You’ve put everything into it. Three or four months of solid graft, building up the weekly mileage. Battling through the tough long runs on the weekends. Turning for the marathon interval sessions on all those dark, cold, damp evenings on the loop. Practicing running at your target marathon pace for sustained periods to build the stamina required.

Then with a few weeks to go you start to taper. The speed begins to come back. Your legs become rejuvenated and finally that’s it. You’ve arrived in peak shape. The pace that you’ve trained so hard for now feels reasonably comfortable. You start to feel confident that you can do it. Everything is in place. Then suddenly, wham! Race day arrives and out of nowhere, it’s really hot!

You can feel the sun beating down as you make your final preparations. All of a sudden, that pace you’ve trained so hard for seems like it could be a lot harder. You start to second guess yourself but you don’t want to give on that dream. You don’t want all those months of hard graft to be for nothing. You still want to hit that target so desperately.

Those are the trials and tribulations of a marathon. The training is something you can control. You can do everything you can to arrive in the best possible shape. But there are other unknowns you can’t control. Like the weather conditions. It could turn out to be really hot. It could be raining. It could be a really windy day. You need to be able to adapt. Even if you’ve been training to do it at a specific pace, you might have to move the goal posts on the day. You have to be open to anything and everything.

The problem with the warm sunny weather was that when you’ve done virtually the entire training block in wintery conditions, it’s a bit of a shock to the system when you suddenly find yourself running in the heat.

Nevertheless, it was still great to be there. The London Marathon is always a momentous occasion, whatever happens. It’s a race where dreams can become nightmares in an instant. Pleasure can very quickly become pain. Followed by suffering, but then often there’s elation at the end. If it wasn’t so challenging, it wouldn’t be so rewarding.

There were 12 Bournemouth AC runners competing amongst the record field of over 56,000 participants. The usual suspects were there. Rob McTaggart, was a veteran of six London Marathons, dating back 2018 when he did his first one. He usually expects to be around the 2:25 mark and has a PB of 2:24:30.

Taking part in his sixth consecutive London Marathon, Rich Brawn had managed a sub 3 in all of them so far, culminating in the PB of 2:44:51 last year.

Running his 31st London Marathon, Sanjai Sharma had certainly been there, seen it and done it and probably had all whole wardrobe full of t-shirts to go with it.

Rob Spencer was back after he and Tag both blew up at last year’s London, striving for that elusive 2:23 time. His best marathon time was 2:25:56 from London 2021.

Returning after an impressive 2:42 on his marathon debut last year, Ben Colllins was hoping to break 2:40 this time round. Barry Dolman had gone onto to better his 2:53:58 time from last year’s London at Sydney later in the year, recording a 2:53:16 there. That was his new target to beat.

James Hulbert was running his first ever London Marathon after recording a sub three time at the Madrid Marathon last year. He’d improved quite considerably since then though so was looking on for a much faster time at London.

Jack Davis was the lucky recipient of the one club place that was on offer after getting picked out of the hat in a ballot. There were also some veterans of the game in action at London, with a famous name from yesteryear in Nick Kenchington in the line-up.

Julian Oxborough was tackling his fourth London Marathon since getting back into running following a lengthy absence from the sport. He was of course, a very established Bournemouth AC runner in his younger days.

There were also a couple of runners in the Bournemouth AC ranks whose marathon journeys were just beginning. They were Katie Gunn and Sophie Read. Katie was going for a sub 3 time and Sophie was hoping she might be looking at something in the region of 3:30.

Starting the season off well, Rob McTaggart was victorious at the Broadstone Quarter Marathon, completing the course in a very fast time of just under 35 minutes. He then went on to record a 31:39 at the Stubbington 10k, which was faster than of the 10k races he did the previous year.

He then did the Lytchett 10, adding some extra miles on before and after to make it into a longer run and still managing to finish third in 54:30 which was his fastest ever Lytchett 10 time.

In March he did the Surrey Half Marathon, finishing 15th in a time of 1:09:33 before going on to finish second in the Bournemouth Bay Run Half Marathon in a time of 1:12:39. He’d already done 54 minutes of running beforehand though and it was his BAC teammate Joe Arundel who claimed the win that day.

