Maria's Flora London Marathon 2004

Dear Intercountry Adoption Centre

I ran 26.2 miles for you last week!!! I am writing, after the gruelling day, just to give you a flavour of what it was like. Here goes.....

We stayed Saturday night at my cousin's - Clare's - and she and my aunt Rita turned what we thought would be a nightmare evening into so much fun. Many thanks. We retired to our bedroom and began final preparations for the big day.

The day dawned wet and miserable ....... and got worse!!

Having got up at 6.00 and forced a cup of coffee, a bowl of ready brek and a solpadeine down at 7.00, we prepared to face what we thought was going to be a very difficult 4 and a half hours or so.

Arrived at Blackheath at 7.45 courtesy of Graham and Ed (many thanks considering you were drinking to the early hours of the morning!). Circumnavigated Greenwich Park 3 times with at least 2 toilet stops each time (smell from portaloos getting progressively worse!) Had our feet photographed by a guy of about 90 who said he was doing a speech about preparing for the marathon and wanted photos of the championchip attached to our trainers (Nobby just reckons we're going to appear in Foot Fetish Weekly - April Edition!)

9.30 - kitbags went onto luggage lorries and the reality of what we were actually going to do finally dawned on me and I burst into tears (not for the last time I hasten to add!!!!) Went to start pens and saw Neil (friend and last year's marathon runner) who had come to wish us luck - bless - the first of thousands of brilliant people who got us through the day.

9.45 - and WE'RE OFF or not as we walked/jogged/walked for 10.22 minutes until we crossed the STARTLINE!

Having arrived for the start with my right leg heavily strapped because of a tendon injury I'd picked up 4 weeks ago at the Kingston 16 race I was aware that the task ahead was going to be difficult but how difficult was yet to surprise me.

Mile 1: Hey this is great, no pain, exhilaration that we were finally going after all the months of training (270 ish miles since January). Mile completed in 9 minutes 50 seconds.

Mile 2 : Hill - hang on isn't the London Marathon supposed to be flat? - But the road's called Hill Reach - surely a clue as to its gradient? Sudden awareness of pain in my right calf - surely not - with 24.2 miles to go - must be a figment of my imagination!

Miles 2 - 6.5 (Cutty Sark) : Increasing pain in calf until I suddenly felt like someone had kicked me hard in the leg. Looked around angrily to find culprit only to see big gap behind me and then to realise that ........"Julie, something's gone in my leg.........."

Miles 6.5 - 8.5 : Walk 30 paces, run 30 paces, walk 30 paces, run 30 paces. Come on it'll pass. Julie running ahead and then back, ahead and then back, doesn't she realise she'll have run 36.2 miles if she keeps this up!

Mile 8.5 : Finally persuade Julie that I am not putting it on and that its in her best interests to go ahead so that at least one of us finishes to claim the sponsor money.

Mile 9 : "Hi Maria !" Someone else I know? But no, I'd forgotton about my name being on the front and back of my vest. I turn to see a man of about 75. "I'm sorry," he says, "and I know what your answer to this will be, but my conscience won't let me pass you (bloomin' cheek) without telling you I think you should stop with that leg. I can see in your eyes what your answer will be but I have to say it." Well I gave him a big beam and answered "thank you and I'll see you at the finish line." Hobble, hobble!

Miles 9 - 15 : Ran/hobbled these 6 miles meeting many runners in the same position. By this point I'd given myself a good talking to and decided that although I wasn't going to get anywhere near the time I'd expected I was still realising a lifetime ambition and was going to enjoy it WHATEVER!!!!!!! Encouraged as many people as I could and began 17 miles of smiling.

Miles 15 - 26 : Worked out that actually despite my trying to run it really wasn't an option now. Began a hilarious power walk style hobble which carried me around a majority of the rest of the course. It was in this section of the race that I finally realised just how fantastic people were being. Every 2 or 3 steps (no exaggeration) I'd hear my name "Come on Maria" " You can do it" "Keep smiling" " You're looking good, girl" "not far to go" (wasn't sure about that one - very drunk man in one of the 151 pubs we passed!) It was also between these points (actually first at Tower Bridge 12.5 miles) that Nobby, Eoin, Aedan, Mum, Dad, Doris, Ro, Laura, Drew, Nicky, Sam, Joe, Howard, Jake, Rebecca, Jessie, Mary and Trevor became the most wonderful people that ever lived as they raced from place to place - 5 in all - to will me, with every fibre in their bodies, to get through the day.

At this point I also decided to thank as many people as possible for all their efforts to keep us going. It was just after here that I paired up with another walker/hobbler - Veronica - who I remained with until the end. We discussed how we'd run through the last 5-10 metres under the finish line but suddenly......

Mile 26 - 26.2 : .....she screamed at me "Mr. Singh has just passed us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" For those of you unaware of this amazing man - he's 93 - and still running marathons. With that I was off charging as fast as my injured little legs would take me through the last 320 metres of the race and PAST THE 93 YEAR OLD - YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Wouldn't have been able to face any of you had HE beaten me!!!! I had completed the Flora London Marathon 2004 in 5 hours and 56 minutes (and some seconds!) I threw myself over that line. Had my photo taken and hobbled up the ramp for my chip to be taken off my shoe. The most bizarre howling noise was now coming from my throat although no tears. Those I saved for the lady who put the medal, and her arms, around my neck and an enormous black lady who was making similar noises to the right of me. We then howled on each others shoulders for a nanosecond and I never saw her again!!!

Suffice it to say - that was the hardest thing I've ever chosen to do when I had the option to stop at any time! It was also one of the most exhilarating, exhausting, amazing, humbling, fantastic days I think I ever will have.

If you have the slightest feeling that you'd like to do it - DO - YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

So finally, I hobbled to repatriation, then the train station, then home, then to hospital next morning ( for crutches that I'm still on). My leg is bruised from top to bottom, my ankle is swollen like a tennis ball, both hips hurt, my back is a mess, my shoulders and arms are killing me but it feels like the pain of the righteous.

... hope that gives you an idea of what the day was like for me!!!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity of realising my ambition whilst still raising money for such a worthwhile cause.

Bye for now

Maria x

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