23rd April 2023, London.
Rob Dean, Lisa Froment, Dave Gorman and I began our debut London Marathons on an extremely damp and windy morning in Greenwich Park. Lisa and Rob had completed 5 and 3 marathons respectively, whilst Dave and I were road marathon beginners.
More runners than ever took part in the event—close to 49,000 according to some reports—and it certainly felt like that on the course! The crowds lining the route were impressive; and so incredibly encouraging. Music systems inside and outside flats and houses belted out an almost continuous soundtrack, which helped to make the miles tick by more quickly (although at one point I began to think that the route would permanently remain in East London). Huge thanks to fellow Swifts for their support through the last few months, and on the day itself! If even a tiny part of you would like to run the event or attend as a supporter, we would all say go for it! Enter the ballot, go for good for age, apply for a charity or keep an eye out for next year's Chandlers Ford Swifts club entry. It is a unique event like no other!
- Suzanne.