On the start line of this year’s TCS London Marathon i the blue and white was club ballot winner Barbara Stow. Training in earnest since finding out she was successful in the ballot, Barbara was in good sprits and more than prepared.
Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, 2023 saw a welcome return to the April calendar. The mass race is the largest marathon event in the United Kingdom, and the point-to-point course is very flat with only one small rise to contend with. The triple start winds out of Greenwich Park and Blackheath Park, loops through Greenwich and across Tower Bridge. Circling Canary Wharf the course runs along the Thames past the Tower of London through Trafalgar Square and onto The Mall where runners finish in front of Buckingham Palace. The course is one of the worlds fastest and boasts the existing women’s world record. The 2023 TCS London Marathon finisher’s medal will once again depict London’s iconic skyline and capture the community spirit of the event with the engraved words, “We Finished Together”, designed to be bold and accessible, the medal proudly recognises every finisher’s inspiring 26.2 mile journey. Embossed with braille and featuring a ribbon made from recycled materials, inclusivity and environmental sustainability remain at the heart of the 43-year-old event. Early drizzle turned into incessant rain drying up towards the end of the race, making for uncomfortable conditions but on the plus side much better than beating sun which so often is the case for this race. No doubt, finding running conditions much better with no rain in sight, Gillian Jago completed the virtual version of the iconic race running from Halifax to Rochdale only a week after completing the iconic Manchester marathon. Well done ladies, the 26.2 is in the bag for both of you, your hard earned medals were well deserved!
Barbara finished in 5:40:16 and Gill the virtual in 6:32:42 Brilliant running Ladies, well done!
