So on to 2018 and this has been far the best training I have done and most defiantly the hardest I’ve ever trained for a marathon and the EHH 20 gave me a clear indication it was looking good considering how easy the run felt.

So onto race day and still having cold I was already slightly worried and then the weather was hot,hot,hot this just felt like it wasn’t to be. Arrived at the start area with an hour to kill so just hit the shade and tried to chill out with Dave green,Danny Jones and josh Rowe for company,it was at that point that I decided that I was going all out and sod the heat I’d rather blow up on route then be thinking at the end could I have gone quicker.

As they began to announce all the elites on the start line the music was banging and the adrenaline was flowing and as quick as that we was off,first few miles at London are always crazy downhill and people running everywhere I just thought head down relax and get first 10 done. I went through 10k in 34:02 which felt good and wasn’t working to hard but still a little to quick but decide to go with it,never before tho have I wanted to drink at every water point so I new it was warm already and this was going to be a major factor in getting water and fuel in.

As I headed out of 9 mile the pace began to feel a little much so took the decision to back off a bit to my planned Mara pace and this seemed to massively benefit me and began to run comfortably again,halfway soon came round and with 1:12:47 on the clock I was feeling good still to quick tho but onto me next target of 20 mile then the important last 10k.

As I hit miles 18 and 19 both miles clocked at 6:10s and I really thought at this point the race was done,but I remember rob weeks giveing me a double espresso sis gel at club a few weeks before and saying try this at 20 mile and you will fly to finish so what the hell lets get this down me and it did the trick out of no where feeling I was done I was flying again slightly over Mara pace but I new I had a bit of time in bank. As I hit 24 mile people was coming back to me and flying past them and a 5:37 mile clocked up I thought two more of them would be great,25 soon came up and was trying my hardest to work out what I had to do and it was 1.2 mile in 8mins give or take a few seconds,at this point there was two other runners with me (ones in the photo) and I’m sure the same thoughts was going through their heads as well “this is going to be bloody tight” ,but as the legs were screaming at me to slow down I started picking up the pace once again and ran a 5:33 mile some how and as I rounded the corner at Buckingham palace onto the mall I could see the clock ticking over on to 2:29 and the sprint began. My eyes never left the clock and although I was sprinting everything felt really slow. The clock was still under 2:30 as I crossed the line but I still wasn’t 100%I’d done it, my whatch had 2:29:43 but you never no.

Still not knowing I collected my medal and hastily made my way up the mall to find my wife and kids and rest of family and I new just by their faces that I had done it 2:29:41 to say I was pleased was an understatement. So after six years of trying I had realised my dream and what better way to celebrate in the pub with the rest of the harriers well done to everyone that ran the marathon in really tough conditions cheers mike!

Mike Hargreaves