The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

It’s been over nine weeks since I completed the London Marathon, becoming the first kidney donor to earn the coveted Six Star Finisher medal for completing all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. We finally had a little down time for me to get around to writing a recap of the historic race. Before we get into all that, I’ll provide a little background info on what happened leading up to the race. So grab a cold one, kick back, and relax. Here is the recap of the London Marathon – the last of the World Majors!

The Pre-Race Injury

As many of you already know I injured my back four weeks before this year’s Boston Marathon. With the focus on recovery my running was severely restricted as I spent most of my time at the chiropractor and the physical therapist. My longest run during those last four weeks was 10 miles so there were no guarantees I’d even finish Boston. 

Running Boston – Marathon Before…

I did manage to complete the race in horrible conditions in a time of 3:43:53. Due to the weather conditions my back was in bad shape after the race and I only had six days to get ready for the London Marathon. I managed to run one time during those six days for a total of three miles and wasn’t feeling too good about my chances. 

The Lead Up in London

The day before the race I woke up and had no tightness or pain in my back. Managed to make it through the day feeling good and after laying out my kit for the following day, I laid down hoping that it wasn’t an anomaly and that I’d feel just as good on race day. What follows is an account of what happened on race day. 

London Marathon – Race Day

I set my alarm for a 7 am wake up and got a really good night sleep. For the second day in a row I woke up without any issues with my back. I had no goal time for the race but was starting to feel confident that I would at least be able to run pain free (outside of the usual running 26 miles pain). 

The forecast had been fluctuating over the course of the week and looked like it could be anything from torrential rain to no rain at all. I hate being cold and wet before a race (and during) so I dressed for the morning prepared for the former but hoping for the latter. 

Getting there

Having a 10 am start time allowed me to have a full breakfast at the hotel before heading out and making may way towards the start area in Greenwich Park. I had a short five minute walk to Southwark Station where I hopped on the tube for a quick one stop trip to catch the train at the London Bridge Rail Station for the last leg of the short trip.

All in all it only took 25 minutes to get to Blackheath Rail Station where I’d travel on foot the remainder of the way to get to my start area. 

Waiting for the Start

The London Marathon actually has three different start lines, similar to NYC, with all three coming together just before mile three. I was in the green start area.

I had about an hour before it was time to start so I found a spot on the grass to lie down and try and relax a bit. I was very thankful that I prepared for the rain as about 25 minutes before the start the skies opened up and it started to come down. My NYC Marathon poncho did a great job keeping me warm and dry as I cocooned myself in it waiting to make my way to the start corral. 

At 9:45 I made my way to the start corral with my fellow runners, doing my best to stay dry for as long as I could. I waited until just before 10 to strip off my boot covers and kept my poncho on until just before crossing the start line. Because the temps were on the colder side and the rain was coming down pretty good I was concerned about my back tightening up as it did in Boston under similar weather conditions. 

The Start through 10k

At 10:05 the gun went off and within a minute I was across the start line and on my 26.2 mile journey to the finish line on The Mall. I tried to start off at a conservative pace and my lack of fitness due to not running very much over the previous four weeks helped with that quite a bit. We met up with runners from the blue start line just before mile one and I settled into a nice rhythm. I anticipated seeing Jill at mile 6.5 by the Cutty Sark, one of the many iconic landmarks I would pass along the way. Just before mile three the red start joined us and things got pretty crowded. It would stay this way for a majority of the race. 

As can often happen on race day, things don’t always go as planned (sometimes for the runners, other times for the spectators). As I passed by the Cutty Sark, there was no sign of Jill. I was a little worried but figured there may have been some public transport issues that kept her from making it there on time. I came thru the 10K mark in 48:13, probably a little faster than I should have but I was feeling pretty good so I figured I’d take advantage of it a little bit. 

