These people shouldn’t be allowed to enter the London Marathon

[Notbeinggoadybut]

Like most runners I put my name into the ballot every year, and have never been picked not bitter at all.

The footage of the “last finishers” sets my teeth off a bit. I think if you can’t finish the marathon in say, 6.5-7 hours, you shouldn’t be taking a ballot place that could be allocated to someone who actually wants to RUN the marathon. There are plenty of walking marathons for people who prefer to walk, don’t be selfish and take a slight after place for a RUNNING race. I mean the key is even in the slogan, “We run together”.

AIBU?

Op I agree with your point re MN. You can post anything on here and everyone will take the opposite stance and relish the opportunity to pile on. It’s like an outlet for people to bully anonymously.

I am on the fence but think you have a point. It’s a marathon, it’s supposed to be completed by running. Yes I’m sure there are lots of heart wrenching stories as set out above, but the fact is if you can’t run it you shouldn’t take someone else’s place. Fair enough if you’re super slow or get injured.

I couldn't begrudge someone achieving such a feat, irrespective of how long it takes them. What a miserable outlook.

There's plenty of marathon courses, perhaps do one of those with "proper" runners?

The runner who came in last is called Tom Durnin. You will find his just giving page if you Google "Tom Durnin London marathon". So far he has raised £8,230 for Bone Cancer Research through a charity called Freddie's Future. Freddie was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in 2019 aged 6.

I am a regular mumsnetter and happen to know Freddie and his family well. He is the eldest of four and you couldn't meet a more happy, grounded family. The children are all gentle, kind, funny little boys.

Ewing sarcoma is an aggressive cancer that creates tumours in the bone and soft tissue which can spread to anywhere in the body, very quickly.

Freddie was a healthy six year old until his diagnosis. His mum writes very eloquently of their reality immediately after diagnosis on their website ...

"Our world crumbled around us as they told us the news and we stepped into this frightening new world that we would now be living and trying to understand it all. Stepping in to the ward for the first time seeing children with no hair, tubes everywhere with tall beeping stands at their side, it hits you like a train...this is really happening."

You can read more about Freddie's Future here

@Notbeinggoadybut in 2019 the major cancer research charities spent just 0.028% of their expenditure on bone cancer research. Bone cancer research receives no government funding. Last year it raised £807,824 for life saving research. That's why it's so brilliant that people like Tom Durnin can run and raise important funds, it really makes a difference for such a small charity.*

I don't think I can link to the just giving page but if anyone is moved to google his details and donate it would be hugely appreciated by the family.

I’m in a running club @tinselandjoy, there’s still no guaranteed place as I’m not good enough/confident enough to get a specific time.

That's not a fair way for your club to allocate their places!

Clubs are given places dependant on how many members they have who are ALSO paid members of UK Athletics.

Every club I know asks their UKA members if they want a place and their names go in a hat.

Totally agree 100%! OP if u wanna go running 26 miles what’s stopping you? Or is it just the pure showboating you want to do it for? As I see no other reason why you can’t just run the length of a marathon (if that’s what you REALLY wanna do??) or otherwise it’s really none of your damn business to say who can & can’t take part in a charitable event! Seriously this is one of the worst questions I’ve seen on MN in a while OP!

I don’t know why you think people who walk it haven’t trained?

I can’t speak for this marathon but I know of former patients who set their goal post life-threatening illness or injury as ‘completing a marathon’ and worked and worked and worked to be able to walk it. It represented an amazing achievement and an absolute victory over a very dark time in their lives.

I ran the London marathon some years ago (raising money for a cancer charity) and unfortunately got injured during training so had never done more than 12 miles beforehand. I managed it in just over 5 hours because I was pretty young and had decent residual fitness - but a lot of people would think that was really slow! I think the marathon is for everybody - that's its great charm. And some of those "slow" runners/ walkers will be raising a lot of money for charity.

