Adrian Massey's Marathon Page

   London Marathon 2009   



 




I completed my 8th successive London Marathon on 26th April. My time was 3:23:22. My position was 3,147th (out of around 35,000).

Firstly, I would like to thank all of my sponsors. The sponsorship total is over £20,000 which is very impressive.

It is not too late to sponsor me. There is a link here to an online sponsorship page. This will be available until July.


The weather was sunny an warm with temperatures up to 20°C. Maybe a little too warm for running, but ideal for spectating. There seemed to be bigger crowds than previous years.


This is my 'photo 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. The Blue Start is the one that the elite athletes start from, so it is the one you see on TV. The Green Start is where the celebrities start from. The Red Start is mainly charity runners. This year, I am starting from the Red Start.

The race starts at 09:45. This is the Red Start about 1 hour before start time



Jonathon Edwards interviews Wondor Woman for the BBC coverage.



The toilets are very popular before the start



About 10 minutes to start time. We are lining up behind the start line



Looking back at the people lining up behind me.



We're off. About 1 mile from the start. The road ahead looks to be packed with runners.



We have done about 3 miles. The Red Start runners on the left are soon going to merge with the Blue and Green Start runners on the right.



This is Charlton. After about 5 miles



This is the approach to the Cutty Sark, which is not visible while it is being restored.



The crowds were enormous with every vantage point taken.



Rotherhide. We have gone about 9 miles now.



Approaching Tower Bridge.



Exiting Tower Bridge. This is just short of half way in the race.



This is about the 14 mile point in Limehouse.



Winding round the Isle of Dogs.



We have done just over 21 miles. The runners on the other side of the barriers on the left, are about 7 miles behind heading towards Docklands.



It is always wise to be careful not to tread on a discarded drinking bottle.



There is lots of music around the course, both live bands and open-air discos. The discos generally go with the running theme with songs like 'Keep on Running' by the Spencer Davies Group, 'Walk Don't Run' by The Ventues and 'Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide' by Martha and the Vandellas. Here, a band plays in front of the Tower of London.



Running along the Embankment, approaching the Houses of Parliament. Big Ben strikes 1pm as I pass.



Only 600m to go now. Passing the official photographers..



Passing the front of Buckingham Palace.



The finishing straight.



Approaching the finishing line.



Just after the finish. Everyone has their medals.



All finishers get a 'goodie bag' from Flora, the race sponsors.



This is in Trafalgar Square a few minutes later.



Some of the runners starting behind me at the Red Start seem to have made some unconventional kit choices.


Other finishers :

Nell McAndrew (Model)  1,706th in 3:10:20

Tony Audenshaw (Actor - Emmerdale)  2,261st in 3:15:31

Chris Boardman (Cyclist)  2,655th in 3:19:27

Chris Coghill (Actor)   5,302nd in 3:37:03

Graham Hawley (Actor - Coronation Street)   6,527th in 3:43:39

Jeff Hordley (Actor - Emmerdale)   7,572nd in 3:46:56

Gail Emms (Olympic medalist - Badminton)  : 7,208th in 3:47:14

Leon Taylor (Olympic medalist - Diving)  : 8,455th in 3:52:58

Keith Duffy (Singer - Boyzone)  : 8,379th in 3:52:33

Jenni Falconer (National Lottery Presenter)  : 8,545th in 3:53:16

Iwan Thomas (Athlete - UK 400m record holder)  : 10,138th in 3:58:46

Gordon Ramsay (Chef)   11,626th in 4:05:02

Ronan Keating (Singer)  14,250th in 4:15:33

Lee McQueen (Apprentice winner 2008)   16,097th in 4:22:49

Isabel Lang (BBC Weather Presenter)   17,238th in 4:27:07

Tony Pulis (Stoke City Manager)  18,573rd in 4:31:57

Derek Jelley (Rugby Union player - Liecester Tigers)  18,722nd in 4:32:33

Helen Skelton (Blue Peter Presenter)   21,540th in 4:43:30

Becky Mantin (ITV Weather Presenter)   22,216th in 4:46:18

Chris Villiers (Actor - Emmerdale)   22,749th in 4:48:20

Javier Weyler (Drummer - Stereophonics)   24,874th in 4:57:04

John Pickard (Actor)   27,621st in 5:11:49

Gino D'Acampo (Chef)   27,966th in 5:13:19

Mathew Wolfenden (Actor)   28,019th in 5:13:40

Simon Halliday (Former England Rugby Union Player)  31,488th in 5:40:50

Jonathan Pearce (Football Commentator)  34,205th in 6:26:36

Katie Price (Model)  34,962nd in 7:11:00

Peter Andre (Singer)  34,964th in 7:11:02


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