I’m sharing some slightly longer-form content with you here. I hope you can use this as some reading practice and maybe even learn a few new words and phrases in the process. Here is a PDF with some interesting language used in this blog post.

On the 2nd of April, I took on the 2023 London Landmarks Half-Marathon and it was an unforgettable experience. I want to tell you all about it in this post and give you some things to think about before you start a race. But, I think many people will still have questions like: Why did you do it? And what’s more, why would anyone want to enter a race in the first place? Hopefully, with this post, you can understand a little more about the event, my experience, and why it was so great.

So, here are some things I learnt:

• It’s an emotional experience

• It goes by faster than you realise

• You need to train properly for the challenge

• You will want to sign-up to more races, as soon as its over!

Of course, there is so much more to say about the experience…

What is it?

London Landmarks Half Marathon is a huge charity event, taking over the streets of London and creating a route that takes you past some of the most iconic sights of the capital. The goal is to raise as much money as possible for a number of charities, with almost all runners representing a charity and raising money for their organisations.

Charity

I entered the race with a charity place, which meant that I agreed to raise money that would go to the cause. With a target amount, raising money can be somewhat stressful for some people. However, having people donate to the cause, on your behalf, is only extra motivation. Once people have paid for your place, you can’t let them down!

With the vast majority of runners representing so many charities, there is an inspiring atmosphere that really helps to will you on further and faster. At times, it even felt quite emotional and you could see people stopping to hug family members, talking about their loved ones, and crying as they continued to pound their feet and finish the race. If there is nothing else in this post that inspires your interest in this topic, let it be this that shows just how unforgettable it really was.

Running for charity is the only motivation that some people need. If there is a cause that is close to their heart, they can get themselves across the finish line with ease. I’d like for you to think for a moment; is there a cause that you would run for? What is a charity that you would like to represent in a race?

Race day

On race day, you normally need to get there early. Not only is it good to give yourself time to warm-up, but it’s also a great way to meet other runners and enjoy some of the entertainment. At London Landmarks, there was an announcer taking everyone through stretches – very important when you are taking on a big challenge – as well as playing some pop anthems to keep the energy high.

The route takes you all throughout the centre of the city and past some of the most iconic sights and landmarks – which explains the name!

One surprising thing that I learnt was just how small the centre of London really is. The route has so many loops, and still manages to take you from one side of the centre, all around and past the landmarks, and return to the same place, only for this route to be 13.1 miles (21 kilometres). If you walk around the city at any other time, you would think that the city is this endless sprawl of buildings and sights.

However, on race day, there was a different feeling in the city. The streets were shut down to clear a route for the runners, and for spectators and entertainments to line each side of the roads. The fact that we were running on the streets that are normally so busy with traffic, really took a while to sink in. After a while, I started to realise just how special this opportunity was and that I would be going past all of these icons of the city in only a couple of hours. If you are ever looking for a good way to see the sights of London, this race is a great way to do it – even if it is quite the challenge!

Distracting the runners from the difficulty of the actual running was an important job and was done so well by the supporters. The organisers also had lots of entertainment along the route, like live music, choirs, performers, and support groups that would cheer you on as you ran past. Honestly, having something new to see and hear every few minutes really made the run a lot easier than I thought it would’ve been. I’m very glad I didn’t run with headphones, otherwise I would’ve missed out on the energy boost from the crowds.

As the event is more about having fun than producing the fastest runners, lots of people were wearing costumes. This was everything from dressing like Spiderman, to wearing a chicken costume (There was a surprising amount of chickens running the race), to running in a business suit. Seeing these all around you is just another way to distract you from the long distance and tired legs, but also great for people drawing attention to their charities. It does make me wonder, if you were running a race, would you wear a costume? What would you dress up as?

Let me know via email and maybe I will choose one of these costumes for my next race!

What is next?

Speaking of my next race… There is already one planned for later in the year!

I had such an amazing time in the event that it has inspired me to take on more of these challenges. Even if the bar has been set very high at London Landmarks, the enjoyment of running with others, pushing yourself when you want to give up, and the potential to raise lots of money for good causes, all motivate me to run more. Hopefully, many more!

Would you like this kind of challenge?

Maybe this post has inspired you to enter a race too, or maybe you were thinking about it anyway and this has been the thing to push you to book your place. Well, that’s fantastic! But, it’s also important to gradually build up to this. If you aren’t running now or if you’ve never run at all it can be difficult to know where to start. Check out your local running clubs, try a Couch-to-5K programme, or look for running events near you.

Parkrun is an event in the UK, all around the country, every Saturday morning. It’s free and it’s open to everyone, no matter their running experience. You can even walk the distance if you would like. This amazing organisation is a perfect example of what is so incredible about the running community. And, it’s not only available in the UK but many other countries, too! Take a look if it’s available in your country and find your nearest event.

Finally…

If you’re looking for a reason to start running, I hope this story can help with that decision. We may not have answered why people run, or why people enter races, but at least now you understand a little bit more about my experience. If you’ve never run before: You don’t need to run a race, or even join a club or group. However, go out there, give it a try and see for yourself, and who knows – maybe I will see you at the next start line.

For those of you that made it to the end and are still curious, I finished with a time of 1:54:41 (which I am very happy with!)

- Kurtis