Famed for concocting some of the most brutal long run sessions that he sometimes amalgamates with races, Tag did a quite outrageous one, even by his standards on the morning of the Round the Lakes 10k. It was a 22 mile run in total, with 9 miles at close to marathon pace, then the 10k race which he completed in just under 34 minutes, finishing second in the process. His average pace for the run overall came out at 5:46.

That was just one example of a number of big sessions he did in the build up to London. He was definitely ready to give it a good go and was still seeking a 2:23 time.

Starting off with a 5:29 for his first mile, he then went on to up it to 5:22 for his second mile and 5:13 for his third. That saw him through the first 5k in 16:42 which was superfast for a marathon. He then clocked a 5:19 for his fourth mile, taking advantage of the downhill trajectory on those last couple of miles before settling into his intended pace of 5:30.

That saw him get to 10k in 33:42, putting his second 5k at 17 minutes. he continued on at 5:30 pace or slightly faster, clocking a 17:08 for his next 5k and then a 17:06 to take him up to 20k. He then went on the reach the half way point in 1:11:39, which was pretty much bang on the time he was aiming for. Maintaining it in the second half was always going to be the difficult part though.

After that he starting going a bit quicker than 5:30 pace, clocking a 5:25 for his 14th mile and a 5:21 for his 15th. He then got through mile 16 in 5:26 and mile 17 in 5:27. He’d clocked a 16:54 for the 5k that took him to 25k. Back to 5:30 pace his next few miles, he clocked a 17:14 to take him up to 30k. It had been a marvellous run up till that point.

His 21st mile was a bit slower, at 5:44 and he was starting to show signs of wavering. It became a real battle after that as his legs were wilting and that was where he really needed to dig in. Clocking a 5:53 for his 22nd mile, he then went on to record a 5:56 for his 23rd mile. That put his latest 5k at 17:47.

He went on to clock a 6:14 for his 24th mile before managing a 5:49 for his 25th. He was now almost there and just need to find the reserves for one last push. Going through the 26th mile in 6:17, then then had just the last third of a mile to go. His last full 5k had been 18:44, so considerably slower than the others.

Reaching the finish line in a time of 2 hours 27 minutes and 12 seconds, Tag had finished in 95th place and came away with an average pace of 5:35. Although it wasn’t quite the time he was after, it was still a fantastic run from Tag and another one to be proud of.

Ben Collins‘s training had gone really well for London and it had left him feeling like he was on course for a sub 2:40 which would earn him a Championship place at next year’s London Marathon.

He’d clocked a PB of 1:15:15 at the Fleet Half Marathon in March so that was proof is he needed it that he was good enough to achieve his goal. His sessions had been good in the build up to London, as had his long runs and he was feeling very confident.

Going out hard, he went through his first 5k in 5:55 before registering a 5:58 for his second mile. He then went through his third mile in 5:47 which put him at 18:34 for his first 5k. After that he went through his next mile in 5:52  before settling into a pace of around 6 minutes per mile. That saw him reach the 10k point in 37:05.

He kept going at 6 minute mile pace until the 12th mile when he registered a 6:09. He was back at 6 for the 13th mile though and then went through the half marathon point at exactly 1:19. It was a great position to be in but he had been feeling a bit sick since necking the whole bottle of water he was given at the first water station.

He’d somehow managed to keep going at his intended pace though but it wasn’t easy. After that the tempo began to drop a bit, to a 6:06 and then a 6:07. He then dropped down a 6:19 on his 16th mile and he was beginning to play the price for his exuberant start.

Getting through the 18th mile in 6:35, he finally had to stop and be sick on the 19th mile. That cost him a couple of minutes on that mile and he had difficulty getting going again at first. He still had 10k to go though and he knew that he could still salvage a reasonable time if he could get back going again.

He did and was still able to run at 6:45 pace or slightly quicker, which wasn’t too bad. By the time he hit the last couple of miles he was back at 6:23 pace and then 6:10 for his last mile split. Reaching the finish line in 2 hours 44 minutes and 18 seconds, he’d come away with pretty decent time, given the hot conditions and the feeling nauseous for a large proportion of it.

That was enough to put Ben in the top thousand, seeing him placed 952nd in the overall standings. His average pace for the run was 6:19 per mile. The frustration for Ben was that had it been cooler conditions, he would have been highly likely to have nailed that sub 2:40 time and he was left feeling that he hadn’t quite reached his full potential. He’s still young through so will have plenty of other opportunities ahead of him.

