26 miles (26.2 Miles actually - Mrs Waller)  , 46 km – however you look at it, it’s a long way and I watched, along with thousands of others, every year as people of all ages and abilities pounded the streets of London, thinking ‘maybe…. One day’.

Then Mum was diagnosed with Scleroderma, a disease that can damage the skin and internal organs through poor blood supply, and all of a sudden I had a reason – so I applied.

Just under a year later, with 6 months of Sunday morning training runs, there I was at Blackheath along with 35,000 others feeling just like me – absolutely terrified and just a little bit excited.  Shepherded into our pens, I stood (optimistically?) behind one of the pace markers and waited…until slowly but surely we all crossed the line.

With very few exceptions, the entire course was lined with people willing us on, cheering, waving, calling out the names they saw on the runners’ t-shirts.  The atmosphere was amazing.  Miles one to 8 seem a bit of blur, then at 9 miles a group of familiar faces shouting and screaming at me – my family and friends (thank you Katie and Sally!).  No one can tell you how tell you the feeling that brings – lets just say it became even more welcome at the 4 other places they managed to pop up too!

To cut a very long story short, I finished, as did one of my class members, Rachel Gosling, who was running for asthma research.  It was extremely hot, airless and hard work – but worth every blister, lost toe nail and injury problem (thank you Dean!).

Would I do it again??  Not next year – but maybe, one day, if I have a really good reason……

Thank you so much to those of you who very kindly sponsored me and to my classes for putting up with a reduced effort for the last few weeks.

If you would like to donate to either my charity of Rachel’s, please visit our websites –

www.justgiving.com/alexfitzpatrick1 and www.justgiving.com/rachelgosling13