crew! Thanks all of you!!
May we all stay physiologically capable!!!
💙 💛 #Boston strong!
London My Way Marathon
Race Report by Peter Rossiter
The Coastie crazy gang gathered outside Whitstable train station with 26.2 miles of the east Kent coast stretched out in front of them. The sun beamed down and the gentle breeze in our faces was most welcome.
8am and we were off down to the seafront and along the promenade and suddenly we were in Hampton. 10k down and Chris (support crew) was there with welcome treats and drink.
Then we started ticking off the miles and the towns, Herne Bay, Birchington, Westgate, then more Coasties started to join us. When we arrived in Margate there were welcome ice lollies. 10 miles to home we got our running legs back on and Broadstairs was a great moment. 5k to go and more Coasties waiting to run us in, all you need then is your best mate to say “Only a Parkrun to go”. He knows how I love to hear that. Through the park, down Neros Hill and along the promenade to finish at Wetherspoons.
A fantastic day with amazing people.
London Marathon
Race Report by Helen Ryan
As I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to run London marathon through the Coastal Striders place, I feel I should write a run report. I don't enjoy running marathons and London was no exception, so I'll try and focus on the positives.
I arrived nice and early to get the 7.05 train from Ramsgate. Had a bit of a wobble whilst waiting on the platform, but was okay when I got on the train and Helen Tremble and Les had saved me a seat so I didn't have to travel alone.
From Stratford we got the DLR and I got off at Greenwich and Helen and Les continued onto Lewisham, so I was on my own. Well, on my own with several thousand other runners. Was quite a trek to the start at Greenwich Park, but no chance of getting lost, just follow the crowd.
Had already had a pain au chocolate and banana for breakfast, but that was a few hours ago, so had a top up before I dropped my bag at the bag drop. All very well organised. Then seeing the massive queue for the loos I thought I'd better stay queueing. 5mins in, someone came along and said there were more toilets to the left with no queues. I think the long queues were for the supposedly quicker male and female urinals!!
I then sat on the grass waiting for my wave to be called. Even just sitting still I was sweating, so knew it was going to be a hot one!!! Too hot.
The wave was called and they led us down the hill to start and we were off!!!
During training I manage to do 16, 18, 20 miles no problem, but on marathon days I just can't seem to keep going. Think I rehydrated too much, so stopped at mile 4 for a loo break then carried on to 6.6 miles without stopping. 1/4 done. Set myself targets of 10 miles, 13.1miles, 15 miles, but just didn't seem to happen, so I just walked when I needed to. Quite excited to run around the Cutty Sark at 6 miles, then at 11 miles I saw Les cheering me on followed by Kev Coleman a bit further on.
Then it was over Tower Bridge. Loved that bit. Had to take a few pics, then saw my school friend Helen Spain on the bridge with the British Heart Foundation. Was pretty much jeffing then, run 0.9 mile, then walk 0.1, counting down the miles. Got to 18.7 miles and saw my daughter Eve Ryan and Damo and stopped for a photo and a hug. Was slow from there with lots of walking. It was so hot.
Saw Les again at 21ish miles and apparently Ashley Louise was at mile 23, but I missed her. Then on the finishing stretch saw Kev again and Damo and Eve were there too, but I missed them. Then 800m to go. Tried to run it, but my legs weren't having it. I think the only thing that got me through was the thought of never having to do another marathon again.
One thing I did notice; In Paris you take your own bottles or cups and they top them up from a hose. In London there were water stops every 2 or 3 miles and the amount of plastic bottles piled up on the roads was crazy!!!! Plus there were a couple of lucozade stops and the road was so sticky your trainers stuck!!! Plenty of showers en route to run through and cool off. Bliss!!!
Overall, glad to have had the chance to run London (actually preferred Paris), but never again!!!!
Next stop, Furley Page 10k and 2 mile relays. Will be a breeze!!
Race Report by George Major
Well done to all the Coasties who ran and supported in London
Here are my reflections on yesterday’s London Marathon…
I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that waking up one morning in April and running a marathon is easy and fun, if you can get the tedious and difficult months of training right beforehand. But it turns out this isn’t always the case, and the opposite was true this weekend. Since January, I’ve done the biggest mileage with the most consistency that I’ve managed in years, in my track workouts I’ve been hitting faster paces than I have in years. It was the smoothest easiest-feeling buildup I could have hoped for. Whereas on this race day, I really had to earn my result.
