Interview with Samaritans' marathon runners

On April 17^th 2011 Samaritans was delighted to have almost 100 people running 26.2 miles for them in the Virgin London Marathon! Between them they're on course for hitting our target of £110,000 of vital support to help keep us available 24/7, for anyone who needs us.

In a follow-up from our pre-marathon interview we caught up with Elle Georgiou and also David Wrottesley to get their take on the big day.

1) Hi Elle and David. First of all, many congratulations! How did it feel as you crossed the line – what were your first thoughts?

Elle: My first thoughts were - 

• Hooray, I can stop running now!
• Ouch, everything hurts.
• Where’s my medal?
• I wonder how many calories I’ve burnt off…

David: I was glad to have finished and glad it was over! It was much tougher than I thought and I started looking around at other runners to see what sort of state they were it - some were in a pretty bad way. Pretty soon however, I was elated to have run the distance I thought back over the months of training and realised that I had putting in small continuous investments to make one large withdrawal.

2) And what was the most challenging point for you both?

Elle: A little after you cross Tower Bridge, just before the halfway point, there is a stretch of the route when you see runners on the other side of the road coming towards you who are on a later leg of the course, about eight miles ahead. It’s quite demoralising to know they’re so much nearer the finish, and to see them all struggling! I think between 13 and 18 miles was the most challenging section of the course because you’ve run a long way over a long time already, but the finish still feels very far away.

David: At around mile 18 when I realised I wouldn’t be able to keep to my planned pace over the whole distance I then had to start thinking about adjusting my pace simply to finish. At the half way mark I was on 2.07 but I just knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain it over twice the distance. This was hard.

3) Did you ever hit a point where you thought you wouldn’t make it?

Elle: No. I’m hugely stubborn and there was no way I wouldn’t make it round, even if I had to crawl and it took me all week!

David: I had doubts between mile 19 and 21 I did wonder as the pain in my legs was chronic and I knew I had a long way to go. From here on I had to employ psychological strategies to keep myself going and avoid walking.

"I was elated to have run the distance I thought back over the months of training and realised that I had putting in small continuous investments to make one large withdrawal." (David)

4) Have you indulged now the training has finished?

Elle: As soon as I met up with my friends and family at the end, they all insisted I have the Mars bar and energy drink from my finisher’s goody bag, but I just couldn’t face eating or drinking anything. I remember thinking it was the only time in my life I was turning down a chocolate bar! By the time I got home after the Samaritans marathon party at the Playhouse Theatre, my appetite was back and I ate the biggest Chinese takeaway I’ve ever had, followed by ice cream – guilt free! I’d booked the following day off work and I couldn’t move at all when I woke up, so I spent the day on the sofa, eating chocolate and watching DVDs, wearing my medal! I’m looking forward to having my evenings and weekends back, but I might try to squeeze in the odd run now and again – it would be a shame to lose all the fitness I’ve worked so hard to build up.

David: I had a fair few beers straight after the race! And I’ve been eating pretty much what I want to since. I’m wondering what to do as my next challenge now.

I’m hugely stubborn and there was no way I wouldn’t make it round, even if I had to crawl and it took me all week! (Elle)

5) So do you think you would you run it again?

Elle: Right now – no, nothing would make me run it again! But I heard so many people at the finish line saying they couldn’t wait to get their names in the ballot for 2012, so I may be in the minority!

David: My dad is trying to persuade me to run the Munich Marathon this October and I might well be persuaded yet – I’m hoping that I won’t have to train so intensively as I have already reached a certain level.

6) Finally, what words of wisdom would you give anyone thinking of running a marathon (or taking part in an events challenge)?

Elle: Take the training seriously – all the hard work is done before the day. You don’t need to stick to a training plan religiously (unless you’re aiming to finish in a certain time), but use it as a guide to make sure you feel physically and mentally prepared for the event. Running or taking part in an event for Samaritans also helps because the fundraising team will support you every step of the way – and you’ll need them behind you when it starts getting tough! They were amazing during my training and so excited to see me at the end, it really made all the difference.

David: The more you put into the training, the less of an ordeal the event will be so don’t scrimp on it. Speak to more experienced people who can help you avoid basic mistakes.

Thanks very much to you both, and well done to you and everyone who ran at the Brighton and London marathons!

Thank you to everyone who got involved!

The iconic London Marathon is one of the most popular days out for our supporters. Samaritans setup their HQ for the day at The Playhouse Theatre, and we had people popping in all day to help out, cheer, have a drink, enjoy some food and watch the spectacle of the marathon.

It was a brilliant way to spend a day and we'd love to thank you all for being there, and to say see you next year!