Super Six

On a historic day in London in which Sabastian Sawe of Kenya and runner-up and marathon-debutant Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia both broke 2 hours for the first time under race conditions, the Club fielded 35 finishers, three of whom lined up in the Elite start, with six finishing in under 2:30.

These are their race-thoughts from a day which also saw London eclipse the New York Marathon as the largest ever, with close to 60,000 runners crossing the finish line.

Such an exciting race to be a part of' – Alex Milne; 2:13:51

'It was an honour to line up on the elite start line again for my 11th London Marathon' says Alex Milne.

'Training had gone really well since since the World 50K Champs six weeks earlier, including some disgusting treadmill sessions,  but I came down with another poorly-timed cold just as I did before the Valencia Marathon in December. It's difficult to avoid illness working in a school and with my son bringing home nursery bugs! Despite this I felt better than expected on the day and went out with the 2:14 group of about 15 athletes paced by Adam Clarke which included clubmates Charlie (Sandison) and Chris (Thomas).

'The halfway split of 67:25 was slower than I would've liked but there was no one in sight ahead and I didn't fancy a solo slog, so I kept with the group. It got whittled down over the second half and I made a few moves to try and drop the remaining guys with about 10k to go, but Chris Perry and Dan Osborn-Nash got away from me. I reeled Dan back in over the final few kilometres but couldn't quite get Chris who finished 10s ahead of me and picked up the cash for first Puma Project3 athlete!

'Still, I was pleased to have run my second quickest marathon time and a course PB with a 1 minute negative split. The crowds were louder than usual, if that's even possible, and it was just such an exciting race to be a part of, given the first official sub 2 – I started directly behind Sawe and watched him glide off into the distance.

'This year 15 British men broke 2:15 and the previous best was 7 last year, so it really shows how much marathon running is on the rise in this country.'

'An 8-second PB' - Chris Thomas; 2:14:47

Second in for HW, in his first race representing the Club, was Chris Thomas, clocking an 8-second PB in 2:14.47. 'I greatly enjoyed running with team mates most of the way,' he says. 'Conditions were favourable for sure, slightly warm but I had done some 'home' heat training: hot baths, saunas and layered runs, which worked!'

'A race I'll never forget' – Charlie Sandison; 2:16:53 (left)

'It was an incredible experience and one I’m really proud of', says Charlie Sandison (another distance-running teacher) who followed Chris and Alex home in 2:16:53, a best  for London, though just outside his PB of 2:15:38 set in Valencia in December. 'It was great to put together my fastest London time, especially in such a competitive field and atmosphere, he says.

'The race itself was very different to the experience I had in Valencia. The crowds are amazing, but having that level of noise and energy around you for over two hours is mentally demanding in a way I hadn’t fully appreciated. At the same time, it’s what makes London so special.

'One of the biggest lessons for me was the importance of relaxing and enjoying the race. You have to be brave and commit to the race from the start, but as soon as I stopped overthinking how I felt and just committed to racing, I started running much better.

'Overall, it was a brilliant experience, a big learning opportunity, and definitely a race I’ll never forget – and it was great sharing a taxi and the start line with Alex!'.

'Already looking forward to the next one' –  George Mallett; 2:25:03 (PB) (below left)

One of a number of Club athletes taking part in Puma's Project 3, 'which meant some shoes and a bit of help with nutrition in the build up', George Mallett headed to the start line for his second London Marathon, feeling 'pretty confident.  I had been running quite well in the run-up' he says,'but I knew the heat could be a factor on the day, and though it was a bit cooler than last year  it still felt just as hard – a  reminder why you don't do marathons all the time!

'I ran much of the first half with Fred (Slemeck), which is always a pleasure, before he had some issues with cramps; and the support as always was electric'. In the special atmosphere of the London event, however, he says, 'the biggest lesson is telling yourself to calm down. As we crossed halfway it was noticeable how people try and kick on. A whole group went past me, but almost every one of them would come back to me in the last few miles.