Since his running was progressing so well, James Hulbert didn’t really need to change much for his marathon block. He just needed to throw in some longer runs at the weekends really. He’d recorded a PB of 35:09 at the Stubbington 10k in the the beginning of the year and ran a 1:00:15 at the Salisbury 10 in April before doing some more miles later that day.

The weekend before London he clocked a 16:48 at Poole parkrun and that verified that he was in top form going into the race. Starting off with a 6;12, he then went on to register a 6:17 for his second mile and a 6:04 for his third. That saw him go through the first 5k in 19:18.

He continued to go quick, posting a 6:07 for his fourth mile before settling into a more comfortable pace for the subsequent miles. That was around about 16:15 pace. That saw him go through 10k in 38:46 and half marathon in 1:22:09.

At that stage he was on course for a sub 2:45 but it would be difficult to replicate the speed he was going at during that fast start. His pace had started to drift slightly and it then went down to 6:18 and 6:21 for his 15th and 16th miles.

On the 16th mile he went down to 6:34 and it then became of case of sticking to around 6:30 for the next three miles, which hr did manage. Going through the 20th mile in 6:37, he now had 10k left to go.

Putting in a 6:47 for his 21st mile, James then found himself going at 6:40 pace for the next few miles before clocking a 6:35 for his last two mile splits. It had been a very solid run from James and he made it to the finish line in a time of 2:48:44.

Had the conditions been more favourable he may well have been able to nip in for a sub 2:45 but again, there will plenty of other opportunities to reach that goal in the future. It was still a massive PB for James and put him in 1,379th place overall. His average pace for the run was 6:23.

Unable to find the time to train for it to his usual level, Rob Spencer went into it knowing that it wasn’t going to be a fast one by his standards. He was still a strong enough runner to produce a time that many others out there would be overjoyed with, even with very limited training.

Setting of conservatively at 6:45 pace, he then followed that up a 6:39 and then a 6:32, putting his first 5k at 20:45. Registering another 6:32 for his fourth mile, Rob then went through the next few miles in just under 6:40. His 10k time was 41:35. After that he was between 6:40 and 6:45 pace for the next six miles, reaching the half marathon point at 1:28:18.

Moving up a gear after that, he began to go a little close to 6:30 pace and the conservative start he’d made was beginning to pay off. He remained above 6:30 and below 6:40 until the 18th mile when he put in a 6:28 split. It was turning out to be a strong display of pacing from Rob and he reached the 20 mile point.

His 21st mile was his fastest one yet, at 6:26 and his 5k splits were now around 20:30. It was a real masterclass in pacing from Rob. For the last four miles he ran with Jim King, a mate from his previous club St Albans Striders.

Seeing the rest of the miles out at roughly 6:30 pace, Rob reached the line in a time of 2:54:43, which put him in 2,031st place overall. Of course it was some way off his best but given the circumstances, it was a really strong run from Spence and he was pleased with the way he executed it.

Since he did his sub 2:45 marathon at London the previous year Rich Brawn had been struggling with his running. In truth, he’d not been able to get back to the level he was at then, or throughout the previous year. His only hope was that the marathon training would help him get back to that.

He decided he was going to go all in this time and try to up his weekly mileage to higher than he’d gone before whilst keeping the marathon interval sessions and one long run per week in his schedule. That meant cutting out the Tuesday night club interval sessions and parkruns on Saturdays, instead opting to do his long runs on Saturdays rather than Sundays.

It was an easier routine than doing the Tuesday night speed sessions and then the marathon sessions the next day but it didn’t get him anywhere near as fit and strong. He ended up losing his speed even more than he already had and upping his mileage didn’t seem to have any impact.

He did the Bramley 20 in February and was three minutes slower than he had been the previous year so he knew from that he wasn’t as strong. At that stage he was thinking sub 2:50 was probably the best he could hope for at London.

In March he did the Fleet Half Marathon in 1:20:35. Ideally he was looking for a sub 1:20 time but it wasn’t too far off. The problem was how it felt though when he was doing it. It was a real struggle and he didn’t feel strong at all.

