It feels like the end of an era, but it’s been less than a year.

I applied for a place on SpecialEffect’s team for the London Marathon last summer while caught up in the hype of taking part in the ASICS London 10K for the charity. I didn’t expect to get in however as entry is always in such high demand and my previous direct applications had always been unsuccessful.

It was therefore a complete shock to receive a call from the team at the end of June last year to offer me a place. When asked if I’d accept, there was a small part of me that wondered what the hell I was doing – but there was no way I was going to say no. The event had been on my bucket list for such a long time and it was amazing to get the opportunity to do it for a cause which is very close to my heart.

The next ten months were full of highs, lows and everything in between. Running on the footpaths through the quiet town where Pete and I live gave me a better appreciation for it and revealed some new sights. Stress and fatigue affected my sleep, which in turn impacted my training. Several changes in training plans helped me find a better routine. And then an injury in the month before the event gave some cause for concern.

But I got there. On Sunday, 21 April 2024, I crossed the finish line on The Mall in London after just over six hours of (mostly running) and plenty of nerves. Ellen from Strength in Sarcasm was on hand to kindly stream my progress to the Later Levels Twitch channel, and Pete was there to meet me at the end with a big hug and warm clothes. For anyone who entered the ballot for next year and is wondering what to expect, here’s a round-up from a London Marathon first-timer.

There’s a lot of waiting around at the beginning…

It almost feels like you’re part of a group that’s waiting for a festival to begin when you arrive at your starting area. There’s almost an hour of hanging around in a field until your wave number is called and you can feel everyone’s anticipation in the air. Because adrenaline is running high, it’s easy to get cold so make sure you bring an old sweatshirt and something to snack on with you. Unwanted items of clothing can be dropped at one of the donation points in your starting pen and will be given to charity or recycled where possible.

…but everything is so well organised

You’d think that an event with so many participants would be absolute chaos. But it’s surprising just how organised everything is – from the process of collecting your runner number the week before to public transport on the day, from joining your wave number to start the marathon to collecting your kitbag once you’re done – and not once did I feel overwhelmed by the amount of people around me. It’s testament to just how wonderful the London Marathon’s organisers and volunteers are, and they deserve a round of applause.

No matter how much you’ve trained, it’s not enough…

Nothing can ever really prepare you for your first marathon and you’ll never feel ready for it. I was scared about not being able to make it to the finish line right up until the start of the event, even though I’d managed to reach 20-miles during my training. It’s worth facing up to the truth as soon as possible: regardless of how far you’ve run and how much you’ve trained beforehand, it’s going to hurt and more than you realise. My thighs felt as though they were going to seize up from around ten miles in and I couldn’t walk for two days afterwards.

…but you can do more than you think you can

As explained back in October, I trained for the marathon using the Run Walk Run method. You run for a set number of minutes before taking an enforced walk break to conserve resources and aid quicker recovery, so you maintain speed for longer. That all went out of the window on the day though. I managed to make it to 16-miles before switching to the method for another four, then walked for five and finished the course running. The crowd and atmosphere will carry you further than you think you’re able to go.

You’ll make friends along the way…

After sitting opposite Sarah from Essex on the tube to the starting area and having a chat, we ended up starting the marathon and reaching the halfway point together. Being able to share the experience with someone was really nice and our conversation provided a distraction from our nerves. I also bumped into Emma from Gloucestershire, who was also running for SpecialEffect, at around 18-miles and she then caught me up again at 20 and we finished together. Even if you enter the marathon by yourself, you won’t be alone for long.

…but it’s likely you’ll lose them at some point

Running at a pace you’re not used to, regardless of whether it’s faster or slower, isn’t comfortable and becomes difficult to maintain. It’s therefore highly likely you’ll lose your new friends at some point along the route because your paces are different. You may find them again at some point like I did with Emma, but you also might end up meeting new people to chat to. It’s all part of what makes the London Marathon experience so special because everyone is there for the same reason and wants to support each other.

You won’t notice how exciting the route is…

When Pete asked me what I thought about the event while we were travelling home, I told him that the route as boring. I couldn’t remember passing any major landmarks other than the Cutty Sark and Tower Bridge, and the paths through backstreets were pretty dull. That’s really not the case when looking at the official photographs though. I must have been so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that I didn’t notice passing Big Ben, for example. I wish I’d been able to better take in each moment because it’s now all a bit of a blur.

…but you’ll notice and appreciate the crowds

You might not notice all the landmarks but you definitely won’t be able to miss the crowds. There were so many people out to support runners and encourage them along, and the atmosphere keeps you going. Expect plenty of high-fives, handing out of sweets and orange slices, and funny homemade signs – one of my favourites being ‘You’re running London better than the government!’ Hearing a small group of people cheer for me after seeing that I was there to support SpecialEffect was such a lovely experience.

Don’t be surprised if you don’t want to do another…

One of the first things I said to Pete at the finish line was that I’m never going to do that again. People told me that I’d get bitten by the marathon bug and would immediately sign up for another, but I’m writing this post two weeks on and my mind still hasn’t changed. Getting the chance to take part in the London Marathon was absolutely incredible but it’s ticked off the bucket list and I don’t feel the need to do it again. The training was such a big commitment for ten months and I now have the space to focus on other things, like my apprenticeship.

…but you will want to carry on running

That’s not to say I’m going to stop running though. It seems silly to just stop after putting in all that effort and I was itching to get back out on the road again after taking a few days out to recover. I’ve since signed up for The Big Half in London on Sunday, 01 September 2024 because having events lined up for the future will help keep me motivated. Who knows, if we manage to persuade Ellen with enough KFC and Magic: The Gathering cards, she might be willing to stream my progress to the Later Levels’ Twitch channel again.

On that note, I’d like to say thank you again to Ellen for her efforts on the day and to everyone who joined the stream to cheer me on. Big hugs also to every single person who donated via our JustGiving page, raising £3,825 for SpecialEffect and helping the charity to put fun and inclusion back into the lives of physically-disabled people. It’s hard to put into words just how amazing the whole experience has been, and how much I value all the support and encouragement I’ve received over the past ten months.

I’m not really sure what’s going to become of the ‘Running’ category on the blog now. As mentioned above, I intend to keep up the running but I’m not sure if it’s something that I’ll continue writing about. I’ll figure it out eventually. After all, I’ve got some time to think about it now that I don’t have to train six days a week…