'I'm adamant you'll never feel good in the second half, but even as you slow, others slow more, so you naturally overtake people'. The celebrated camaraderie the event inspires also means you are likely to find friends at the toughest moments. I caught South London Harriers Kevin Quinn at the Tower of London', says George. 'He was shooting for sub-2:20 but having a difficult day, so generously decided to make it his secondary mission to pace me to the finish, saying how inspirational it was to see me run the last few miles with a limp!  It was less of an injury, more of a misjudgement on my part, as I was absolutely knackered and my hamstrings no longer had the strength to hold out given my dodgy right knee! Then, as we turned onto Birdcage Walk I felt a quite epic pop in my left heel. Turns out I had been developing a quite impressive blister that meant the marshalls had to take my shoes off for me at the finish'.

The pain-amnesia was quick to set in however, as he insists, 'I am already looking forward to the next one. London has to be one of the best days on the calendar and this year was no exception!'

'I'll be back for redemption' – Freddie Hessian; 2:27:10 (above right)

Making his Marathon debut last year on the streets of London, Freddie Hessian posted an emphatic 2:21.49, relishing the experience and vowing to build on it going forward.

'A year on from my first crack at London I had high hopes that more training and experience would bode well', says Freddie, 'but sadly just after halfway the quads gave up and I had to switch my mindset, not sulk, and get to the finish by any means necessary.

'It wasn’t the day I dreamt of many times over but now on reflection, that’s OK', he says. 'Marathons are hard, as lots of us know. and we can’t all make them look as easy as Alex Milne does. But inspired by Milne’s year, I will return, once I’ve figured out being a Dad (only four weeks into that life!).

'My day will come in the marathon', he knows, 'and those months of my best-ever training will help me at some point. As far as London goes, I’ll be back for redemption one day and hope Dad-strength is a real thing'. 

‘I went with the cool-it option' – Fred Slemeck; 2:27:26 (below)

'I started a bit quickly and probably burnt a candle or two too many in the first half (not that you know that until too late)', admits Fred Slemeck, who made his London debut in 2023, 'but I was in a nice group. With 15 miles left my calf suddenly started cramping, so my options were gamble and DNF or just cool it a little'.

Aware that his wife, fellow HW distance runner Suzie, daughter Kelia and latest addition to the family, Rafferty, were waiting and watching at mile 25, he says, 'I had to make it there to see them. Kelia was very excited about the Marathon – mainly because I was running in a race with Daddy Pig, who she insists beat me! So I went with the cool-it option, which meant that while it wasn’t easy, it was a more enjoyable last 11 miles than it could have been!'

Photo: Greg Hobden

How they finished:

Alex Milne 2:13:51; Chris Thomas 2:14:47; Charlie Sandison 2:16:53; George Mallett 2:25:03; Freddie Hessian 2:27:10; Fred Slemeck 2:27:26; Richard McDowell (M45) 2:30:04; Adam Moriarty 2:31:45; Tom Jervis 2:37:07; George Sheridan 2:38:28; Stuart Byrne 2:39:08; Simon Wade (M45)  2:40:46; Saverio Mitrani (M40) 2:42:20; Dave Grima (M45) 2:43:51; Joe Clark (M40) 2:44:34; Alex Kalyvas 2:47:20; Claire Grima (W45) 2:53:26; Hector Revill 2:57:19; Alexandra Carr 3:03:50; Andrew Davies (M50) 3:08:12; Nicholas Hogwood (M45) 3:11:53; Adam Collins 3:11:56; Cassie (Wenjia) Chen 3:12:45; Georgia Herring 3:15:55; Tom Cheetham (M55)  3:17:11; Rory Carr 3:24:07; Hannah Davies 3:30:27; Charles Hampden-Smith (M65) 3:32:33; Jamie Bannister 3:36:50; Cassian Hyde 3:37:01; Katy Emery 3:37:23; Janes Broderick 4:30:31; Liam White 4:02:05; James Broderick (M50) 4:30:31; Richard Evans (M60) 4:30:33; and Sunny Sehmi (M40) 4:30:45.

Other marathons are of course available:

On 10 May at the Leeds Marathon, Sarah Twaite finished in 3:22:43 and Allie Donoghue in 3:38:34; and on 19 April Richard Jones ran 2:47.47 in the Manchester Marathon.

The previous weekend (12 April) Ben Hambidge ran 2:42.42 in the Paris Marathon, with Mark Cahill coming home in 3:35.25. Meanwhile in Boston, Lincolnshire Richard (Chaoran) Sun clocked 2:55:17, while in Brighton, Tom Cheetham finished in 3:14:22; Jim Carrington in 3:19:32; and Orlando Bolt in 4:35:50.