Words you were never going to hear on Sunday, April 22nd, 2007:
“..and they come bursting into the Mall together…Martin Lel and Paul Tergat shoulder-to-shoulder with unknown Brit Andy Varley…”
The reality was that I crossed the line a little under four hours after Messrs Lel and Tergat, having battled against the lack of shade afforded to the masses that made this one of the most special and rewarding days of my life. A glorious spring morning was a fitting finale to the months of preparation, training, commitment, injury and pride that had preceded this big day.
I was running for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) having decided to take part after watching the 2006 race and discussing with some friends. I also wanted to raise some money for a worthwhile cause and complete a challenge of a lifetime.
The worthwhile cause was never in doubt. My good friend Jonny Lewis had run the marathon for CRY in 2004 in more trying circumstances, having lost his brother Huw suddenly in October 2002. Huw collapsed and died while playing football in Saudi Arabia due to a sudden and unexplained heart condition. A fit and active man in his early thirties, he had also been training to take part in the 2003 London Marathon.
Jonny and I have known each other a long time, distantly through our school years in West Wales, and then more closely through Swansea University and the eleven years since. Since hearing of my quest to run for CRY, Jonny has been massively supportive and I am extremely proud to have raised in excess of £3000 for the charity, as well as assisted in my desire to help my friend and his family.
So, to the big day itself…………..
My training had been somewhat punctuated, firstly by my marriage and subsequent honeymoon with Katie at New Year, and then a training / football injury that hit me after completing the Reading Half Marathon at the end of March. The lack of a long run of more than 13 miles was a concern, but certainly not insurmountable. I traveled to Greenwich without any glitches, despite some highly inconvenient railway and underground closures on Marathon Day, and arrived at the Greenwich Park assembly area with an anxious determination.
The prelude to the run was great, forging early camaraderie with other CRY runners and dealing with the many many text messages of good luck from friends – which were all hugely helpful, particularly from Katie and Jonny, whose advice to “run like the wind” was perhaps not his wisest choice of words!!
The first few miles were brilliant – pubs were vociferous, people lined the streets and I even saw one well-wisher let a couple of ladies use her toilet. Amazing. As we merged with the green and blue starts after around 3 miles there was cacophony of good-natured booing and I certainly did my best to raise the spirits of the “red starters” as we ran parallel with our “opponents” down the dual carriageway.
At Greenwich I had my first sight of Katie and our friend Lucy – I realised then exactly what people mean when they say that seeing people you know “lifts the spirits”. I was as proud as punch as I saw them near the naval college and continued onwards past Cutty Sark and up Creek Road, running alongside a group of 20-odd Army lads in full gear and back-packs. I did feel a little insignificant, but the cheers were brilliant. In Bermondsey, I began to feel the effects of the heat for the first time as my right leg began to seize up, but was inspired to plod on by the fact I knew Katie would be on Tower Bridge and arrived there slightly ahead of plan and narrowly missed an interview with Colin Jackson, before another brief and uplifting sighting of Katie and Lucy about 50 yards further on.
The trip out to the Isle of Dogs was tough going and I saw a whole host of people being cared for by the magnificent St Johns Ambulance, and others in more serious condition as the sun took its toll. Miles 14 and 15 were a limp, but hope was around the corner in the form of a first meeting with Jonny as I emerged from the tunnel and enveloped him in an emotional bear-hug, from which I’m surprised he survived.
His words of encouragement saw me battle around Isle of Dogs where the crowds were simply fantastic and took my mind off the lack of water at two stations in a row!! However, I approached Canary Wharf with a new lease of life after a thorough stretch of my leg at a toilet stop and once again saw the mirage Lewis around the Wharf, where the high rise buildings also brought blessed relief from the sun.
From this point onwards, I felt a lot stronger and thankfully at Westferry my parents, wife and friends saw a stronger looking version of me jogging through and feeling confident of reaching the finish. The last six miles were actually bizarrely enjoyable, the crowds remained hugely supportive and having your name on your vest is an absolute must for any ‘would-be’ marathon runner, although I did have a pang of sympathy for Indiana Jones and his boulder as he embarked on mile 13 going in the other direction.
The Tower of London passed by well and appearing from under the tunnel and onto the embankment was almost a nirvana moment – the crowds remained strong despite the fact we were 6-hour finishers and seeing a group of mates spurred me on as much as the thought of the forthcoming finish line. Parliament Square was my final sighting of Katie and a huge bellow of support from my mate, Jack, literally thrust me forward on towards Buckingham Palace and the finish.
To complete the marathon was a hugely proud moment and an ambition completed. It was also a very emotional moment knowing that I’d not let alone down who’d sponsored me, and contributed in excess of £3k towards CRY’s great work. What a superb day, it is to be thoroughly recommended.
