Running my first marathon of the year

Not the London Marathon, but no doubt inspired by it - a solo 26.2 from Kendal to Grasmere

I love the London Marathon. It feels like a cliche to say but there’s just something incredibly uplifting about thousands of people coming together to do something objectively kind of pointless, often painful, but ultimately very fulfilling - and about thousands more standing on the sidelines rooting for them. Whether it’s pushing for a hard-won PB, raising money for an important cause or simply having a go at something that once seemed impossible, it seems like everybody toeing the line is releasing a little bit of much-needed positivity into the world.

I’ve been at almost every London marathon over the past decade, whether running the race, doing it in reverse at 3am before the official event starts or, most often, cheering from the sidelines. Without fail it’s one of my favourite weekends of the year and perhaps the only time I actively enjoy being in London these days. I was gutted not to be there on Sunday but distance is apparently no barrier for marathon fever because, without r…