London Marathon 2008   



 




I completed my 7th successive London Marathon on 13th April. My time was 3:18:30. My position was 2,867th (out of 34,900).

Firstly, I would like to thank all of my sponsors. The sponsorship total is over £50,000 which is very impressive. Scroll to the bottom of this page for the sponsorship certificate from the charity.


The weather was cool, quite different to the heat of 2007. Unfortunately, there were some heavy showers during the race. This was probably worse for the spectators than the runners.


This is my 'photo/video diary' of the event. Hopefully, it will give an indication of what it is like to take part in an event like this. If you click on the images on this page, a larger image will appear.

The race starts at Blackheath. There runners are split into 3 groups which start in different places along different roads. The 3 sets of runners merge after a few miles. This is the enterance to the Blue Start assembly area. The Blue Start is the one that the elite athletes start from, so it the one you see on TV.

Jonathon Edwards prepares to present the BBC coverage.

I start from the Green Start, which is where the celebrities assemble. This is TV Presenter Ben Fogle

Olympic rower, James Cracknell. (Sue Barker is in the background).

Chef and TV Personality, Gordon Ramsay.

Mark Chapman, from Radio 1.

Actors, John Atlman and Gary Webster.

Still about 20 minutes to start time, but everyone is lining up behind the start line at the Green Start.

These are the leaders from the Green Start.

James Cracknell (centre) looks like he means business.

These are runners from the Red Start. I'm not sure that a thong is a good choice of kit for chilly weather.

This is me (orange top) after about 7 miles.

At about the 14 mile mark.

At about the 21 mile mark.

After the finish in Trafalgar Square.


Like last year, I carried a camera round the course set on movie mode and filmed while I ran. As you might expect, the camera-work is a bit jerky. I also had problms taking anything while it was raining.

I have split the movie into 3 parts of about 2 minutes each. Click on the links below to view. Be patient, it may take a long time to download the movie files.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3


This is me at various places around the course.


Other finishers :

James Cracknell (Olympic Rower)  1,023rd in 2:59:11

Johnny Lee Miller (Actor)  1,216th in 3:01:40

Tony Audenshaw (Actor - Emmerdale)  1,233rd in 3:01:55

Michel Roux (Chef)  4,348th in 3:28:27

Richard Harrington (Actor)  5,369th in 3:34:14

Andy Newton-Lee (Actor - Hollyoaks)  5,664th in 3:35:58

Chris Coghill (Actor)  6,328th in 3:39:32

Jeff Hordley (Actor)  6,605th in 3:40:59

Andrew Lincoln (Actor - This Life)  6,869th in 3:42:15

Gordon Ramsay (Chef)  7,615th in 3:45:41

Harry Judd (Pop Star - McFly)  9,340th in 3:52:58

Ronan Keating (Singer)  11,535th in 3:59:44

Steve Potts (Footballer - West Ham)  12,618th in 4:04:07

Ben Fogle (TV Presenter)  12,699th in 4:04:29

Amanda Holden (Actress)  14,900th in 4:13:22

Graham Poll (Football Referee)  16,553rd in 4:19:38

Ben Jones (Actor)  16,857th in 4:20:42

Simon Ambrose (winner of The Apprentice - 2007)  18,680th in 4:27:2

Geoff Thomas (Footballer - Crystal Palace/England)  19,097th in 4:28:47

Matthew Wolfenden (Actor - Emmerdale)  19,600th in 4:30:50

Tim Ewart (TV News Reporter)  20,081st in 4:32:37

Suzanne Dando (Olympic Gymnast and TV Presenter)  21,691st in 4:38:54

Steve Tilson (Football Manager - Southend Utd)  23,964th in 4:48:23

Paul Brush (Footballer - West Ham/England)  23,970th in 4:48:25

Phil Daniels (Actor)  24,155th in 4:49:11

Nicola Wheeler (Actress - Emmerdale)  24,291st in 4:49:46

Christopher Villiers (Actor - Emmerdale)  24,291st in 4:49:46

Kate Lawler (Big Brother Winner, 2002)  25,322nd in 4:54:30

Mark Chapman (Radio 1)  26,157th in 4:58:41

Ben Thapa (Singer - ex-G4)  26,937th in 5:03:36

Chris Chittell (Actor - Emmerdale)  27,172nd in 5:05:12

Gary Webster (Actor - Minder)  28,949th in 5:18:24

John Altman (Actor - Eastenders)  28,974th in 5:18:36

Kelle Bryan (Singer)  30,786th in 5:36:17

Floella Benjamin (TV Presenter)  32,099th in 5:53:29

Jonathon Pearce (Football Commentator)  32,434th in 5:59:23


I was raising money for St Andrew's Hospice in Grimsby (registered charity no.1011117).

St Andrew's Hospice exists to care for patients (both adults and children) living in Lincolnshire who have a life threatening illness. It also provides support and friendship to those who care for them. The Hospice is funded mainly by charitable donations.



The Hospice Web Site

Some information about St Andrew's Hospice



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adrian@adrianmassey.com