I’m challenging myself to run 1200 miles between the start of the 2024 London marathon and the end of the 2025 London marathon!

My Dad has Alzheimer’s and he was a marathon runner - I am definitely not a sub 3 hour runner but my dad was (his PB was 2 hours 50) he ran London 6 times we think (he is very confused but we’ve found 4 medals and 2 of the sew on patches). Most of those entries were charity places and he raised a lot of money for charities that were important to him.

He ran 18 marathons in total but the London Marathon was the event he loved the most. He was still ‘with it’ enough when I did the marathon in 2022 to give me two bits of advice:

1) when it gets tough let the crowd help you

2) when you get to the finish line stick your arms up like you’ve won for the photo.

I can’t even tell him I’m doing the marathon this year (2024) as whenever a marathon or running is mentioned he wants to get on his running shoes and get out to run.

He’s only 77.

The 2025 London Marathon would be my third and final marathon, and as it takes me twice as long to complete the course I would have spent the same amount of time running the London Marathon as my Dad. The 2025 ballot has opened so I have entered and also applied for a charity place. If I don’t get in then I will do the ‘virtual’ marathon on the same day somewhere around Rutland.

The justgiving is now linked to my Strava (4th May 2024) so miles from today should be logged. The marathon plus recovery run are not currently showing but you can see them using the link below (I think!)

Strava page