Running my first (and last) London marathon in April for the MS Society - is anyone else?
Just looking for areas to stay the night before as I believe the start line is in Blackheath. If anyone has done it before and recommends anywhere it’d be really good to hear
Thank you
KRO
Yeah, I think there will be lots of others running it too.
Good luck. I’m jealous. Hope the training goes well👍
https://therunnerbeans.com/where-to-stay-for-the-london-marathon-ultimate-hotel-guide/
Hi mate,
It’s my first one too, we are staying near Westcombe Park the night before as it’s not massively far from the start line. We booked it a while back so we also considered costs good
Good luck and Keep Right On
I did it in 2007, so a bit out of date on places to stay but I do remember it was hard getting across London on the Sunday morning so closer the better I’d say.
Good luck with everything, especially the next couple of months of putting in the miles on cold wet nights when you might not fancy it!
What they say is right though ‘The hard part isn’t getting to the finish line, it’s getting to the start line’.
Would suggest Ibis Greenwich but bet they and everything else in the vicinity is booked up for the Sat night, good luck finding something
Hotels look eye wateringly expensive. "Booking" reckons you could get a single male spot in a shared dorm room in Lewisham for sat and sunday night for £27. Depending on exact location, its an easy enough walk up (warm up) into Blackheath from Lewisham. Hostel will probs be full of runners who shouldn,t snore too much or be excessively arseholed on Saturday night. You'll surely sleep soundly anywhere on Sunday night. Very best of luck with everything. Perhaps some kind soul on this forum will offer you a spare bed? It's a great cause.
Gareth KeenanRunning my first (and last) London marathon in April for the MS Society - is anyone else?
Just looking for areas to stay the night before as I believe the start line is in Blackheath. If anyone has done it before and recommends anywhere it’d be really good to hear
Thank you
KRO
Experience tells me that it’s much more important to stay near to the finish line of races rather than the start line (if they’re point to point). It’s very easy to get across London on marathon morning and it will probably warm you up too. I’d suggest somewhere fairly easily accessible to the Mall, and leave your bag there to pick up afterwards so you’re not lugging around extra weight first thing (might sound daft but it’s really important to focus on minimising any work you don’t absolutely need to do). There are lots of hotels around Euston and King’s Cross that fit the bill (or Embankment if you think walking down to the tube will be a problem after the race).
Finally - good luck - in my view it is the best running experience in the world along with New York.
Cheers all, much appreciated!
When you say it’s easy to get across London in the morning, are there extra buses on at all or just the usual tube setup?
Hi i have done it twice bith times stayed by borough market. Nice and easy for london bridge station and train to Greenwich.
Me too. Starting my training plan next week. Never run one before. If my knees hold till the start line I’m 56 and had a knee op (meniscus tear) few years back.
Not looked at accommodation yet but will book something for the Saturday and Sunday night I think with free cancellation just in case
Running for a Children with Cancer UK if anyone interested in donating , I’ve a link
Gareth KeenanCheers all, much appreciated!
When you say it’s easy to get across London in the morning, are there extra buses on at all or just the usual tube setup?
There's a lot of trains from London Bridge/Charing Cross out to South East.
I ran it in 2018, stayed in an air B’n’B before…(I can out where it was, if you need me to!)
It will be an incredible experience…the noise as I ran across London Bridge is something I’ll never forget!
Do you have a finish time that you hope to achieve? (although a marathon is an incredible achievement in itself!)
Good luck mate! KRO
Gareth KeenanCheers all, much appreciated!
When you say it’s easy to get across London in the morning, are there extra buses on at all or just the usual tube setup?
Tubes and trains are plentiful and if you’re planning on running any slower than 3 hours then your start time will be very reasonable so you’ll have lots of time to get there.
Made in DaeguI ran it in 2018, stayed in an air B’n’B before…(I can out where it was, if you need me to!)
It will be an incredible experience…the noise as I ran across London Bridge is something I’ll never forget!
Do you have a finish time that you hope to achieve? (although a marathon is an incredible achievement in itself!)
Good luck mate! KRO
Agree with this, it’s a fantastic experience that you will always remember and be proud of.
When I did it in 2007 my only target was to run every step and not walk at all, which I achieved in 4hrs 50 minutes! Two things kept me going; 1. The sight of people a lot older than me, some with disabilities, one on crutches, running past me at times. 2. Thinking, if I walk after all this pain I’m in I’ll be gutted!
Haile Gebreselassie, the Ethiopian Olympic champion, dropped out after about 18 miles, so technically I’ve beaten him at running! 🤫