Flora London Marathon – Finish

Personally by the time I got here I was feeling strangely restored. As a latecomer things were packing up further back along the course by the time I made it. Here though everything was still in place with supporters and a nice clear road to run up. I found the energy to stagger slightly faster towards the finish and pose a little for obligatory finish line photo with Buckingham Palace in the background: very grand!
Behind the finish there’s a huge area, taking up much of The Mall, which is not open to the public. Though it was not crowded by the time I got there, it was still working like clockwork. I can’t really remember the exact order (I was a little tired at that point), but you get ushered into channels, given a medal and goody bag and sent over a little ramp (they assume, correctly, that many would rather avoid stairs at that point), pausing at the top to get your timing chip cut loose from your shoe by someone sitting below. Then there’s a great long walk to pick your bag back up from the luggage trucks. At this point you’ve probably crashed a bit and you are wondering how far they are going to make you walk
For spectators I’m afraid the finish isn’t great news. Unless you’ve got tickets to the grandstand (which are not on public sale) you are unlikely to get close to the finish line. It’s also going to take a while for your runner to make it through ‘processing’. Better to do as suggested and meet them in Horse Guards Parade, or at a charity party if they are running for one. Mobile phone reception should also not be relied upon.
And after sheer agony! After my first marathon the next day I couldn’t take a bath for fear I’d get stuck in it and have to bang on the wall to get my neighbour to call the fire brigade! I still had sore bits 6 weeks later. I’m glad to say I recovered much quicker after my second marathon, and was running (gingerly) a few days later. I now know that years of training are a good thing Getting in a cold bath when you get home is surprisingly not as bad as it seems when you are this sore! And walking down stairs backwards is a lot easier than forwards, though it does get you some funny looks.
As I couldn’t decide where on the 26.2 mile London Marathon Course I should put a flag, I decided it would be better to split it up so this is one of a series of reviews I’ve done on points along the course. For the full set search using the keyword ‘FLM’