Tower Bridge – Mile 12

The rain was coming down pretty good and I don’t recall anything special standing out over the next stretch of miles.  I was a little cold but I was glad it wasn’t windy like Boston and my back seemed to be holding up. The next landmark I was focused on getting to was the Tower Bridge, shortly after mile 12. 

The crowds and the energy running over the bridge were amazing. This was a moment I was really looking forward to after seeing so many pictures and hearing friends talk about this part of the race. Right about this time I crossed the 20K timing mat and although my time had slipped a little, I was still averaging just under an 8 minute pace. I was starting to feel like I was working and anyone who has run a marathon knows that you don’t really want to be working that early in the race. I knew there was a chance I could blow up and end up doing a lot of walking but there wasn’t much I could do about it at this point. 

Half Way

Shortly after crossing the Tower Bridge we made a right hand turn and had a stretch of just over a mile of out and back. As I headed from mile 13 to 14, runners going the other way were heading from mile 23-24. Much to my surprise as I looked over I was able to catch Sir Mo Farah running the opposite direction as he worked toward the finish line of the final marathon of his storied career.

Just before mile 15 we made a right hand turn, heading towards the Isle Of Dogs. I knew that if things went according to plan I would be able to see Jill just past mile 16.5. As I passed the 25K mark my average pace had slowed to 8:03. I was dropping off on time but it was happening slowly and I was ok with that. 

Seeing Jill near mile 17

With this being marathon #29 for Jill and I, we are very good at planning exactly where I’m supposed to look for her. Even though it didn’t work out at our first planned stop (I would later find out it was due to crowded public transport) she was right where I expected her to be. Being able to see her and grab a hug and kiss this late in the race did wonders to lift my spirits. For the briefest of moments I forgot about how crappy the weather was and how cold and miserable I felt. 

Miles 17-20 took us on a winding path thru Canary Wharf. The crowds were big the entire race and continued to grow as the miles rolled on. The 30K split saw my average pace drop to 8:11. This was my biggest drop off and it left me feeling like I was going to get significantly slower the rest of the way. I just didn’t have the fitness to go any faster at this point. 

Passing Mile 20

Passing mile 20 in the marathon is always a big milestone. This leaves just a 10k left to run and from a mental standpoint (at least for me) it’s at this point I’m confident I will finish. The 35K split saw me lose another 7 seconds with my average pace dropping to 8:18. I only had another 7K to go and just had to hold on the best that I could. Fortunately for me my back hadn’t started to tighten at all, even with the cold and the rain. 

Miles 22 – 24

Mile 22-24 found me on the back portion of the out and back. I know a lot of people don’t like out and back courses but I really enjoy having stretches of race where there are runners going in both directions. I feel inspired by those ahead of me and encouraging those behind me gives me energy as it takes the focus off my own discomfort. There might be something to it as I only lost another three seconds at the 40K split, now averaging 8:21 per mile. 

The last few miles were a happy blur. Running along the Thames was amazing and I really started to get choked up a bit about what I was about to accomplish. It got me thinking about where this journey started with me donating a kidney almost eleven years ago to running my first marathon in 2014 to becoming the first kidney donor to run all six World Marathon Majors. 

Passing Big Ben

Making the turn at Elizabeth Tower (more commonly known as Big Ben) shortly after mile 25 energized me as I entered the home stretch. The last mile seemed to take forever and I just tried to soak it all in. I appreciated the huge crowds as we skirted St. James Park before running past Buckingham Palace and making one final turn on The Mall to head to the finish line. I may have been crying a bit at this point but it also might have just been the rain, which didn’t cease for a moment during the race. 

The Finish

After crossing the finish line in 3:39:45 I was ushered over to the Six Star Finisher tent to pick up my extra medal. I felt a sense of joy and pride but I mostly felt a sense of hypothermia setting in. I had about a half mile walk to find Jill and I broke down a little when I finally found her. None of this would have been possible without her unconditional love and support along the way. Although I’m the one who crossed the finish lines these medals are as much hers as they are mine. 

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