2019 london marathon recap

 

I started my first marathon in 2016. Counting on my fingers, the London Marathon is exactly my tenth full marathon (three Beijing Marathons, Shanghai Marathon, Wuxi Marathon, Tianjin Marathon, Qinhuangdao Marathon, Fuzhou Marathon, Berlin Marathon, and London Marathon). I am honored that my 10th marathon is the 2019 London Marathon. It was truly special and unforgettable.

Since December of last year, I began handling the registration information, buying plane tickets, and getting a visa. Especially regarding the visa, I was quite unsure. As an unmarried woman with only a German visa and a Philippine visa on my passport, I could only rely on my passion and sincerely tell the visa officer about my love for marathons, hoping my sincerity would move them. Finally, at the end of March, I received a two-year UK visa! It was incredibly lucky, and it seems the visa officer recognized my sincerity. The visa is the most basic requirement for the London Marathon; without it, everything else is out of the question.

With everything in place, I flew alone to London, UK! The best part of this trip to the London Marathon was having my sister in the UK. She always meticulously arranged everything for me.

London time, April 27

April 27 is the day before the London Marathon. My main task was to go to the London Marathon Expo to pick up my race pack and take a stroll around the expo.

The London Marathon is indeed one of the six major world marathons; even the expo is grand. My sister and I set off early, taking the DLR line to the Excel Exhibition Center. Even a few stops before Excel, the transfer routes were already crowded. From their shoes, you could tell they were all marathon runners! Hahaha! When the train arrived, everyone got off and followed the crowd directly to the expo hall without needing to look at any signs.

When I officially arrived at the expo, the first area I saw was the entrance with a 21-hour countdown to the marathon. Many people were taking photos with this countdown sign, and of course, I eagerly took a photo with it too. After the photo, I entered the area to collect my race number. Although there was a queue, it was very orderly, and soon it was my turn. The volunteer who gave me my race number was an elderly gentleman who patiently explained everything to me. Seeing my sister taking photos, he even cooperated by letting me take a photo with my race number. Following his instructions, I went to the chip collection area (the chip is still on my shoe now).

The chip collection area looked like a series of turnstile channels, divided into participants and non-participants. After collecting the chip, I officially entered the sponsor and organizer display areas, featuring Virgin Money, New Balance, Abbott, Wanda Sports, and more.

Since it was a sports event, the first and largest area I saw was New Balance. Seeing all the sports elements in the display areas, I excitedly picked up my race number and had my sister take a bunch of photos. Taking photos with my jacket on wasn't enough; I even had to show my waist for a few shots.

 

I spent more than half an hour just in the NB area. The NB area not only showcased the culture of the London Marathon but also clearly divided sections for kids, women, and men. Everywhere, runners were buying commemorative London Marathon apparel, as everyone wanted to take home a few pieces.

After leaving the NB display area, I first took a photo with the main logo wall of the London Marathon, then went to the signature wall to sign my name. The signature wall was already densely covered with names in various languages, and I had a hard time finding a small space to sign my name.

 

Besides these popular display areas, the London Marathon also has a special area because it is the largest charity marathon in the world. The London Marathon collaborates with many charitable organizations to raise funds, and the expo had many interactive areas for charity, mostly involving games to raise funds for charitable organizations.

As for more small brand display areas, I didn't have much time to explore them because I had to check out various London attractions later, so I didn't stay long at the expo.

 

London time, April 28

April 28 is the official race day of the London Marathon. Unlike marathons in China, the London Marathon starts in waves at 10:10 AM (the Berlin Marathon I participated in 2017 also started this late; I guess all major marathons are this considerate). I was in the green zone, starting at 10:48 AM sharp!

 

Because the start was late, there was no need to wake up as early as for marathons in China! On the morning of the 28th, I had set my alarm for 8:00 AM, but I naturally woke up at 7:30 AM. So, I leisurely started my morning routine, had breakfast, put on beautiful makeup, and even played with the cat at the Airbnb. The weather that morning was excellent, perfect for running.

