I beat Haile Gebrselassie!  It is not every day you get to race an Olympic champion and beat him.

The first half was fantastic.  Completed in around 2hour 18mins, high fiving the kids on the way round, waving to those shouting for me (it wasn’t that I had hundreds of supports – I wrote my name on the front of my shirt), waving for the cameras.  All good fun.

The second half was all pain.  Not only did the legs turn to lead, but I also had bad stomach cramps (not sure if it was due to the heat, dodgy stomach, nerves, too much Lucozade).  Despite a pit stop and walking most of mile 17, I couldn’t shake them off.  My time was 5:15, so a little disappointing that it took me longer than I had hoped - but it seems most people took an extra 15-30mins due to the heat.  However, very pleased to have completed a marathon – especially considering that 9 months ago I couldn’t run a mile.

Most importantly, a big thank you to all my sponsors who have contributed more than £1,600 to the National Blind Childrens Society.

Thank you for your support,

Steve

PS I will post marathon photo when I get one in a couple of days