London Marathon 2025

sk8board · 24-04-2025 10:28PM

yeh saw the email. I see they’re having course showers too.
the issue is acclimatisation - it’s going to be the first hot day you’ll have run at race pace since last Sept probably, and our only training has been cold-weather training.

It’s quite literally identical weather to Boston last year, where 12% of the field ended up in medical tents and 130 hospitalised.

The temp isn’t the only issue - having no wind, no cloud cover, and running in a concrete jungle, will make that temp feel even hotter than indicated. Sunburn will be an issue for sure.

ILikeBoats · 25-04-2025 11:00AM

Best of luck to all running on Sunday!

Ballot now open for 2026. Looking forward to my annual PFO

Trampas · 25-04-2025 05:07PM

request gone in for my pfo email. Will enter gfa also

CuriousCucumber · 25-04-2025 06:41PM

After running Rome last March in 24degrees heat, I welcome these conditions 😂

sk8board · 26-04-2025 10:46AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123389357#Comment_123389357

I’m the same, v hot spring marathon last year after a winter block of training.
what are you thinking for tomorrow; adjust or no?

CuriousCucumber · 27-04-2025 05:43AM

Let's do this.

See ye at the end

27-04-2025 10:55AM

Best of luck guys, hope you all smash it

CuriousCucumber · 27-04-2025 09:38PM

That was a tough day running. Heat made it very difficult. Delighted to come in with a 3:21. 1min off of a pb, but after seeing so many people on stretchers and wheelchairs, I decided against pushing myself

sk8board · 27-04-2025 09:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123395730#Comment_123395730

great stuff. Had a good day too. Id seen this before, and it didn’t go well to ignore it, so pulled back 5min from the target time and ended up finishing well to run within 20sec of a pb.

Holy moly though the amount of spectators on the course??!!?
it felt like the whole course was 3-6 people deep, and louuuuuud 🥳

There could easily have been well over a million people on the course. Trafalgar sq afterwards thronged too

justfortherecor · 28-04-2025 12:31PM

Tough day at the office yesterday in that heat but managed to keep things steady and grind out a 1min PB in broadly even splits.

Highlights of the day included the crowds (just incredible depth and noise the whole way around, and Tower Bridge lived up to its reputation) and enjoying the atmosphere (and a cool pint) with friends and family in St James Park after finishing. While making things tougher for runners, the sun brought out the crowds in force and and made the whole route buzz with a party/carnival atmosphere.

Slight criticisms include the (usual bugbear) of insufficient mens urinals in the starting pen - but seemed particularly bad yesterday morning. Ended up queuing for 30mins in a ridiculously circuitous queue to get into 3 (overflowing) tripods for '000s of runners. Put pay to any decent warm up and certainly felt it in the first few kms where I struggled to settle into a rhythm.

The majors seem to be trying to outdo each other on a sequential basis now in setting new records for largest marathons, but that is increasingly coming at a cost, with facilities and infrastructure stretched to breaking point and huge numbers to navigate around on the course, especially in first few kms.

Overall, delighted to have done it and pleased with the performance on the day but think I might look beyond the majors for any next attempt and look at something like Valencia or Seville as an alternative.

howdydoo83 · 28-04-2025 02:39PM

Worked Manchester yesterday and the ambulances couldn't keep up with the call outs so we had people waiting 2 to 3 hours to be seen. London was hotter and more people so I'd say it was chaos.

sk8board · 28-04-2025 02:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123397047#Comment_123397047

I was in blue, and queued for 2 mins for a portaloo and then maybe 3mins for a urinal. There were about 40-60 of them in each fenced off area. This was maybe 20min before going to the corral.

Re the medical needs, it was zombieland from 20mile to the finish, people dropping like flies

justfortherecor · 28-04-2025 02:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123397639#Comment_123397639

Ah man, that sounds much more like it! Maybe it was just an issue in our particular pen (yellow), but it eradicated what was otherwise a very pleasant start to the marathon day.

niallo32 · 28-04-2025 08:00PM

Did anyone go via the Sports tours international package? if so, what was the full cost please?

chrismean · 29-04-2025 07:16AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123398709#Comment_123398709

I spoke to an Irish couple who were absolutely delighted with their experience. Not sure on the cost but they were explaining how convenient it all had been and how they were taking full advantage of the free drinks post race hah

chrismean · 29-04-2025 07:16AM

I’ve done London a few times (blue this year) and this was the best toilet access I’ve had …

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123397686#Comment_123397686

CuriousCucumber · 29-04-2025 09:07AM

A few of my thoughts:

I was in the Yellow pit - wave 2. I queued for about 10minutes max for a portaloo. Saw no issues at all with the number of toilets. If anyone asked, I would have said that there was more than enough

Tower Bridge disappointed me. Maybe I hit during a lull, but it was no louder than going through Castleknock during the Dublin marathon.

