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Blog: “Running the London Marathon is a brilliant experience”

The Virgin Money London Marathon 2018 takes place tomorrow (Sunday 22 April), and this year the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) will have 27 runners taking on the 26 mile and 385 yard course. Veteran runner for EFDS, John Somerville, is one of the 27 runners taking part in tomorrow’s marathon. This will be his fifth London Marathon for EFDS, he tells us how much he is looking forward to the crowds cheering him and all the other runners on.

John running the Worcester City half marathon.

I have been running for many years now but around seven years for longer distance running. This will be my fifth London Marathon for EFDS. I’ve also ran the Big Half Marathon and Great North Run for the charity too.

My continued support for EFDS came from Nationwide, the company I work for, previously supporting the charity in a big way. I was lucky enough to see some of the great work this partnership has provided for disability sport. This motivated me to do more for people who need support to become more active and to champion sport for disabled people in the UK.

I love running the London Marathon, I feel a massive sense of achievement every time. Crossing the finish line on the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace is always one of the most incredible experiences for me.

I’m really looking forward to all the sights, sounds, crowds and the amazing atmosphere. It never ceases to astonish me on what a brilliant experience running the London Marathon is. I definitely think London is the best marathon in the world.

I also love seeing the way volunteers go out of their way to support all the runners. The whole of the running community comes together in such a spectacular way – it’s amazing to see.

My training has been quite tough this year, mainly because of the weather being difficult. I’ve had to really motivate myself to get out for a training run when it’s been minus five degrees and snowing!

However, training for this marathon has kept me fit and healthy and at times, I believe I helped to motivate others to get into running and to take on an event they have always wanted to try.

My training has consisted of mostly running by myself. I have had the added bonus of my friends and colleagues on Whatsapp, who have all been a major support mechanism for me.

There will be five of us from Nationwide running on Sunday; they are Martin Doyle, Adam Betteridge, Wojciech Pankow, Emily Lockett and myself. It will be an honour to run with these guys and I’m looking forward to every minute of it.

I have set myself a goal to hit 3 hours and 20 minutes this year, but in my experience London is always difficult because of the number of runners. As always, I’ll have the support of my partner, Kim - I could not do any of this without her.

You can donate to John’s JustGiving page via this link: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-somerville10

The London Marathon will be shown on BBC 1 on Sunday 22 April from 8:30am. Follow the event on social media via the hashtags #LondonMarathon and #SpiritOfLondon.

We would like to wish all 27 runners the best for the London Marathon and thank you for raising funds for EFDS. Share your messages of support on Twitter, tag @Eng_Dis_Sport in your tweets.  

If you’re looking to be more active but aren't sure how to start, visit our dedicated webpages for advice.