The week after that he had the Twin Lakes 20. He felt the pace he’d need to go at to get a sub 2:50 at London should be achievable for a 20 mile race. But it wasn’t. He didn’t feel comfortable running at that pace, even for the first few miles. His pace kept dropping as the race went on and in the end he was down to about 6:45. Then on the 16th mile he went the wrong way and veered off course. Another couple of runners followed and they all found themselves in a housing estate realising that the race for them was over and they now needed to somehow navigate their way back.

It was a less than ideal preparation but Rich was intending to give it a go anyway starting at sub 2:50 pace and see what happened. When he realised how hot it was on the day he knew he’d have to abandon that target. The fear of getting cramp was one that always lived with when doing a marathon. The pace needed to feel very comfortable, otherwise he could easily find himself in a world of trouble and a lot of pain.

Setting off at roughly the pace he needed to go at, he decided he wasn’t going to be too strict on the split times. He needed to keep it comfortable and controlled. Going through the first 5k in 20 minutes he then already started to drop the pace down over the next 5k. That got him to the 10k point in 40:43.

After that his splits began to creep closer to 6:40 pace and it wasn’t long before they were over that. Getting to the half marathon point in 1:27:32, it was beginning to look like it might be a battle just to get a sub 3.

By the time he got to 16 miles he was down to 7 minutes per mile and wasn’t feeling strong any more. He knew then that any thoughts of a time were out the window and in fact, he didn’t care about that. His sole focus now was to make it through without overdoing it and risking the dreaded cramp.

He was still under 7 minutes per mile up to mile 19 when he posted a 7:16 which was then followed by a 7:26. There were a couple of hills on those miles though. After that he managed to get back to just over 7 minute mile pace and was just working through the miles, one by one. There were a couple of miles when he was down to 7:15 pace but he didn’t care at this point. He just wanted to make it to the end.

Once he got onto the last mile he started to realise he was going to be okay and began to up the pace again. He was so pleased to have made it without any issues. When he got closer to the finish he was surprised to see that he was still on for a sub 3 and had enough time to make it to the line.

Registering a finishing time of 2:59:11, it was just about his slowest time at London but he felt very relieved to have got another sub 3. At the same time it was sad as he knew he hadn’t qualified for the next one so he felt it was likely that this was the end of his London journey, for now at least.

It had been a great journey though and six sub 3 times out of a six wasn’t a bad return, all things considered. He’d come in 2,548th place and 495th in the 40 to 44 category and had come away with an average pace of 6:48.

The training and the preparations for London had gone pretty well for Jack Davis. He was feeling confident and putting in some good long runs and incorporating some of the marathon sessions into his schedule as well.

Being a member of the Precision Hydration team, Jack was never likely to have any issues with nutrition or energy levels. He knew exactly what he was doing from that perspective.

Completing the Salisbury 10 race in a time of 1:03:36 during the build up to London, Jack had run strongly in that one and had picked it up in the second half of the race which is always a good sign. He knew though that there was a big difference doing it for 10 miles than there would be for 26.2.

Starting off with a 6:28 for his first mile split, Jack then went on to clock a 6:33 for his second and then a 6:35 for his third. That put his first 5k at 20:35 and at that stage he was feeling pretty good. He went on to register a 6:35 followed by two 6:39s which took him up to 10k in 41:22.

For the next seven miles he was around 6:40 to 6:45 pace and reached the half marathon point in 1:28:14. His legs were feeling okay but he could sense that something wasn’t quite right. He got back on it again after that for a couple of miles, putting in a 6:39 and then a 6:34.

Putting in a 6:50 for his 16th mile, Jack went on to register a 6:42 followed by a 6:48. After that he began to struggle. His pace dropped and the rest of the race was a battle. He just had nothing more in the legs.

Nevertheless, he had the resilience to keep going as best he could. He was still going at a reasonable pace as well so all was not lost. He just needed to get to that finish asap. It was a very close call in the end but he just missed out on a sub 3, getting to the line in 3 hours and 54 minutes. It was still a good time in such tough conditions but it was frustrating as he knew that on another day, he would have done it.

His average pace for the run was still 6:52 so all things considered, a very good effort from Jack and there was definitely more to come from him over that distance. He’d finished 2,822nd overall.

