Here’s the thing I learned from hanging around runners after the race (mostly in pubs). The time on the clock isn’t what they remember. They remember the moments. The bloke who handed out Jaffa Cakes at mile 14. The woman who ran past wearing a giant “I ❤️ Lasagna” sign. The feeling of the last 385 yards down The Mall when you can see the finish line and your brain finally releases the emergency serotonin.
My mate Sarah finished in 5 hours and 22 minutes. She spent the last 3 miles walking backwards because her knees had seized up. She said, “I didn’t run it. I commuted across London by foot, in agony, weeping. And it was the best day of my life.”
So, how long does it take to run the London Marathon? It takes 26.2 miles. It takes a few hundred blisters. It takes one emotional breakdown in front of a supporter holding a “You’re Nearly There, You Absolute Legend” sign. And if you’re lucky, it takes you from a person who says “I can’t” to a person who says “I did, and I threw up a little, but I did.”
Just remember: If you see a runner at mile 22 eating a bag of crisps like it’s a fine steak dinner? That’s normal. And if you ask them how long it took, they’ll probably smile and say, “About five hours. But it felt like a whole life.”
