Congratulations all FLM-ers!

Well done to everyone who took part in yesterday's FLM!

Your fame doesn't end on marathon day - we want you to drop us a line (editor@runnersworld.co.uk) with your FLM story and we’ll publish a gallery of all the accounts we receive.

Tell us all about your race-day highs and lows, your most unforgettable moments, your goals, your celebrations, any surprises... in short, anything and everything that sums up your 2008 FLM experience.

Get in touch if you were supporting too - we'd love to hear your tales from the sidelines.

Don't forget to pop your finishing time, forum nickname and a race-day photo (if you have one) in the email too - we have five prizes of running kit and £50 vouchers on offer for the best submissions, courtesy of Do Running.

Look forward to hearing from you

Catherine RW

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Comments

  • Nick LNick L ✭✭✭

    Ahhh...but what about YOUR story Catherine!??!

    (well done btw!)

  • Cath I just sent you some photos from Mudchute's group 3 image

    They're high-resolution so may take a moment to open.

  • Emailed mine this morning Catherine - afraid it's rather on the long side, I am still all hyped up and buzzing from it all!!! So erm, feel free to edit it!
  • Thanks Nam, they're great - we'll try and get them uploaded soon.

    That sounds like a call-to-action Nick, I will put pen to paper once I get a minute...

  • What's the best way to get in touch?
  • Ignore me, post marathon induced blindness!image
  • Well done to all who took part yesterday!! I am dropping a reply as my fingers are the only parts of my body that doesn't hurt.

    I knocked 1hr10mins off last years time but am still a bit jarred that I didn't get sub 4:30 that i'd been achieving during training. After 20 my legs went dead and the rain at 23 just about finished me off.

    Thanks to my on the day running partner Louise (sorry don't know your surname) who kept me going to the end. Have already applied online for next year and want to knock another hour off my time and finish sub 3:45.

    The training will start as soon as I can move!! 

  • Evening AW GM said she may have seen you flying past us at mudchute yesterday is this true image

    Here is my FLM in Pictures

  • Well done to you all. This was my first marathon and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. The crowd were amazing. I think i had about 4 rhinos overtake me and a camel nearly knock me flying - quite ironic as i started my marathon training in January when i was in Egypt on hol lol. Having problems walking but feel great in myself.

     Anyone got any advice on how to now improve my speed on 10kms and half mara's (after a rest). I've got the great north run in October. I would hate to loose all the fitness i've just gained.

  • For me, it's a gruelling tale of endurance in the face of insurmountable odds - 6 hours of pain and torment, having to grit my teeth and just keep on going in the face of a seemingly impossible challenge.

    It was just me against the clock and it took all my mental strength and energy to endure it.

    I was on a one digestive an hour re-fuelling strategy with frequent pitstops for tea and comfort breaks.

    Yes, the BBC coverage was hell, but I made it to the finish.

  • The difficult 20 mile marker with the Ben Fogle interview was my low point
  • fat facefat face ✭✭✭
    I shall send an account of my marathon when the effects of my pre-race immodium have worn off. I can feel the pressure rising as I type. I will probably wish I didn't have a full english brekkie this morning in the cafe in Trent Park complete with a lot of baked beans.
  • Thanks for sharing, FF!

    Well done btw! 

  • I got taken out at mile 9 by some stuuupid runner posing for a photo - got grazed and bruised knees to show for it.  Reckon I would have finished well before 5hrs 51min if it weren't for that image

    I did run around her - but she stuck her foot out at the last minute - doh! 

    And if I every drink another orange lucozade again ......image

    Hope pressure has now subsided FF - nice bed time reading that image

  • My sister brought a nice champagne to the finish with her and we all enjoyed a bit of it. Well, actually all I could taste was orange lucozade and jelly babies, but I didn't want to say anything.

    Half a glass went straight to my head, fantastic. image

  • One Very Special day........... High points - hmm all of it

    Low Points - wasnt quite as prepared for the crowd congestion as prehaps I could have been.

    Wanted a sub 4 but couldnt really get going early enough ended up with a 4:05 happy with that though.

    Such an amazing event made me feel all "peculiar" to be part of it. One question ..... does anyone know how to get hold of the photos (the ones we had to queue for) they took at the end and a certificate or such like.

  • Sounds like we had a similar day Alistair-was hoping for 3hr45 but ended up with 4hr05 due to the crowd!

    Was a good day overall but i've stopped recommending flm to people on account of the overcrowding!

     Just about to apply for abingdon (v different to flm in every way) and oh yes flm 09 too!

  • We must have finished together, I was preety numb from the waist down so wasnt really paying any attention to what was around me sorry about that !!!! I look forward to the next time for the "event experiance" if that makes any sense,  Im from South wales so will be looking at the cardiff half and a 10K or something like that in the meantime, subject to domestic bliss continuing.

    Glad everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I await in aticipation the official photos of wibbly wobbly people soaked with rain and glowing a strange lucozade color!!!!!

  • Great photo's Georgia's Dad, thanks for sharing, anyone else got any photo's?

  • Congrats to everyone who took part.

    We watched in Deptford and trundled down to Greenwich, where we dashed into a pub when it started to rain.