One man who had been running really well in training was Barry Dolman. He’d been hitting his target pace in all the marathon interval sessions and producing some very good long runs on the weekends, plus getting a lot of mileage in. In fact, he was getting up to 80 mile weeks at one point.

He was looking definitely on course for an improvement on his 2:53 PB. Perhaps even a sub 2:50 could have been on the cards. Then right at the end of March he started to develop a calf problem.

Forced to abandon the marathon interval session at the beginning of April, it was not an ideal scenario with the big day fast approaching. He managed to get back on it and did some more runs that week including a last long run of 38k.

He was supposed to be tapering after that but with the calf as it was he had to take it extra easy and be very cautious. He knew he couldn’t afford to aggravate it further.

Trying a few treadmill runs in the week leading up to the race, it was time to see if he could still do it. He wasn’t overly optimistic about his chances of completing the race but he had nothing to loose really by giving it a go. He’d abandoned all thoughts of getting a particular time. The only target he could really go for was to make it to the finish.

It was a shame after all that training but he’d accepted the situation. Easing himself into it with a 7:07 for his first mile, he then went through the next couple of 6:55 pace, putting the time for his first 5k at 21:49.

After that he got into a rhythm of around 6:45 to 6:50 pace which saw him reach the 10k point in 43:12. Continuing at that same pace, he made it through to the half way stage in 1:30:20. That wasn’t bad at all under circumstances and he had actually been going at sub 3 marathon pace for all of his splits after the first 5k.

Carrying on at 6:41 pace for the next couple of miles, he then clocked a 6:59 and a 6:58 for his 16th and 17th miles. In all honesty, it was a surprise that he’d made it that far, but he had and he was beginning to feel like perhaps he could do it.

He did slow down a bit after that to around 7:20 pace for the next four miles taking him to mile 22. Then after that he cranked the pace but up a notch to around 7:15 for the last four miles.

Going over the line in 3 hours 4 minutes and 18 seconds, he’d finished 3,566th overall and 85th in the 55 to 59 category. Not only had he completed the race, which was a minor miracle in itself, he’d actually come away with a pretty good time as well, which was incredible.

Of course, it in no way reflected his true ability and he will no doubt be back for another PB attempt in the future. He could now wear his finisher’s t-shirt at least though which he was very pleased about.

The last time Nick Kenchington ran the London Marathon was back in 2018 when he recorded a time of 3 hours 18 minutes. He’s done many of them before though, with his fastest being a 2:37 back in 1999.

His build up for the 2025 edition wasn’t great as he had an awful cold in January which hampered his training a lot. Then he injured his shoulder during a snowboarding fall at the beginning of February. Hence he hadn’t been able to get into the shape he was in when he ran the Loch Ness Marathon in 3:14 in  September last year.

The hot weather on the day didn’t help him either but he’d had a bad experience back in 1996 that made him more respectful of the weather. Thus he managed his performance levels as best he could factoring the conditions and the training into the equation.

Starting off with a 22:34 for his first 5k, he then went on to reach the 10k point in 45:16. Reaching the half marathon point in 1:38:27, it was then going to be a case of holding it together as best he could in the second half.

From 25k onwards each 5k segment took him around 25 minutes and he got over the line in a time of 3 hours 23 minutes and 48 seconds which put him in 7,146th place overall. In the 60 to 64 category, he was 105th. Given the circumstances, that was a decent outcome for Nick and probably aligned with his expectations when taking everything into account.

Having to juggle her training with long shifts at Bournemouth Hospital made it tricky for Katie Gunn to reach the level of fitness she ideally would have wanted going into the marathon. She had made a pretty good fist of it though, doing a lot of the Wednesday night marathon interval sessions and getting in so decent long runs on the weekends as well.

She’d been training at sub 3 marathon pace during the interval sessions though so it felt like that could be a realistic target for her. Of course, it’s difficult to know when doing your first marathon how you’re going to react to it so it’s often a case of just seeing how it goes and adjusting to the situation on the fly.

Setting off at around 6:35 pace, Katie went through the first 5k in 20:38 before setting down to around 6:40 pace for her next few miles. That saw her reach the 10k point in 41:34. She was between 6:35 and 6:45 for the next few miles and then just under 6:45 pace for her next few. Reaching the half way stage in 1:28:31 she was doing really well at that point and was on course for a potential sub 3.

