On the last day of the 2019 season 65,000 gathered at the Estadio Metropolitano to pay homage to Fernando Torres as he played his final game for Atlético de Madrid. It was an emotional occasion. Torres is the kid from Fuenlabrada, el niño, who rose through the ranks to become a club legend. He rose to a magnificent occasion, scored twice and had grown men in tears everywhere as the noise reached a crescendo and his name rang out around the stadium.
It was difficult to imagine what being Fernando Torres in those circumstances would be like until last Sunday in London when an estimated 750,000 came out on the streets to cheer on 42,000 runners. That number included 39656, a jogger from Madrid aiming to overcome a difficult experience in 2019 and run a sub four hour race for the first time.
There are people on the streets throughout the whole course, but just after mile six the course comes into Greenwich on Trafalgar Road, and it is here for the first time that the pavements are packed with people. The wall of noise that greets runners as they turn towards the Cutty Sark is extraordinary, so loud in fact that there may even have been something in my eye as I ran up King William Walk.
The experience is repeated six miles later as the route crosses Tower Bridge. The volume is incredible and the minute or it takes to get to the north bank is very emotional. Running under those famous towers is wonderful, and it’s no surprise that so many runners stop to take selfies. Were it not for the fear of seizing up, I might have done the same.
There are areas of the course that are much less populated, and so I am particularly grateful to the man on Hill Reach in Woolwich yelling that the top of the hill was near and that it’s all downhill from there. The small groups on the streets in the quieter parts of Rotherhithe and Deptford were also very welcome. Running can be a lonely business, a mental battle as much as a physical one and the shouts of “Come on Ben, you’ve got this”, on Poplar High Street could not have been timelier.
This is around mile 20 and the infamous marathon “wall” when energy levels are at their lowest. That’s OK though because the people of East London have “got this”. They’ve got jelly babies and all the vocal encouragement you need to break through the mental barriers and finish the race.
Over the 26.2 miles I heard my name – or possibly that of the celebrity running just behind me – several hundred times. I cannot describe the lift it provides. Every single one of those is a small Torres moment, a recognition of the blood, sweat and tears that goes into preparing for and running those 26 miles. Wherever possible I acknowledged that moment of kindness, with a nod or a raised fist, in part to say thank you, in part to encourage them to keep providing the same boost to the runners following. (One piece of advice to future marathon runners, try to have a very short, one syllable name. I’m sure it helps.)
This is the spirit of the London Marathon: 42,000 runners, each with their own story and their own motivation, being dragged around the course by the incredible goodwill and generosity of the people who come out onto the streets to cheer them on. If there was a way to bottle that goodwill you could solve most of the world’s problems very quickly.
It’s an incredible privilege to take part and on this occasion I was running well enough that at the 23 mile mark, just as the route passes Tower Bridge for the second time, I was able to relax and soak it all in knowing that the time I wanted was all but in the bag.
So I was able to coast through the City to Westminster along Birdcage Walk and past Buckingham Place to the finish line in a time of 3:58:47. And during that time I was able to reflect on how lucky I was to have the help of so many people to achieve this. I owe them all a lot of thanks. First to Jane for just letting me do it. Running a marathon is a selfish and disruptive business, sometimes taking whole days out of weekends for long training runs and recovery. To her and my daughters and my parents and Ben and Hector who came out onto the streets to support me. To Adam who put together the perfect training plan that made sure I arrived in London in the best condition. To Nicole and the UK Youth team for their support and encouragement. (They’re looking for runners for April). And finally to everyone who generously sponsored me and ensured I hit both my targets for the race, and in particular Tilly whose offer of meals was a particularly good source of sponsorship.
And if you’re out there reading this and wondering if the London Marathon is for you, all I can say is, give it a go. It’s a joyful, thrilling, and, yes, sometimes painful experience, and I wouldn’t have missed my Torres moment for the world.