There was a moment on the day when I overtook someone and he had a story about how his son had died really young written on his back (he was raising money for the charity working for cures for that illness). I found it so moving that I had tears in my eyes. People do it for all sorts of reasons - it really isn't about speed.

Plodding is running. Walking and stopping every 5 minutes is not.

Don't tell that to Jeff Galloway......

Omg seriously OP you’re shameful! Good for you that your have the physical ability to be able to run all these half marathons & full marathons- not everyone is as lucky as you to be able to do this! Others, who are in your opinion ’slow’ could be ill/disabled/recovering but still want to partake in such a good cause! and just fyi no matter how much ‘training’ you do there are certain disabilities that cannot be improved (trust me, I know, I have one!🤬)- so according to you those people just shouldn’t bother applying Incase you don’t get to show off infront of hundred/millions of strangers how awesome you are? REALLY????? You’re that shallow you’d put people down just because you’re not getting your own way?! WOW!

@Notbeinggoadybut have you ever watched the marathon? I'd recommend it!! It's hard not to get caught up in the feel good factor when you watch it!!

I ran yesterday. I used to run fast - quickest have ewe 1.36, I’ve had MS now for 20 years and I just can’t run that fast anymore. Last year I was having a really bad day and couldn’t really walk very well and I had an email from the ms society asking me if I wanted a place on the London marathon. I thought yes. I can’t let this thing beat me.

i was doing really well and could run 8 miles by Christmas. January all went wrong and I was poorly again but when I was able to run again I persevered. I ran in -10, I ran up a mountain on holiday , I ran in snow, ice, rain. I ran with a chest infection and then I was floored again. Had to take another 3 weeks off and was on antibiotics and steroids. I decided to defer but didn’t get round to it as I was too sick to do it. Got better and thought let’s run and see how far I can get. Managed 16 miles and thought sod it i need to do this in case next year is even worse.

yesterday was wet and I ended up with huge blisters, despite my shoes being perfect in training. I had to walk some. It wasn’t fast, I finished in just over 5 hours. You might have seen me walking. I can assure you I trained. I was lucky I didn’t have to walk more of it. If the blisters had come sooner I might have had to walk from 10 miles earlier.

Your attitude is not what London is about. I raised a lot of money (most of it actually donated by me when I panicked I’d have to defer) and I achieved something which shouldn’t be possible with my health.

Sorry for the typos

Haven’t read the whole thread but I ran the marathon yesterday and I got a ballot place after applying for the last 9 years.
I was originally due to run it last year but unfortunately had a nasty fall injurying my hip, shoulder and knee which meant I had to defer my place to this year.
once I’d recovered from my fall (which occurred at mile 15 in my training plan! and took 3 months)I got back to training properly …. My training was going really well until I suffered from shin splints and various other injuries which meant I hadn’t run for approx 6 weeks before the marathon… I was aiming for 6 hours and managed 6.15 - I was hoping for better but at mile 14 my feet were so wet from the rain that I could feel blisters starting and I changed my socks … I honestly never knew it could take so long to change from one set of wet compression socks to a dry pair whilst trying to balance on one leg as it was still raining after running 14 miles - my thighs were aching, muscles were tense and I felt like the tin man with no oil when I restarted! 22 mins it took me to change my socks! I then needed the loo… have you any idea how hard it is to get running tights down and back up when they are wet? If I hadn’t needed the loo I could probably have saved another 13 minutes … so would my time of 5.45 been more acceptable?
for an average household runner, your training will not prepare you for the marathon race. You will not believe the strength needed to get there and not stop running.
I ended up running the last 10 miles with a pacer (Martha you legend) with a group of people who (on looking) seemed at least 10-20 years younger than me and in better shape! and talking to them they had hopes that they’d have finished faster and couldn’t understand what had happened and why they were flagging.

