With everything that has been going on this past year to see London traffic come to a standstill all for this great event, well running past all the iconic landmarks like Tower Bridge and the Cutty Sark was just magical.

This was my second London Marathon and the staggered starts this year meant there was just that little more space to take it all in and appreciate it. It was also particularly exciting to catch a glimpse the elite runners ahead on a section where the routes run closely parallel at two points on a dual carriageway.

I had a 9.30am start with a 3hrs 27 minutes’ finish, bang on my 3hr 30 minutes target. My victory snack of choice is always cola and ready salted crisps.

We booked in to the Duke of Wellington on Baker street for a fabulous pub lunch afterward. I was so full and content I immediately booked my next run – the Portsmouth Coastal in December.

Anyone can run. You don’t need to think about being fit or unfit, do it for you. It’s a place to think more clearly or if you prefer simply not think and unload from the day. I had been a good runner in school but had only really run regularly during a spell living in France. When I came back a fair few years ago now I searched for a club to help me commit to doing it regularly. Running now as part of Bognor Regis’ Tone Zone Running Club I find it an incredibly social thing to do. People of all shapes and sizes and all walks of life really share on the runs and you feel so much lighter for doing it.