Why this marathon was more than just the running 🏃
Crossing the finish line at the @londonmarathon was one of the most emotional moments of my life.
A year ago I covered the event with @athletics.weekly , just a few days after my Nan had passed away.
One of the last things I told her before she passed was that I was thinking of running the @londonmarathon , so when I crossed the line I put both hands in the sky in memory of her.
Another big factor was raising money for @greatormondst , who have helped my family out in times of need. So far over £1k has been raised and any donations would be amazing!
The immediate journey to get to the start line was not simple either - two weeks ago I saw an emergency doctor, who told me I had pretty bad tonsillitis.
I only got off antibiotics on Wednesday, leaving three full days before the @londonmarathon to recharge.
So when the pain and the cramp hit in the final six miles, I just knew I had to dig in and get to the finish.
The feeling of crossing it was just relief, especially in 3:54:30, and now the scale of the event is just starting to sink in.
First ever marathon - 3:54:30 🫶
Ran the London Marathon today and it was one of the most emotional, rewarding and toughest things I’ve ever done in my life.
I could barely walk afterwards and sustained cramp in three different places in the last six miles. I’ve never hit ‘the wall’ beforehand but I did today.
Thanks for all the support, it means the world!
It’s almost time ⏳
I’m running the @londonmarathon on Sunday - my first race over 26.2 miles - and to say I’m already full of mixed emotions would be an understatement.
This will be the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced and I’ll be pushing both my mind and body to a place they’ve never been before.
I’ve faced a fair few challenges to get to this point itself, so the ultimate aim is to just soak in the atmosphere and enjoy myself.
Feel free to track me (plus where I could fall off a cliff 🤣) and I also wanted to mention I’m raising £1k for @greatormondst (link in bio), which has done a great deal to help my family!
See you on the other side 🫡
A quick recap of @bathhalf yesterday!
I’ve now just about processed the day and that I was actually involved in a race with 12,500 people in Bath.
Most of the course was lined up with spectators, from a couple of farmers in the countryside section to swathes of locals in the city centre. All of them were cheering loudly.
I decided not to run with AirPods and to just try and take in the atmosphere, which was definitely the best decision.
Wanted to stick to 7:35-7:40 minutes per mile pace and averaged out the miles at 7:41, so I can’t be too unhappy with that (final time was 1:41:35).
It was also a reality check for @londonmarathon (there’s still much more work to do), and the target there will be 3:30ish, if conditions are absolutely perfect.
Since I took up running more seriously at the start of the year, my outlook on life has become so much better and I’d highly recommend it to anyone.
It’s improved me both mentally and physically without a shadow of a doubt.
Ran my first official half-marathon in four years earlier today and clocked a 1:41:35 PB at @bathhalf 🏃
Had hoped for a time between 1:35 and 1:40 but went into it feeling quite ugh and didn’t even know if I’d make the start line earlier in the week.
So I’ll happily take that time, especially with big gusts and a mentally testing hill on the 13th mile!
Appreciating how tough of a challenge @londonmarathon is going to be next month. I’ve still got a lot more to learn!
📸 @grahamsmith.photo
Decided to sign-up to my first official running race in over three years and ran a 10km PB at Battersea Park 🎉
So the official time is 44:27 - the first time I’ve gone sub-45 mins ever for 10km.
Also ran my third quickest 5km ever (21:57) at half-way, after running 21:37 for a PB on Saturday.
The hair is wild, the legs are tired and 45:12 from four years ago has finally been banished!
Back in the UK now after spending the last few days covering the @therakhalfmarathon for @athletics.weekly in the United Arab Emirates.
It’s really cool to see running expanding so much globally and there were 11,000 people that took part in the 2km, 5km, 10km and half-marathon.
It was flipping hot and got up to 31C during the day - kudos to anyone who did 13.1 miles!
Interviewed triple world half-marathon champion @geoffreykamworor and also got the chance to run 5km with @paula_radcliffe . A really lovely few days in the sun!
Well 2025 was certainly a wild year 😳
I couldn’t have predicted the past 12 months and I experienced some of the biggest highs and lows I’ve had in my whole life.
This year tested me more emotionally than any other and I definitely learnt a lot about myself throughout it.
For the first time ever I travelled outside of Europe and spent time in both Qatar and Japan.
Covering the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo was an immense privilege and I was also fortunate enough to see Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima as well.
Likewise being in the front row to watch @faithkipyegon at Breaking 4 in Paris. That was another incredible high.
However I also had some pretty tough lows, namely my Nan passing away at the end of April. That hit me way harder than I thought.
There’s no doubt that I will keep on learning more about myself next year, especially as I’ll be running the @londonmarathon in April - which will be a first!
So here’s to many more lifelong experiences and memories in 2026 🎆
Just one more sleep until the 31st edition of the European Cross Country Championships ‼️
Here is our in-depth preview of the championships, with these five being some of the names to watch:
🇫🇷 Jimmy Gressier
🇮🇹 Nadia Battocletti
🇬🇧 Will Barnicoat
🇬🇧 Innes FitzGerald
🇵🇹 Isaac Nader
🎙️ @timadams97
Read our full preview of Euro Cross via the @athletics.weekly bio 💻
Was awesome to be at the inaugural @tafiawards for @athletics.weekly this past week, celebrating diversity and inclusion in athletics ⭐️
Spoke to a number of the awards winners, ranging from athletes to those unsung heroes in the sport, about their achievements this year 🎤
