Here's Marks October update covering the event itself - the London Marathon!
7th October 2022
First and foremost, I want to say how proud I was to represent Sue Lambert Trust at the London Marathon. I’ve said before how overwhelmed I’ve been by the donations. As I write this I’m on 93% of my target at £1867 which is absolutely amazing (this has since risen to £1877).
It’s so hard to describe the actual marathon day itself.
As fabulous as the TV coverage is I don’t think it can ever do justice to the streets lined for 26.2 miles with people cheering you through those darkest moments as you struggle with demons in your head telling you to stop. For me it was a celebration of all that’s good in the human race. Personally I experienced every emotion from the joy of seeing my daughters at 10km when I felt fantastic to thinking I really can’t go on any further in the depths of an underpass in Canary Wharf. After 20 miles I felt like I was being picked up by the crowd and almost moved along in a trance to towards the finish.
I have no recollection of several landmarks like Big Ben. Turning with 400m to go was when the enormity of the occasion really hit me. To think I was running those final metres where my running hereos had trod whilst I watched on TV really was quite overwhelming then it was over I had done it 16 weeks of training culminating in this. Its actually quite strange that my biggest feeling was a sense of relief that I hadn’t let anyone down.
Finally I’d like to thank Sue Lambert Trust, Amberley for her understanding Roxanne and Sinead for the support on the day all my club mates at Norfolk Gazelles . Each and everyone of you made this possible .
It wasn’t easy but as the hashtag said ‘We run together’. My hope is that alongside raising money together we have raised the profile of the Sue Lambert Trust on those city streets.
If you want to give any final contributions to Mark’s pledge you can do this via his Just Giving page: Marks Marathon 2022 (This page will remain open for any further donations until the end of 2022 – Thank You)
Photo of Mark with his daughters at the finish line.