Not to spectate while Husband runs the London Marathon

Oh, and here's a tip for unsentimental London runners having a lovely weekend mini break: you can part-fund your trip by selling your medal and t-shirt on e-bay straight afterwards.

There's definitely a very London-y feeling party atmosphere which I honestly feel would enhance any coffee-and-pastry stroll. However, I have run London multiple times and while I've appreciated family and partner spectating, I never made them try and get anywhere near the finish line. They tended to cheer me on from a pre-arranged sensible location and then meet me at the end.

My husband did it a few years ago. Our hotel was near the finish and he had to leave quite early to get across London to the start. No way was I doing that.
I couldn’t work out where to go to see him (the crowds are immense) so decided on near the finish. Waste of time. There’s boarding all along the last few hundred metres and the finish so you cannot see them finish. He found me in the park.
Youd see more staying at home and hoping to see him on the telly.

Sounds like you’re seeing him off at start and meeting him at end and he’s a seasoned marathon runner so probably doesn’t need the morale boost like someone doing a marathon for their first time, so I don’t see the issue. Don’t get bogged down in what other people might do or what other people think, this is your decision for you.

My DH ran the Paris marathon, the Boston marathon and the Chicago marathon. I did exactly the same as you are planning for all three. I was at the start and finish and pottered around the rest of the time. It was lovely and my DH wouldn’t have noticed if I’d been on the sidelines as he would have been in his zone and not looking for me anyway.

I'm guessing your friend doesn't have a runner husband, and therefore never had the delight of looking out for them for absolutely ages, then had a very sweaty husband 'in the zone' completely ignore them? Meet him after the end as you say, if he's happy why do you care what anyone else says?

DH has run it twice, the first time I did the mad dash, from the start at Greenwich Park, then to Cutty Sark, up to Deptford, then to the Mall - with DS in a buggy and my MIL in tow. The 2nd time I met him in a pub at the finish. The 2nd time was better 😀

It's actually an event worth seeing if you haven't been before. By far the most exciting thing happening in town that day, a proper spectacle

Assuming he's not someone who runs marathons every weekend, I'd be gutted if my OH CBA to come and support, even if I didn't say so.

Is this your husband’s first London marathon out of interest op?

How fast is your DH, OP? If he does lots of marathons and isn't bothered about you watching him, I'm guessing he's reasonably fast. London is more fun to watch when the slower runners are out on the course because that's when you'll get all the funny costumes and the people for whom it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But having said that it is still quite good watching fast runners to see elite athletes, and there's an amazing atmosphere. I can't really imagine 'having a nice wander and getting a coffee' on marathon day in London and totally ignoring the marathon altogether, as it's such an iconic event. I'm sure there are bits of the course where you could have a nice coffee and spectate the marathon - if you head somewhere towards the later part of the course you could see the elite races before your husband gets there. As PPs have said, you won't get anywhere near the start pen, so you could just drop your bags off and walk along the embankment. It's not normally too crowded there in the earlier part of the day.

It’s absolutely fine! I’m running and DH isn’t even coming to London. He watched the first two times I did it, I don’t expect him to give up his weekend every time I do a marathon.

He's running a marathon.

Find a spot close to the start, plonk yourself there. Stay until he goes past (or you think he's gone), then fuck off for your pastry.

You will have time to do both with no issue...

He mightnt even see her in the crowd. Caught some of the footage on TV one year, it was extremely busy.

understood, didn't see your later edit!

I like London just fine, I don't think it's improved by standing in an over excited crowd watching a parade of sweaty exhausted runners pass by.

I clarified

that I am not the same person as the op and wouldn’t expect her to feel the same in a later post

that's making the assumption that everyone will feel as you did....

No one else is you

OP, make the plan, nothing cast in stone, if you're really feeling like it's a "must see" on the day, they nothing says you can't change your plan.

Sounds perfect to me, what's the aibu? Sounds like you're being supportive by going down there with him and hopefully you can do something relaxing together when he finishes.
I dislike marathons.

wouldn’t be my choice but you do you

It’s London (my love!)
and it has one hell of an amazing atmosphere

With the added bonus that it's endless?

Is it his first marathon? If so then I think you should be there to support him, he has no idea how he will feel at the time and the support may just get him through. Unless you are running it as a race and concentrating on running fast you notice all the supporters and they really can help you to get through it. If it was my husband I would be so proud you wouldn't be able to keep me away. Its not just the effort on the day there is so much prep to running a marathon. Its not like you need to stand near the finish for hours to wait, you can track him so you will be able to see when he is near the finish to be there and take pics etc

I agree

marathons are different

The “luggage” being for a couple of nights away for two people?