London Marathon Accommodation

[ilovedplaydays]

We are flying into Luton for the London - Marathon - DH running it. I have booked Hilton Hyde Park. Now really worried in case its in the 'wrong' location for getting to start, getting back etc. or hotel is not very good..... Can't change the booking as non refundable just looking for reassurance that DH will manage the hour journey (we don't know London very well - though 2 times we have been, we have been very impressed by tubes). I think I have become a bit obsessed with trying to get the right hotel to support him - he is making such an effort with his training and is not a natural runner - now upto 14 miles this weekend and I am so impressed by him persevering.

I'm sure it's absolutely fine! I haven't booked anything yet for my marathon in Brighton, and may actually end up travelling down on the day - but nothing I'm prepared to stress about.

I'm not a natural runner either, but my DH is amazingly supportive - I got back from my 18 miles last weekend and was laughing at how long I'd been out, and he said "it's 18 miles further than I've ever run."

18 miles ... and you were able to laugh!! Fair play!!

Not sure about the location so can't comment but it's a very nice hotel.

There is extra transport to the Marathon start from stations like Clapham Junction, Victoria, Waterloo etc. Just make sure you leave absolutely plenty time to get there, in case of delays. And check the tfl website the day before to see what planned closures there might be so you can plan your journey.

It's a fabulous day, for runners and supporters. Tell your husband to get onto the Runners World website (www.runnersworld.co.uk) and sign up for the Mile 17 support group and he'll get a great big hug and some jelly babies at Mudchute :)

I'm going with dd as a spectator ( just taken up running this year) . Can't wait! No idea where on the route is best tho?

When your dh gets his starters pack when he registers (do you still have to register the day before - I had to when I did it nearly 20 years ago) it will include details of tranport arrangements to the start.

I can remember going to Vicotria and getting the train out (can't remember where to) and then there were shuttle buses to the start. It's all very well organised - but as others have said, make sure he gets there plenty of time in advance, and I mean plenty.

There are so many people converging on one point, if something goes wrong, it can casue a tremendous logjam.

I would recommend not going with him to the start but having amook at the route and working out which places you reckon you can get to - you should be able to spectate at at least 2 places. Calauclate his running pace and allow for the fact that it will probably take him at least half an hour to cross the starting line. Of course, nowadays there are mobile phones (back thne, they weren't common and/or were heavy bricks) which make it easier to keep in touch - don't know if your dh is planning on running with one (personally, it wold be a distraction for me).

You may see him and he not see you or vice versa - but don't worry about it. If you have organised it in advance, then he'll know roughly where to look out for you.

If you have a pushchair, be prepared to curse London Transport for their user-unfriendly stations - although people will probably help you. One year I was supporting a friend and her dh and I had to navigate the Underground with her toddler, still in a pushchair.

You're prbably best buying a one-day travel card, to allow to try to specate at as many points as possible and then to get back to the hotel.

Thanks so much for the info - and 'sweetest thing' and 'pretty bird' are such nice names! I am reassured about the extra transport; I feel sick about having cancelled the Holiday Inn package which included coach transfer to start. I booked the Hyde Park Hilton cos it was £119 pp for the two nights inc of dinner etc, but then they charged tax on top which made it not dissimilar to the Holiday Inn package.... I am challenging that cos it wasn't clear in promo that it exc tax...??
Anyway... have to move on from my panic... and I am very reassured about idea of extra transport. And I will tell him about the runnersworld forum; thanks 'prettybird'. Sorry if I have repeated info here about hotel etc. Dimentia setting in

Oh I mean thanks Sweetest thing for forum info.... definitely dymentia!

iloveplaydays - depending on what time your dh put down for his estimated finish time, he will be allocated a "pen" number. The faster his time, the lower the pen number, so pen 1 crosses the start line first, then 2, 3 etc etc. I have been in pen 7 and pen 9 (I am a plodder, me!) and even in pen 9, it only took me 20 minutes to cross the start line. So you should be able to work out when your dh is likely to cross the start line from his pen number, at least.

As for spectating points, the most popular (Tower Bridge, Birdcage Walk etc) get crowded really early. When I did it, my dh and dc went to Docklands and saw me at mile 15, 17 and about mile 19, I think. With the DLR, they were able to dart about quite easily, and that's more pushchair friendly. Support can be quite quiet in the Docklands compared to other points on the route, and I know I really appreciated seeing my loved ones there, when I was starting to feel a bit weary and not sure whether I'd make it to the end.

Feel free to pm me if you want me to find out more detail from DH about where exactly they went to. It was all just a haze for me!!

