Up & Running's Road To London | Team line up

I've been running for around ten years now and completed 11 marathons in that time, recently the Cambridge Marathon with a time of just over 4 hours. I'm excited to take on London Marathon for the first time, it's always been on my list to complete and 2025 will hopeully be the year!

In my training I've had a good roatation of kit to keep me feeling fresh in my training. This year it's been the New Balance 1080 for the long and easiser runs, and I'm planning on running London in their SC Elite v4 London Edition, no better time to wear them!

A few tips and tricks I've learnt along the way would be...

• Don't stress on the day and trust your training. You've done the hard work, keep to your routine and enjoy the atmosphere
• The atmosphere is always a help to get you round, enjoy the crowds and let them help to push you on through the miles
• Stick to what you know on race day! If you've got a routine that works with food and fuel, keep to it to help settle the race day nerves
• The final stretch can be tough, I find picturing my friends and family at the finish line to keep the energy high and get me across the line. Oh and don't forget to smile for the photo!

London will be my first Marathon, so I’m really excited to run a race I’ve watched on TV and friends run in for many years. 

I’ve set myself a goal of running under 2 hours 30 minutes, which hopefully if I achieve means I won’t run another one… (That’s what everyone says before their first one right!).

As Head Buyer for Up & Running, I’ve been in the fortunate position to try kit from a lot of brands, but currently my rotation is; 

• Daily/Easy Miles – New Balance 1080v14 & Asics Novablast 5
• Tempo/Interval Sessions – Puma Deviate Elite 3
• Race Day – New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v4 & Puma Fast R 
• Nutrition – Beta Fuel Gel’s & OTE Supergel

I’ll be running London with more enthusiasm than ever this year. In 2023 I had qualified to run London with a Good for Age place, however, I picked up a tricky injury the year before and was out of running for a long nine months so I missed the opportunity.  

I decided I needed to get over the disappointment of not being able to run, by requalifying, which I did at the Yorkshire Marathon in 2023, and also at the Paris Marathon in 2024. 

Using my Paris time, I've also managed to qualify for a Boston Marathon Good for Age place for this year. So I will run Boston on the Monday 21st April followed by London on the 27th , just 6 days later! 

I am sure London will be an experience, and having recently run Boston will come with many additional challenges!! But that’s the thing, you just don’t quite know what will happen on the day, and I think that in itself, creates the magic of the marathon.  

I’ll be running at London in my New Balance SC Elite v4s,  which I have trained in a couple of times now. They feel soft and really cushioned and not too harsh for a plated shoe, so I think these will help my legs feel fresh on the way round.  

My goal is to get another Good for Age time to hopefully enter some of the World Majors next year, but really, it's to finish the race and tick the elusive London off the list.  

Top Tips for the day:

• Fuel… more than you think you need to, and practice this in your long runs before with the gels or whatever you will use.  
• Remember that your mind will tell you to stop long before your legs need to… don’t listen to your mind, run with your legs and your heart, and you will get there.