Rupert’s Run in at the London Marathon

I was told I would learn a lot about yourself running the London Marathon and although I didn’t think it would be easy, after four months of training I was prepared and set myself a target of 3 hours.

Everything was gong well until with only 7 miles to go I hit ‘The Wall’ and a combination of the heat, dehydration and 19 miles at a fast pace left me drained of energy, with unbelievable pain in my thighs and hamstrings. I ground to a halt and could see my ambitions slipping away.

But there was so much to keep me going- not least the knowledge that I had raised thousands of pounds for my charity of choice, The Grand Appeal. I eventually crossed the line in 3 hours 37 minuets- the last 7 miles were done at half the speed I had managed for the first three quarters of the race.

Would I change anything? Not a bit of it. I went for broke, and although it didn’t pay off, I made it to the finish line and found out a lot about myself in the process.

Would I do it again? Sure, why not? It’s been an amazing journey and one which I’ve learned a lot from- not only about myself but also about humanity in general. I would definitely recommend it.

By Rupert Janisch