by
Mark Jimenez
Two world majors in 8 weeks.
The two hardest to get into.
Tokyo and London.
Across the Pacific and across the Atlantic.
What a wild ride.
I've now completed 4 of the World Major marathons. Boston (twice), Chicago, Tokyo, and London. The London marathon was such a fun experience. The whole city turns out to cheer you on. Never before have I seen so many people turn out to run in wild customes, and never before have I seen so much support from the city in a race.
One of the first things I noticed about London was the pub culture. It was pretty cool to walk around in the evenings and see people standing outside of pubs socializing while drinking their pints. It's a way of life, and it certainly translates into crowd support during the marathon. Londoners are already used to being outside and socializing, so the London Marathon turned into a huge and massive party.
What can I saw about this event? It's so big that they need three different starting lines that merge together around mile 3. Like the Boston marathon and Tokyo marathon, it has a separate starting and finish line. I guess Chicago does too, but at Chicago the start and finish are very close to each other.
It was unseasonably hot in London and they sent out several heat warnings before the race. Being from Las Vegas, I really wasn't worried about 68 degrees and sunny. The humidty was new, though, and that did get to me. As the race went on, there were many people who went down due to heat. It got pretty bad out there for a lot of people.
Did I have a good day? Hardly! This was my slowest marathon in a long time! I probably did everything wrong leading up to the race. First, at 47 years old I have no business running two marathons in 8 weeks. Next, I walked around A LOT the days before the race. I put in about 15,000 - 20,000 steps each day from Thursday - Saturday. London is a great town and it's built for walking! I knew going in I didn't have the training to have a great BQ kind of time. I was there for the experience. And what an experience!
London is so scenic. We passed so many buildings during the race that are older than our country. Think about it! How can a city be so historical yet at the same time have a foot firmly planted in the 21st century? How can a city be historic and modern at the same time? I have to hand it to you, London, you have it all.
We crossed the Tower Bridge (not to be confused with the London Bridge) then did a huge out and back. I got to see the race leaders and then had my typical 2nd half "I'm not prepared to do this kind of distance" meltdown. Still, with so much to see I wasn't really bothered with going slow. I was on a 26 mile sight seeing tour of London.
We passed landmarks like the Tower Bridge, London Tower, Big Ben, and finished right at Buckingham Palace. My goodness. If there is a more scenic race I don't know about it. The course is flat, the weather was good (even though the locals were melting) and you get to see so much history.
Did you know that the London Marathon is one of the single largest events for charity in the world? There was so much money raised for different charities. Truly amazing.
Late in the race I was having a tough time. A runner went down next to me and the crowd was asking somebody to pick him on and carry him. I helped him up and walked with him for a bit. At that point we had about half a mile to go but I was willing to help him out that last half mile. He fell and I picked him up again, but after he fell a 2nd time I couldn't help him anymore. He needed a medic, and that wasn't me. I left him in good hands and went on my way to the finish line.
Did I run one of my slowest marathons ever?
Yes
Did I get passed by LOTS of people wearing extravagant custmes?
Yes
Do I care?
I don't know. Yes and no. Yes because there's this thing in my head that tells me I should always be improving. In October 2023 I ran a 3:09 at Chicago. Why did I run 4:05 and change in London. Well, the easy answer is I didn't train for London and I trained like an animal for Chicago. It's so easy to overlook that part when you are judging yourself. So that's the yes part.
The no part knows that I didn't train. The no part knows that I am so lucky to have been able to participate in this event and I have enough going on in my life without beating myself up over a race that I wasn't phsyically prepared for.
I don't know if I have another fast marathon in me. The stress of life is real. But that's a topic of another day.
A note on parterships. I couldn't have done the London Marathon without a great partner like New Balance. Just like ASICS stepped up for the Tokyo marathon and sent me there, New Balance sent me to London. Red Rock Running Company can never sell enough ASICS and New Balance to make it up to these great partners for sending me to such historic events. I don't even know how to begin to express how grateful I am. Jeff, George, Keith and company at New Balance, thank you. Wearing my New Balance shoes, shirt, and hat during the race (like I did for ASICS at Tokyo) doesn't seem nearly enough of a thank you. Still, thank you.
London is an amazing city, and I highly recommend getting there. You won't regret it. From wold class public transportation to world class shopping, there isn't anything I found not to like.
So whether you are a Sub 2:30 marathoner or an average Joe like me, remember that when you run you are doing something not a lot of other people are doing.
*******
Every Run is a Good Run