Thoughts on the Virtual London Marathon
Last Sunday, 4th October, was the 40th London Marathon. Due to the coronavirus situation, and with the exception of an élites-only event on a closed course, it was run as a virtual event.
I run a lot, and I’ve done a few marathons, but I’ve never taken part in a virtual event. I’ll admit, prior to this year, the idea never appealed to me. 99% of my runs are on my own, so what makes a virtual event - in which I would run a set distance on a route of my own choosing - any different from one of my normal morning runs? I just didn’t get it.
Now, however, I do.
The cancellations and postponements of practically every running event for most of 2020 saw a boom in virtual running challenges. When people are denied the opportunity to lace up their trainers and stand on a start line with fellow runners, they still seek that human connection and shared experience. To be able to go for a run knowing that thousands of others are doing the same thing, for the same purpose, is a powerful thing.
Yes, a virtual event is never going to have quite the same buzz as a ‘real’ event, but they can get close.
As the biggest event in the UK running calendar - and an event that transcends athletics to stand as a public cultural treasure - the virtual edition of the London Marathon highlighted this perfectly.
I wasn’t running, but cycling alongside my friend, Andy, who was running for Diabetes UK. Andy was originally due to run the 2020 London Marathon, in its conventional form, in April, but it got postponed to the autumn. Then, it was announced that it would be a virtual event.
All entrants would still get the chance to run the ‘real’ route in October 2021, but the 2020 edition would be run on a course of the runners’ choosing, using a tracker app to record their achievement.
Race numbers would be sent out in advance, with t-shirts and medals to follow after the event, but there would be no mass gathering at Blackheath and Greenwich, hundreds of thousands of spectators, and finish on the Mall. Instead, for Andy, the race would be run from Southampton to Lymington, through the New Forest, with just friends and family in support. A fairly low key affair. Not much crowd support.
Or so we thought.
We had underestimated just how significant the London Marathon is in the public psyche. The support from total strangers far exceeded our expectations, was the most wonderful surprise and was truly special to see.
Run in the New Forest on any Sunday morning and you will probably come across another runner. You might get a quick nod, smile or wave. Last Sunday, we got shouts of encouragement and support and even came across other runners who were doing the marathon. The buzz from the shared running experience was still there.
More surprising than the support of other runners, was the support of people driving cars, going about their business on a wet Sunday.
There was one point in particular, between 18 and 20 miles, when things were getting tough. That’s the distance when the effort starts to wear a marathon runner down. To make things even harder, we were heading straight into strong winds and cold rain, on a reasonably busy road in the New Forest.
We stayed on the left hand side, so I could cycle behind Andy. Ordinarily, some road users aren’t too patient with cyclists or pedestrians who are travelling slowly on ‘their’ road, but Sunday was different.
Almost every car that overtook us gave us a beep. Not the angry beep you might expect, but beeps of support were accompanied by waving, clapping, and cheering. Clearly, these strangers knew the marathon was happening and recognised that here was a person - wearing shorts and vests in freezing rain - who was digging deep and getting it done.
The London Marathon was happening - not in London, but everywhere - and people were supporting the runners wherever they were. It was very special to be a part of that.
I love the London Marathon, and I can’t wait for it to be back in London, where it belongs. But, as a one-off event to bring a bit of shared excitement to a difficult year, the 2020 Virtual London Marathon was a great help.