MEMBERS of Innovation Multisport took on and conquered the London Marathon on Sunday.

The conditions were particularly challenging. It is very difficult when you have been training in cold/mild/wet conditions for the past six months, to then run 26 miles when the thermometer is hitting the mid-sixties.

Let us see what some of the runners felt after the race.

Adrian Clark: 4.15.26: “It was full on after with trying to get my bag back, meeting my brother, meeting Darcey the getting stuff to eat then going to the performance at the Albert Hall after! 

The run didn’t feel right from the start but can’t say what didn’t feel right. I tried to set a pace I could stick to but only managed that till around 14-15miles then decided to abandon that idea and just finish! It was amazing to see the Innovation Multisport team afterwards”

Paul Vella: 4:21:54: “A life long dream to be able to take part in the London Marathon and having never gained a ballot place in the draw, was finally able to take part through being picked out of a raffle to represent my running club Innovation Multisport. 

Since the day I was picked out in the raffle the amount of encouragement and support I have received from club members has been off the scale and I would like to thank every single member who has encouraged and helped me on the way. 

The actual day didn’t quite go to plan with injury and the heat on the day, but I’m still so thankful for ticking the event off the list.”

Kelly Burgess: 4:50:59 “Wow! My second London and the second time it’s been a scorcher. It was all about the feelings, the memories and the showers! Loved the showers.

The crowds were immense all the way round some were five or six deep! So nice to see Kelly and Chris at mile nine, then my cheer squad Garry, Ellie and George at miles 11, 18 and 25.

Plus the Innovator volunteers at 19 miles! Thank you Saira for the oranges and melon.

“Well done to my fav running buddies Dawn and Nick (you will) ! I think the medal is one of my favourites! And I have a few! I bloody love running, let’s do another one next week but with less sunshine please!”

Dawn Shaw said “Well what can I say London Marathon you were amazing. Shame it was a bit too hot.

Crowd was amazing and so were the volunteers. Thank you Innovation Multisport for hugs and cheers.

Thank you Samantha Jones for being my hug at the finish line. Always good to see you. Thank you to the medics for looking after me when I finished( think it was the heat) but all is good.  

A special thank you to Kelly Burgess  and family. You are truly amazing. Thank you to my family and friends for all the support you have given me. Not my best time but such an amazing day”

Cheryl Ponton said “Wow what a special day, not only because I got to run the London Marathon but because I got to run it with my daughter Brooke.

Although we started in different colours and waves Brooke managed to wait for 15 minutes for me once she got to mile nine. The weather felt extreme but thankfully the showers helped keep us as cool as possible. 

Lots of laughs, tears and high fives along the way.  The crowds were amazing and definitely helped carry us along.  Thank you to all the innovation multisport club for training along side us, all their tips and amazing support”

Brooke Ponton said “It was incredibly hot which made it harder than expected however it was such a great experience and the amount of support we got was amazing not only from the club but also from the supporters that came up”

Terasa Holden said “It was awful but I really enjoyed the last four miles”

Becca Elsmore said “The London Marathon 2025 was an amazing experience. The atmosphere was electric! At times I did get lonely in smaller parts but I never let it get in my head.

Mile 20-26 was the worse, I really had to get my self moving forward. My legs were turning to jelly and I was physically tired.

Seeing the Mall and ‘385 metres to go’ sign made me cry! It was amazing hearing random people shout your name like I was a celebrity. I felt on top of the world.

A big thank you to my Mum, Dad, Zachie, Kev, Ollie, Dax, Faz, Ty and of course Innovation Multi-sports for all the support”

And let us hear from the Innovation Multisport volunteers

I’ve volunteered for a few years now and each year it’s an incredibly special event. From seeing the elite runners, to various soap stars and celebs, our favourite Instagramers and the tail end of the race, full of strong spirits who never give up.

We generally marshal quite late in the event so we see the pain faces and the determination of runners at that stage.

The whole atmosphere is incredible and whilst it’s a long and often tiring day, we’re so lucky to get a front row seat to this amazing, world-class event.

Sophie Salmeron said: “Volunteering at the London marathon was an incredible experience. On the day the atmosphere from the crows and the runners was incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen before from a running event.

It was an incredible opportunity to be able to support the runners from our club and also to cheer on the thousands of runners.

I would recommend marshalling the marathon to anyone even if you are not a runner. Just seeing all of those faces taking on a huge challenge and completing it, was inspiring.

Liz Coxall (last years runner) said: “I love the opportunity to volunteer at London Marathon along with the rest of Innovation Multisport.

“As a “steadier pace” runner, who took part last year, its great to see the faster runners come through and cheer them on but I also know how much the support of every volunteer means to those who take more time to cover the course, especially in Sundays heat! It’s a great day, incredibly emotional and really does showcase the best of humanity.

Richard & Jeannette Baldwin said: “We always wanted to be in London on Marathon day and through our Running club Innovation Multisport we got the chance to volunteer for marshalling the event.

It was inspirational to see all the people taking part on what turned out to be a very hot day. It was great be able to give encouragement, support and sweets to everyone taking part.