so OP, keep trying, donate your fee to the ‘extra’ ballot and you might get a place and then when you get one, and you have to juggle work, kids (& other pressures in life), and injuries etc with your training before you do it - please come back and let us know how you got on! 😊

You are being unreasonable. My sister has entered marathons to raise funds for children with cancer. Her aim is to complete the marathon. She is thrilled with her achievement of finishing and also the fund raising.
My cousin also enters marathons and runs very competitive times. Thankfully when my sister and he talk marathons, he doesn't lessen her finish achievements.
She has as much right to enter a ballot as someone who finishes in 3.30 hrs ( like cousin or yourself ( 5 hrs).
I myself like 10kms and couldn't believe when I came over the finish line with a time of 46 mins, to hear 2 men standing nearby, talk loudly how people who can't finish in 45 mins, shouldn't be allowed enter. Thankfully they didn't hang around for long. No one should be devaluing other people entries.

Exactly - everyone is missing the point of the post

YABVU

I've ran London marathon twice, once on a charity place and once through the ballot. Maybe those that have never got a place should get priority over those that have done it before? Like others have said, there are plenty of marathons out there that you can get into easily if you wanted.

The first time I ran it, I inspired an old school friend of mine to run it the next year, she was not a natural runner at all, and put in a huge effort training but still ran it in a very slow time, I can't remember what, but she was one of stragglers. She developed a love for running, and has now ran 35 marathons and completely changed her life. Her pb is still slower than my slowest time, but she is an inspiration to me everyday.

I would love to do it one more time, and enter the ballot every year so I know now frustrating it is when that email comes to tell you you didn't get a place, but I don't think that anyone running is not deserving of their place.

Wow, this thread.

People who did nothing "deserve" a place, and some ignore that running is ability, so yes, running event is somehow ableist by definition.

There are many ways how to help a good cause, so that argument doesn't stand either.

I would say that with so many runners expressing the interest, it would make sense to have a marathon running event with shorter time limit and a shorter distance feel good event (without the competition factor).

I don't agree. You can train and still not anticipate some difficulty during the run - even expert runners experience this.
A friend ran this year, trained for months, but at the 20mile mark got hit with a runny tummy- luckily she was near a first aid tent and got some help. She then slow jogged the rest of the race, with loads of support from onlookers.
It was one of the biggest achievements of her life.

@Runninghappy @LifeIsGreatForUnicorns
You're amazing! Thank you for sharing your stories.

I agree that it’s frustrating when someone has a place and doesn’t train for it

I think everyone would have to have some experience and/or need to train to even walk 26 miles.

I'm a relatively fit person but don't walk much and I don't think it's something I could do without any training.

The race should be open to everybody.

Some people could have disabilities and they should be as able to participate as anyone else.

Plus people are often running/walking for good causes.

This 👏🏻

@mondaytosunday Yep, I did the birmingham half a couple of times in the past and one time I did ok, the second time I had 'runners trots' and had to stop at the portaloos quite often.

I took so long to finish the course that I could see the sweeping machines behind me. (not clearing up after me )

I would say that with so many runners expressing the interest, it would make sense to have a marathon running event with shorter time limit and a shorter distance feel good event (without the competition factor).

There already is a more competitive sector of the race of course, the championship https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/enter/how-to-enter/championship-entry

The rest of the runners aren't really competitive in the same way. Most of them aren't likely to beat Mo Farrah, even in the championship bit.

Why would a feel good event need to be shorter? People are choosing to enter this length of event, not a shorter one.

I agree. Most other marathons have a time limit and a sweeper mini bus which collects people who will not achieve the latest time limit. If you are swept up by the sweeper bus then you dont finish, you can choose to not get on the bus and finish but you wont get a medal etc and the road opens behind the bus. I completed a marathon in just shy of 6.5 hours having not trained and being of average fitness level. I did a mixture of walking and jogging. I would say 6.5 to 7 hours is fair. I saw the sweeper bus coming and it spurred me on.