Of course, it always gets tougher in the second half though so that was something she needed to be aware of. Particularly in warm conditions. On the 14th mile she suddenly started feeling sick and that was not ideal. She to maintain the pace she’d been going at anyway but ended up being sick at mile 15.

She managed to get back going after that but wasn’t able to get to the pace she had been going at before. From that point on it turned into a bit of a run/walk scenario and she was really suffering. Then on the 22nd mile she was sick again and had to sit with the medics for a bit.

She was determined to make it to the end though, no matter what happened and she showed great character to keep going and grind out those remaining miles. Marathons can be very unforgiving and if something goes wrong, the rest of it can be a very difficult journey.

Reaching the finish line in 3:31:13, Katie had come in 9,010th overall and was 1,884th female. Amazingly, despite all that happening she still managed to get a Good For Age time so will be able to give it another go next year.

It was a pity for Kate that her first marathon was tinged with disappointment but she was very keen to redeem herself. So much so that she went and did the North Dorset Village Marathon the following weekend and finished first female in 3:20:05. That was over 11 minutes quicker on a much tougher course and in that one she was only sick once, so that represented progress!

Competing in his 31st London Marathon, Sanjai Sharma had done quite well in his previous two, finishing in just under 3:18 last year and 3:12 in 2023. He recalled the 2018 London Marathon which was the hottest on record. Sanjai was about a 2:45 standard runner at the time but that day he had to use all his experience to manage the race according to the conditions and still get round in a sub 3.

These days he struggles in the heat though so he didn’t have a great run on this occasion. Starting off with a 23:23 for his first 5k, Sanjai went on to reach the 10k point in 47:12. His pace was very consistent up till the half way stage which he reached in 1:39:50.

At the 18 mile point he started cramping though and from that point on it was a run/walk sort of situation for the remainder of the race. Getting over the line in 3:36:45, Sanjai finished 10,465th overall and was 196th in the 60 to 64 category.

Although he hadn’t really been able to put required amount of training in due to other commitments, Sanjai felt that a sub 3:30 would have been achievable after doing the Gloucester Half Marathon in 1:35 a few weeks earlier. He’s hoping the time he did get will be good enough to get him in for next year as a Good For Age qualifier.

He doesn’t really enjoy the race much these days as it seems too crowded on a winding course but the challenge for him is to keep going for as long as he can.

Although it was her first ever marathon, Sophie Read really threw herself into it. She didn’t want to be happy with just completing the race, she wanted to get the best time she could and showed great drive to get into peak shape for it. Her boyfriend Jaymee Domoney is one of the fastest runners in the area and he helped develop a training plan for Sophie to work through that would see her gain the fitness levels required to go the distance.

She also incorporated all the marathon interval sessions into her schedule on a weekly basis and was doing long runs with certain sections at her intended marathon pace, although she didn’t really know what that would turn out to be. It wasn’t an easy routine for Sophie as she had two jobs and had to somehow find the time to fit all the running in around her working hours.

Starting the year off with a brilliant PB of 40:15 at the Stubbington 10k, Sophie buried herself in her marathon training until mid March when she took on the Fleet Half Marathon. That would be a good gage of where her training had taken her. Completing that course in 1 hour 32 minutes, she knew from that that she was on the right track.

Starting off at 7:30 pace for the first mile, Sophie then followed it up with a 7:37 and then a 7:20 for the downhill third mile. That saw her go through the first 5k in 23:27. She had actually been hoping to go quicker than that though so was disheartened to see that her goal was already looking beyond her. Each one after that became a battle and it seemed a lot harder than she’d envisaged.

Going through the downhill fourth mile in 7:15, she then clocked a 7:31 and then a 7:41. Reaching the 10k stage in 47:14, she then managed 7:45 pace for her next two splits before posting a 7:54 and then a 7:50. The 11th mile was her last one below 8 minutes. After that, she began to find it much tougher, registering an 8:20 followed by an 8:31. That saw her get to the half way stage in 1:44:24.

If she’d been able to replicate that for the second half of the race she’s be around the 3:30 mark but since her pace was already dropping, it didn’t look likely. She was still below 9 minutes per mile though up until mile 20. That was the one with the short sharp hill and then other incline to follow.

