Sunday, for many Peelers, was all about the bling. Months of early morning training were over; the big event lay ahead. From Greenwich to The Mall – the sights, sounds and colours of London on Marathon Day make the 26.2 mile route one of the world’s best. Roaring crowd support, dozens of cheer zones, live bands and DJs turn the city into one big marathon party. Throw in famous landmarks and a picture-perfect finish, and it’s easy to see why this is the bucket-list marathon.
This year saw a record-breaking participation with approximately 59,000 runners taking part.
Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe stunned spectators to become the first marathon runner ever to officially log a sub-two-hour finish at 01:59:30. In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa improved her own world record in a thrilling finish to retain her title in 2:15:41.
Wayne King led the pack for the Peelers. This was Wayne’s third London Marathon, done and dusted in an awesome time of 2:54:11, a London best time for Wayne. Danny Beardsmore, who won the club place in the ballot, wasn’t far behind, completing the course in 3:20:27. Next to complete was Samie Futrill in an impressive 4:22:15. This was very much a bucket list tick for Samie; there will be another challenge pending! Tracy Ford was the next Peeler to cross the line in 4:29:05, swiftly followed by Chris Bennett. Chris achieved a PB, completing the course four minutes quicker than last year in 4:42:12. Emma Whorwood, whose time is yet to be officially confirmed, achieved another awesome race in 5:20:00 and possibly had the biggest grin on her face at the finish.
London wasn’t the only marathon taking place on Sunday. The Shakespeare Marathon and Half Marathon was the choice of three Peelers. The route is flat and fast, the majority of the route follows closed roads, with the remainder on the Stratford Greenway footpath, a hard, compact footpath, ideal for PB racing! This was James Payne’s first marathon, achieving the 26.2 miles in 4:46:13, a great result. Stephanie Attenborough took on the rewarding role of ensuring everyone got to the finish line, completing the marathon in 6:56:46. Joanne Sharman completed the same role for the half-marathon with a time of 3:03:49.
A big shout-out must go to Luke Collins. Luke had planned to run the Coventry Way 40-miler, but was unable to because his son was playing in a football final, which he didn’t want to miss. Instead, Luke ran the whole 40 miles solo on Saturday morning. That’s Peeler’s commitment.
The variety of locations Peelers run on a Saturday morning is rapidly growing – Parkruns are everywhere! Emma Pick chose to run at Alderford Lake, achieving first female over the line in 20:02. Beacon was the choice of Graham Lane, completing the course in 27:05. Carolyne Brown ran Bolberry Down, Marlborough, finishing in 28:08. Across the pond was the parkrun of choice for Michael Hughes – completing Brooklyn Bridge parkrun in 25:07. Ian Orton ran at Cannon Hill in 23:37. A warm-up 5k at Grovelands, Enfield, was the choice of Sammie Futrill 28:37; Tracy Ford 28:42 and Chris Bennett in 45:33. Closer to home, Mike Shelton completed Kingsbury in 20:11; Ashley Goodman 22:57; Katie Stretton 24:13; Lisa Stretton 25:06; Anne Whitby-Smith 25:09; Simon Gordon 25:20; Roger Lloyd 27:26; Darren O’Leary 28:18; Claire Guffick 29:53; Roger Eastaff 30:19; Alison Upton 33:16; Steve Andrews 33:33 (pb) and Lee Guffick 24:42. Prior to their half/marathon, Steph Attenborough completed Ludlow in 55:33 and Joanne Sharman in 55:34. Tim Mudd ran at Market Bosworth Country Park in 26:35; Jacqueline Tierney at Millhouses in 31:12. Chris Taylor achieved a time of 31:31 at Penallta parkrun, Caerphilly. Tamworth Castle Grounds is always a popular parkrun. First over the line was Wayne Richardson 21:56; Trevor Thompson 23:55; Sophie Galloway 26:03; Cheryl Flint 26:47, and Jo Bovington in 43:41. And finally, Victoria Embankment was the choice of Mark Boffey 25:10; Darren Truman 28:44 and Sarah Boffey 57:38.