Oh don't worry, he'll get there easily. There's a ton of transport out to the start with extra 'marathon' trains running out of the major terminals (Victoria, Charing Cross, Waterloo). From Hyde Park it's only a 10 minute tube journey to any of those and in fact he could walk (run, ha ha) to Victoria in about 15 minutes.

Good advice to get there nice and early. The trains do get very busy, but more importantly it's a fantastic day so worth getting there to soak up the atmosphere (and queue for the toilets!)

In terms of places to watch, when I did it, DW and my friends were down at Tower Bridge - it's good because you get to see runners twice (at about 13 mile and 21 mile mark) but on the other hand it is incredibly busy and as a runner you can't really see your supporters, just a big blurry crowd. Best place to watch may be near the end and along Embankment, at about mile 24 or so. Lots more space for you and kids so DH can see you all and by that stage it is absolutely fantastic as a runner to see a friendly face. You've then only got a short walk up from there to the finish as well!

One of my friends did it last year, a fast and seasoned runner. She said that the travel there was actually one of the best bits of the day because you just knew that almost everyone on the tube or the platform was a marathon runner. The experience was apparantly fantastic.

This is not enough of a recommendation for me to enter though!

We used to watch the marathon from the north bit of Southwark Bridge. The bridge is closed to traffic so the DCs can run around while they wait for daddy. There is often a band there. You are in walking distance of Tate Modern if you want some entertainment before daddy arrives. Near Mansion House tube if you will have 40 minutes time to get from there to the finish.

Another bit of advice is for your dh to put his name on his T-shirt. It's amazing the "lift" that you get from total strangers shouting your name! :)

This was something my parents told me I should have done, after they "supported" me and had been able to help others by shouting thier names. Ii agree - as I still got a lift from people just clapping as I went past - or people shouing "Come on Unicef" (the charity I was running for)

I can highly recommend a glass of champagne at Mile 17 - the last 9.2 miles fair flew by :)

thanks so much for all your advice - I am loving it!! I am very reassured about the extra transport and the buzz on the transport - that will definitely make up for not being taken there via the hotel coach. DH is very touched by the 17 mile support; I hope he takes he joins and I think his name on his vest is a great idea!!! When should he aim to get to his start? I reckon an hour?

www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=169609&last=1&V=1&SP=

is the link to the Mile 17 support group thread, iloveplaydays.

thanks so much again! Have followed link. Brilliant (I love the sound of the pub afterwards even if DH paled at the thought of trying to find it after the run!)

By the way, I am assuming I will be at the finishing line to wave him on - is that mad of me? What happens to him once he is over and what will the time frame be for meeting up with him after he has crossed the line? And where to meet, if the line is the not place?

Unfortunately you can't really get near the finish line.

When I did it, after you've crossed the finish line there was then a walk of about 200 - 300 yards down the Mall to Horseguards during which the runners were plied with medals, goody bags, drinks, chocolate etc. This bit is all largely roped off to the general public.

At Horseguards, there were then lots of meeting places, all marked with big letters, theory being you meet your runner/ friends under the letter of the runner's surname. (Little advice, far easier to arrange to meet under a letter like 'Q' which has much fewer people under it!)

In terms of time it really depends - it can be a surprisingly slow to walk those few hundred yards because your legs get very stiff very quickly when you stop running. It probably took me about 15 - 20 mins to collect my stuff and limp along to the meeting spot. For those runners who've "hit the wall" or are running on empty by that point, some of them will just end up stumbling to the side of the road past the finish line and sitting there whilst kindly St John's ambulance people wrap them in foil blankets - it took my friend over an hour to be able to get up and walk to the meeting point after he finished!

iloveplaydays, the pub is a few minutes walk from the finish line, just off Trafalgar Square - follow the crowds! And tell your DH to sign up for mile 17 and ask for my group (my RW name is the same as on here). If he has anything special he wants to have at mile 17 ( a gel, or special drink) then he can leave it at the RW stand at the Marathon Expo and we can pick it up and have it ready for him. Once people are assigned to a support group, there's a separate thread for each group and the banter and support are great :)

hi SweetestThing. DH definitely going to sign up for mudchute. Sounds a terrific support.

What do the other runners do about showers and stuff? Our hotel doesn't have shower facilities for after and I was wondering how others runners not living in London managed? We will travel to DHs brother who lives about 40 miles away for that night so can certainly shower then, but other people in pub may notice he won't have showered!!!

When he picks up his pack there will be a spectators guide in it the size of a magazine so all the info you will need is in there. You can meet him under the letter for his name on horseguards parade - it's thousands of people so you need to know roughly what time he will finish.

ilovedplaydays: the streets, pubs and tubes are full of people in their running kit after the race so he certainly won't be alone in that! He's more likely to get looks of respect for having just run 26 miles than anything else