What a pleasant surprise! I hadn’t cottoned on to the fact that our very own literary laureate, Steven Wilde was flying the flag for Lancashire Walking Club at the recent 2026 London Marathon. Indeed, according to our dear friend, Dave Ainsworth, writing in the Essex Newsletter, Steven might have been our sport’s only representative.

Steven [37180] begins his story.

THE LONDON MARATHON

The organisers of this famous event are exploring the possibility of holding a weekend event next year, presumably having a race on both Saturday and Sunday, which would double the number of participants for what has become a heavily over-subscibed affair.

This year, records were broken with 59,830 finishers, the first of whom, Kenyan Sebastian Sawe completed the course in an incredible time 30 seconds shy of 2 hours.

Numerically, approximately half of the starting places were awarded to Charity entrants who would be expected to commit to raising at least two thousand pounds for their respective causes. Other categories included ‘good for age’ runners, Championship entries, UK Athletic affiliated club entries, the elite, celebrities, special invites and international entrants.

The open ballot attracted 1.1 million hopefuls, each with a less than 2% chance of success. 

At our AGM last November, we were informed that the club had been awarded an entry, as apparently affiliated clubs with between 10-39 members are automatically balloted with 228 such clubs becoming successful. 

After expressing an interest, I subsequently registered to confirm this entry, although I later had cause to question the wisdom of my decision on numerous occasions whilst training for longish periods in cold, wet and windy conditions during a typical English winter.

However, weather conditions were much different as the 26.2 miles were tackled on the 26th of April, 2026, in warm sunshine.

Pre-race adrenaline and nervous energy were palpable, as each ‘wave’ of participants were shepherded to the starting line. I happened to be alongside a young lady who had had some work done of the Botox variety which she was happy to discuss, although when I asked about the cost, she remained tight-lipped.

It was with a sense of pride and humility that I wore the club vest on such an auspicious occasion, the famous Red Rose attracting positive comments throughout, though  my conventional apparel contrasted sharply with the eclectic array of fancy dress costumes. Among these I met twin brothers competing against each other on the day, one dressed as a chicken, the other as an egg, but of the two, I never found out which one came first.

To say the crowds were exuberant would be an understatement,  with hundreds of thousands lining the route, providing terrific support and generating tremendous noise.

Throughout the afternoon, I was encouraged by totally random strangers who shouted, among other things :-

“You’re amazing !”

“You’ve got this !”

“You’re smashing it !”

These are not expressions that an unassuming Lancashire Lad of some 72 summers would normally use, although I did enjoy listening to examples of rhyming slang, so in the closing stages of the race, when I was brown bread (1) on my plates (2), I had to grit my Hampsteads (3) to continue down the frog (4).

(1) Brown bread – dead.

(2) Plates of meat – feet.

(3) Hampstead Heath – teeth.

(4) Frog and toad – road

The famous course beginning at Blackheath winds south of the Thames through Woolwich and Greenwich before taking in the impressive Cutty Sark.

My favourite bit was after 12 miles on the approach to the breathtaking Tower Bridge, where the crowds create a ‘wall of sound’.

Those of a certain vintage will remember that the expression ‘wall of sound’ was also attributed to the output of record producer Phil Spector, although not many will have heard of his brother Dustin who had  a successful career in the cleaning industry.

North of the Thames the course takes in Canary Wharf before eventually following the river westwards to pass Big Ben and Buckingham Palace to finish on The Mall, bedecked splendidly with Union Flags.

There is no shortage of heart-warming stories among the runners and walkers who between them raise millions of pounds for good causes.

According to a local, this is the one day of the year when people in London are nice to each other, and it is somewhat life-affirming to see these aspects of the best of humanity.

The London Marathon is understandably on the ‘bucket list’ of many, for myself the 6 hours 2 minutes and 15 seconds journey was exciting and emotional, as well as physically demanding, but without doubt a quite unforgettable experience. 

CONGRATULATIONS AND RESPECT FROM ALL AT THE CLUB