This is not how I thought I would finish my first marathon. After four months of training and numerous blogs, miles pushed and endless bottles of Lucozade consumed I’m devastated to have to write this update and say that yesterday I was unable to complete the marathon. As you can imagine gutted does not begin to describe how I feel and this is made worse because it was due to a problem with my chair and not due to any physical issues. In fact the exact opposite is true and for the 16 miles I completed I felt great.

My problems started at around mile 11. Up until that point I was flying and absolutely loving every minute of it. I felt fantastic and was going quicker and pushing harder than I had ever done before. All the way from the start line things I had been worried about just disappeared particularly a steep descent just before mile three which I nailed so much that when I got to the bottom I punched the hair and let out a great shriek of delight. Seeing Miss G at mile four and seeing how happy she was also was amazing, as where the crowds in Greenwich. The truth is the first part of the race was everything I hoped it would be, great weather, great crowds and a massive sense of euphoria with every mile I ticked off.

The problem was as I approached mile 11 I hit one of London’s many pot holes which buckled my right rear wheel. The result of this was that it rendered the wheel useless as it jammed against the frame of my chair and wouldn’t turn. No matter what I tried I just couldn’t get the thing moving and after a lengthy delay where I tried to repair the wheel with the help of some kind paramedics it just wouldn’t work. I was told at the point I could drop out or carry on and I decided I wasn’t going to end the race there and then. So I carried on, but with each push of the wheel it became more useless and it basically felt like I was pushing with a handbrake on. To put it in context I managed five more miles but those few miles took almost double the time it took me to do the first 11. In my heart I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to finish but I was ploughing on regardless and I just wanted to get to mile 17 where I knew some of my family were waiting at the Aspire cheering point.    

Unfortunately the marshals pulled me from the race at mile 16 and I had to wait by the side of the road for two hours waiting to be put in a transit van to be taken to another vehicle which then took me to a hotel in Kensington to collect my day chair. This is not what I thought would happen and I tried so hard to finish the full distance, I even asked if I could collect my day chair and return to the point I had problems and then finish the race under my own steam. I wasn’t even able to do this and so after months of training I didn’t get to see the finish or collect a medal. This was made even worse as I had to travel home on the tube surrounded by euphoric runners proudly clutching their medals.

I am putting this out there now though that this is not the end and all the support through donations, advice and kind words will not go wasted. Me and the London Marathon have unfinished business. The thing is I’m used to getting knocked down and I know what to do in these situations. You pick yourself up, dust yourself down and come back stronger. So next year I will be back and I am going to own the course, no excuses, wanting to just get round will not be good enough and I am going to train like my life depended on it and get that medal, whatever it takes.

For now though my absolute priority is to take a couple of weeks off and give Miss G the attention she deserves after spending four months being second best to my racing chair. Not once has she complained and instead has been nothing but utterly wonderful, inspirational and supportive. Without her I would never have made it to the start line never mind mile 16.  

After that I will get my wheel fixed and attack the Manchester 10k with renewed vigour in a month’s time.