Wirksworth had two runners in this year’s London marathon. Ania Ames (pictured) ran round in 4:01:24 – the windy conditions on the day were not kind enough to allow Ania to duck under the 4-hour mark but Ania was rightly pleased with her performance nonetheless. Kathy Mitchell completed the event in 4 hours, 48 minutes. Kathy writes:
The crowds were there despite being warned off by the organisers, so fears that it would not be the true London Marathon experience were unfounded. People were celebrating being together and I felt so supported by everyone shouting “come on Kath” and encouraging me to “keep going.” The charity I ran for MENCAP were also amazing with their frequent pre-race messages and post-race hot meal and massage!
I ran slower than I had hoped – something went to pot with my training in the last few weeks and then I had a bad cold the week before which I was worried might be Covid – relief when the PCR test was negative! I decided not to look at my pace after a while. I knew I had to slow down and just keep putting one foot in front of the other, to finish. 4h 48 – not too bad.
All in all it was a great experience. Not to be repeated too soon, but one day perhaps.
Well done, Kathy and Ania!