    Photos


  • Just mailed my race report. It was a grand day out and no mistake image)
  • GREAT DAY SUB 4.30 TO OVERCROWDED TOHIT RHYTHM
  • Still buzzing, London did its self proud,wanted sub 4 got 4.13 just couldnt get going for first half .This was my first FLM would love to do it again.All of it was a high point even had to laugh when a womble passed me.So congratimageulations Mr Womble you ran a great race but you did forget your day job as i recall you did not pick one plastic bottle up.
  • Here are my photo's from Mile 17 supporters... image
  • Brill. Wanted sub 4:15 got 4:36.......however.....

    Thought the London crowd were amazing, an absolute credit to themselves.

    My dodgy knee gave up at about 21 but no way could that have stopped me, i just had to 're-align my expectations' and take a minute or two of my last 5 or 6 miles.

    Organisation was fantastic, weather was both perfect and not so perfect in parts.

    PW22, i had two wombles and a pasty take me in the last mile.......but i did beat the hamburger.....that made me smileimage

    Met the marathonlads, overtook the maasai warriors (who were so impressive and dignified)

    That's about it, well done everyone who ran and especially well done to everyone who supported us, 

  • My first FLM (and last as I only ever intended to do one). 

    The first 11 miles were particularly hard, not sure why but think my adenalin and excitement was still buzzing then and gave me stomach ache!  Also the enormity of the occasion got to me.  However, strangely enough the easiest part of the race for me was from 20 miles onwards and particularly the last 2 miles.  I kept on thinking to myself only 6 miles to go, only 5 miles to go etc.  I saw my husband, Dave and my friends Gill and Dave along the Embankment at 25 miles and that really spurred me on.  I was grinning from that point to the very end.

    I ran all the way (apart from 4 toilet stops) and managed to finish in 4 hours 52 mins - which was great as I was hoping for anything under 5 hours.

    The crowd were amazing and I had the pleasure of seeing the Masai warriors which was a real highlight for me.

    I was overtaken by one womble but overtook another - however my husband kindly pointed out that Scooby-Doo overtook me and finished before me - bet those scooby snacks helped!

    When I finished the race my coach (also Dave) said that I didn't look as though I had run a marathon and I must admit I didn't feel it either.  I didn't hit any wall and I took my time as I wanted to enjoy the experience and not finish in a heap.

    Recommend this to anyone - coming down the Mall is the best experience ever and I don't mind admitting that I cried like a baby when I crossed the line - for those who know me I don't cry so that says something about the wonderful occasion that it was.

    That's another thing ticked off my list of things to do now that I'm 40 ....

    I

  • Thanks RT

    Great photos Yers and KV

  • I don't know where I got the idea to run the marathon from. I had never run before and I know very few people that would consider running 5ks let alone a marathon. So when it came to training for a marathon I was pretty clueless. I subscribed to runner's world and skulked around this forum, but not feeling like a 'true' runner I have to admit to being a complete recluse when it came to my training and even the actual running of the marathon on Sunday.

    But reading your accounts tonight has almost brought tears to my eyes as it brings back the memories I have of being 'overtaken by a womble', of not being able to get up to pace at all in the first five miles, of twisting my ankle on a water bottle only five miles in and having to give up any hope of a four hour finish. Of the crowd that just wouldn't let you give up even when you just wanted to curl up on the side of the road and pretend that you didn't care whether you finished or not. You just wanted the pain to stop.

    For me, the biggest surprise was that even after four months of training, that it was still so physically and mentally demanding. But then I guess that is why finishing a marathon is such an achievement.

    I too, cried tears of joy when I crossed the finish line. I was almost a full half hour over my four hour goal, but it was impossible not to feel special when so many people - friends, family and strangers - looked at you with that awe in their eyes. It is hard to describe it to people that haven't done it, but you know what I'm talking about.

    For me, the day was even more special... just after the 24th mile - and with the help of an entire girls hockey team , a bobby and horde of anonymous well-wishers - I stopped to propose to my boyfriend 'Top Gun' style. I can now warn fellow runners about the dangers of trying to sing in key after 24 miles, but it was all worth it and my now fiance didn't even try to run away.

    So all in all the FLM 2008 really has changed my life in every way possible. And despite some amazingly sore hamstrings, I'm ready and raring to go for FLM 2009 - but this time I'm going to break 4 hours!!

    You can catch my exploits below:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=VBbDwLRg5v0

    It is extremely cheesy and geared more to family and friends, but after such a cheesy weekend I'm quite happy embracing the cheese.

    Thanks again guys, for being my virtual running partners.

  • Well Done Everyone!!

    I had a fabulous day. I'm absolutely gutted with my time - but had so much fun nonetheless! First marathon was definately an experience!!

    I managed to slip at mile 17 and have since found out i have perforated my iliotibial band?! i have had itbs in the final few months or my traning and this really just capped it off. So i'm awaiting my appointment with the knee specialist whilst i hobble round on crutches.

    there was no way i was going to give up though so i ran the final 9 miles in agony - throwing up twice from the sheer pain in my knee. i crossed the line at 4 hours 54 minutes and 59 seconds - its a very strange feeling, i'm more gutted about the injury than the time as i know i probably would have knocked off a good half hour had i not injured my knee.

    I have no blisters, nothing rubbed and i only ached on sunday evening - by monday i was fine apart from my knee! So my plan is to get my knee fixed and then see just what i am capable of. i have 6 years until the beginning of my 'marathon peak' years - plenty of time to build up slowly and be kind to my knees!

    Also - did many other people not even notice big ben?!

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