The crowd in general were fantastic. Never seen such a busy course. The energy I got back from the crowd was incredible

The course was busy, all the way around. It never let up, but rarely did I feel overcrowded. Once or twice I had to push through a few runners who had inadvertently boxed me in.

The last 10km was wonderful. I was struggling mightily, and I generally spend those last few kms looking at my watch, counting down every step. Not on Sunday. It felt like I went from 10km to 8km to 4km to 1.5km in a few blinks of the eye

The level of medical needs was scary. Saw some poor lad collapse, and smash his face off of the ground near Westminster.

Saw someone else, at least an hour after I finished go into spasms well away from the finish line

For the person asking about Sports Tours - I used them, and would describe it as helpful.

The bus out to the start line was great, despite some poor woman throwing up for about 3 minutes just as we hit the line of buses heading in.

The pre race briefing was good for getting hyped.

I wouldn't say that the reps provided anything, a capable person couldn't do themselves, but it did take a little bit of stress out of the day. All in, the tour cost me €2,040. Hotel was basic, but met me needs, and was easy to get to from airports, and the finish line.

Would I use them again, probably if I was chasing a Star, but I also give serious consideration to going down the charity route instead for the next one

justfortherecor · 29-04-2025 10:18AM

Alright, looks like it was just me with issues with the toilet facilities!

Anyway, photos now available on the Sportograf website if anyone wants to admire their sweaty red faces coming down The Mall!

niallo27 · 29-04-2025 12:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123398709#Comment_123398709

I went with them, nice username by the way. I have to say they were brilliant, hotel was perfect, bus to start line and then the after party the sunday night, it was unreal, full open bar, beer and wine at the tables, buffet and live music. I paid 1800 and i was sharing with a mate.

niallo27 · 29-04-2025 12:30PM

I had a bit of an up and down myself, the first half was incredible but when i went through 24k i knew this was going be a struggle, I got to 34k and walked/ran to the end. I found the heat just too much for me, i just cant handle it. I could not enjoy the last few Km's because i just wanted it to end

brennarr · 30-04-2025 03:23PM

Landed back from Boston on Wednesday morning running on fumes – no sleep Tuesday night and on the beer well into Monday night and legs still feeling the effects. Only managed two short runs before London: 4km Thursday evening and a 5km shakeout Saturday morning. Flew over to London Saturday afternoon, 2:30pm flight, still unsure how the body would respond so soon after Boston.

Started in Blue Wave 1 on Sunday. The start was absolutely packed – felt like it took the guts of 15km before things opened up and I could find any real space or rhythm. Definitely more congested than I expected.

The race itself was another scorcher – warm again like Boston – but London had more shade along the route which made a difference. The crowd though… next level. Noise from start to finish, never a dull stretch. Some incredible pockets of support that genuinely kept the legs moving when the energy dipped.

Wasn’t sure what the legs had left after Boston, but somehow managed to sneak 12 seconds off and finish in 2:42:26 going through half way in 1:20:30. No negative split this time – just dug in and tried to hold pace. Delighted with the result all things considered. Two majors in 6 days, two solid runs, and two stars to go for the full set of six. London really lived up to the hype – if you ever get the chance to run it, jump at it.

sk8board · 01-05-2025 08:37AM

I was blue wave 2 and didn’t seem to have any congestion problems - I wonder is the spread of runners too wide in wave 1, it’s effectively everyone from the elites to 3:00,

Whereas wave 2 was 3:00 to 3:10/15 ish.

ClashCityRocker · 01-05-2025 10:06AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123404743#Comment_123404743

This is incredible, hard to comprehend running those sorts of times six days apart and both marathons in warm-to-hot conditions. I did Boston too and i would have struggled to have driven 26.2 miles by Sunday 😊

Itziger · 01-05-2025 02:47PM

Have to agree with The Clash there. Very impressive running to do two marathons like that 6 days apart. Build in the beers and flight back from Boston.... Well done, mate.