This is in contrast to my previous two marathon PBs, where I had to work hard to get to the start line in good shape, but held back a little and ran negative splits in the race. At this year’s London Marathon I was close to my limit from start to finish.
In my last race, I experimented with taking a bigger risk than I would usually be comfortable with. Seven weeks before London I ran a big half marathon PB by setting out at a pace where I estimated I had an 80% chance of blowing up at ten miles. And I took a similar approach this weekend, setting out at a goal pace that would get me round in under 2:38, not knowing whether I could sustain it for the duration.
The start was more crowded than ever (no surprise as the event gets a few thousand runners bigger each year). I flirted with repeating a mistake I made in the 2023 race, where I wasted a lot of energy weaving through crowds in the opening stages.
I was close to the red line early on just keeping to goal pace, despite the net downhill on the first part of the course. Previously, I’ve dreaded the section through Rotherhithe, as the energy starts to dip around here. But this time it came as a relief: the first point on the course where I could relax and settle into the pace.
By Rotherhithe, passing ten miles in an hour flat, I suspected that going under 2:38 was unlikely, and I was estimating a 2:39 finish unless I could pick up (which looked unlikely). Staying on pace felt laboured already, plus I’d run about 150 meters extra with all the weaving through crowds early on. Besides, I’d overcompensated for the warm conditions and gulped down slightly too much water.
However, the miles clicked by quickly and my stomach settled. I high-fived a lot more spectators than I have in the past, which probably helped, and I hit halfway in 1:19:02 - only three seconds off my A-goal.
From Canary Wharf onwards, GPS goes apeshit and you can’t rely on your watch. But from here it’s a straight run into the city towards the finish. I really enjoy these closing stages: after being patient for twenty miles or more you can get a feel for how much gas is left in the tank, disregard what your watch is telling you, and start pushing for home.
The crowds were definitely bigger than ever this year. It felt like a very special day to be in London, and I didn’t know that by this time there was a new women only world record and that the men’s race had been objectively the greatest marathon race ever.
I’m really pleased with my result. I knew that my goal pace was at the limit of what my fitness would allow, and I’m happy to have only dropped 30 seconds in the second half of the race. Every race teaches you something new, and taking a risky approach to this one, accepting that failure is a possibility and being OK with that, only made this more true.
Finally, I really wanted that Cutty Sark themed medal; I was born on Trafalgar Road at mile five of the course, so the loop around Cutty Sark has a personal connection.
With a little luck, in five months to the day I’ll be running Berlin. Easy and fun, right?
London My Way
Race Report by Lauren Appleby
The class of 2026 gathered in Whitstable for the start of a 26.2 mile run to Ramsgate. I got on at Broadstairs at 7 and saw some of the crazy gang. When we arrived, me, Peter Rossiter and Steph were presented with first time marathon and birthday bananas respectively. We set off at 8 outside Whitstable train station. We found ourselves along the seafront then along to Herne Bay. We met Chris (support crew) and we're presented there with cakes and drinks.
We then found ourselves at Reculver, then Minnis, where I saw mum and dad. Next was Westgate, then Margate where ice lollies were awaiting for us. Met up with Chris again in Palm Bay, then onto Broadstairs with more Coasties coming along to support. As soon as we hit Broadstairs, I did have a little cry as I saw mum and dad again. We were so close. Snacks and water were provided by Carla's parents.
Eventually made it to Ramsgate where the tears started streaming. I completed my first ever marathon. The 3rd person in my family (my dad, the marathon pro) and my sister. Food and a cocktail from Spoons was needed after a very long day.
Thank you to all, you know who you are for running, supporting, whether if you were running with us, spectating and offering moral support. I'm still in shock. I have proven I can conquer the marathon distance. I can't give you a definitive answer straight away if I'll do another, but you never know.
Now is time for self care, taking in what has been an amazing day. Next up, Whitstable 10k (deja vu) and relays with some 10k's hopefully planned in the summer. As I said, never say never.