That knocked the wind out of her sails further but she didn’t throw the towel in. She was determined to get to that finish line, no matter what it took. Her last couple of 5k splits were over 30 minutes but she was edging close to the finish line and that was all she wanted at this point.

It was an emotional moment for Sophie as she crossed the finish line with tears streaming down her face. Registering a time of 3 hours 46 minutes and 39 seconds, Sophie finished 13,338th overall and 3,454th female. The accomplishment was real but so was the pain and the heartache that she’d been through.

There were so many times during that run that she could have given up. It had been a learning curve for her though and she now knew that marathons are not for the weak. They require an inner steel.

That was actually a good marathon time from Sophie though. The fact that she was disappointed with it was really a reflection on how far she’d come as a runner since joining Bournemouth AC. Before that if you’d told her she’d be running a 3:46 marathon she would’ve bitten your hand off.

Along with one of her colleagues who also ran the race, Sophie raised a whopping £2,700 for the special school she works for as a teaching assistant, so from that perspective it was certainly a triumph.

One man who had a torrid time out there was Julian Oxborough. He’d been having problems with his achilleas tendon throughout his training and that made it more difficult. He consumed a lot of energy gels as well which made him sick quite a few times. It ended up being a very long day for Julian and he was reduced to walking pace for the vast majority of it.

To his credit though, he never gave up and was determined to keep going and make it to the end, no matter how tough it got. Making it to the finish line in 8 hours 9 minutes and 43 seconds, it was the longest time it had ever taken Julian to do a marathon. He still completed the distance though which is more than a lot of people would even attempt to do so he has to take some heart from that.

In reality he probably needed to have done more longer training runs in the build up and that would have probably aided him in his quest. He still raised a lot of money for the NSPCC though, just as he did the last couple of times he’s done it.

You can never let one bad race put you off giving it another go in the future though and there’s no doubt Julian will be back again and will come determined to get it right next time.

There were plenty of other Dorset based runners out there competing including Lewis Clarke of Poole Runners who got round in 2:30:42. Twemlow Track Club pair Jack Galloway and Chris Wood finished 285th and 287th in 2:33:04 2:33:06. Chris Peck of Egdon Heath Harriers was 351st in 2:34:33 and Charlie Williams, also of Egdon came 408th in 2 hours 36 minutes.

Nick Reynolds of Twemlow Track Club was 667th in 2:40:36 and Adam Conroy of Poole AC ran 2:42:40 which put him 796th. Adam Colbert, also of Poole AC, was 900th with his time of 2:44:02. Morgan Tame, another Poole AC man clocked a 2:44:04 which put him 905th.

Natalie Lawrence just nipped under the sub 3 barrier to come in 239th female in 2:59:53. Becky Neal of Poole AC was 385th female in 3:05:53 and Gemma Terry, also of Poole AC came 932nd female in 3:17:39.

Jonathan Cornish ran well to register a time of 2:23:25 which put him in 43rd place out of the masses. Ryde Harriers star Christopher Newnham finished 91st in 2:26:56 so he was four places ahead of Tag. Alexander Meill-Ingram finished 137th in a time of 2:28:39. Winchester & District man Andrew Greenleaf went over the line just ahead of Lewis Clarke to post a time of 2:30:39.

With the conditions as they were it wasn’t really a day for reaching your full potential and its likely everyone would have been quicker if the temperature had been cooler. That’s all part of the experience of marathon running though. You have to take whatever you get on the day and adapt the pacing and hydrations strategies accordingly.

Of course their finishing times left a number of the Bournemouth AC members feeling a touch deflated after everything they’d put in in training and all the sacrifices they’d made. The experience will be an invaluable one and will no doubt help them stronger next time.

Understandably, Jack Davis was one of the most disappointed after being just 55 seconds from a sub 3. He knew he was better than that so it was frustrating not to have been able to show it at London. He wanted to prove it though and as a result, went out and did another marathon and this time got the sub 3 that wanted.

Completing the distance in 2:58:59, he’d nailed it, just three weeks on from London. It was a fantastic effort from Jack, especially considering it wasn’t even a race. It was just him and his Precision Hydration pal Andy Blow pacing him for the second half. With that sort of commitment, this probably won’t be the end of his marathon journey. In fact, it might even be just the beginning.