 

At 9:00 AM, I left the house wearing a disposable thin shirt. Since the starting point was only a little over 2 kilometers away, I chose to walk there. The streets were really empty, showing how low the population density in the UK is. As I got closer to the starting point, I saw more and more runners heading there. On one street near the starting point, I even saw wheelchair participants who had already set off. At this point, I realized I was here to run, not to stroll, and my excitement grew. Along the way, I kept in touch with May, a fellow Chinese participant. She is an experienced international marathon runner, and I felt more at ease following her since we were starting in the same color zone. 

After meeting May in the green zone, we strolled and chatted for about half an hour. During this time, we saw all kinds of cosplay runners. The London Marathon is the largest gathering of cosplay runners in the world! These cosplayers can even challenge Guinness World Records. The first wave of runners started at 10:10 AM sharp. As we chatted, it soon became 10:40 AM. Since May was in the 8th zone of the green area, we parted ways at 10:40 AM. At 10:40 AM, under the guidance of volunteers, we gradually moved forward. I was at the front of this starting zone, which was a great experience.

 

At 10:48 AM, the referee counted down and gave the signal for the 7th zone to start. I set off excitedly, listening to the cheers from the spectators on both sides. The first few kilometers were near Greenwich Park, so the spectators weren't very dense. But after leaving the starting area, the number of spectators increased significantly. Initially, I thought two rows of spectators on both sides of the road were a lot, but as I went further, the crowd became overwhelming. The spectators were so numerous that 'people mountain people sea' (a sea of people) is the only way to describe it! The 2019 London Marathon had nearly 50,000 participants, and the spectators probably numbered close to 100,000! My sister and I had planned for her to take photos of me around the 22-kilometer mark, but because of the crowd, she spent 40 minutes just queuing at the subway station and missed me at the 22-kilometer point.

Plans couldn't keep up with changes, so my sister moved to the 33-kilometer mark to wait for me! Finally, at the 33-kilometer mark, she found a relatively less crowded spot and waited for me. Her long wait was just to take a few photos of me; my sister worked hard! After meeting my sister on the course, my next task was to head straight for the finish line! Thinking that there were only 9 kilometers left, just a regular run's distance, I couldn't contain my excitement and wanted to sprint all the way. But my body couldn't keep up with my mind; my thighs were already not listening to me, and I was getting more and more tired, running slower and slower! Fortunately, the spectators along the road kept cheering me on! Luckily, I was wearing the latest NB running shoes, Zante, which were very lightweight and made my feet feel comfortable throughout. I have to say, these are the lightest running shoes I've ever worn!

 

 

After 4 hours and 47 minutes, I finally crossed the finish line! If you ask me how I felt crossing the finish line, my answer is that besides being excited, I was anxious! Anxious about what? Anxious about my train! I crossed the finish line around 3:40 PM, and I had a train ticket for 4:37 PM to Manchester! Boohoo! (My feelings at that time were really as shown in the photo my sister took on the course, so cute!)

 

After crossing the finish line, I quickly collected my medal and finisher's pack and rushed out. The finish area was crowded, so my sister could only wait for me at the subway station entrance. I hurriedly navigated to the subway station. Although it was only a few hundred meters away, because the race wasn't over and the roads weren't reopened, I had to queue, wait, and detour... Finally, finally, I met my sister at the subway station entrance. We didn't have time to take a photo at the finish line and immediately rushed into the subway to catch the train (the subway was free). The London subway is very deep, and I was running up and down, back and forth, out of breath. After just finishing a marathon, it felt like I ran another one. Our efforts paid off, and we boarded the train two minutes before it departed. (London trains don't stop checking tickets five minutes before departure like in China; as long as the train hasn't left, you can still board). On the train, sitting down, I finally had a chance to catch my breath and take a good look at my medal!

 

I must say, the London Marathon was truly perfect! Having the opportunity to run the 2019 London Marathon makes my marathon career feel complete!