This was my first London Marathon, and I was very lucky to get a ballot place after only trying once before. The marathon to me was like a great big carnival - it was just fantastic! The noise of the crowds cheering you on, the smell of barbecue

My name is Alex Milne. I am 20 years old and this was my third (consecutive) London Marathon. The previous two went horribly wrong - in the first, I was aiming for 3:10 but finished in 3:30; in the second, I wanted sub-3:00 and finished in 3

This was my first marathon and I had no idea what to expect. It was amazing.At the start I got caught in the loo queue so was in a cubicle when the klaxon went. I didn't see the numbered pens as I rushed to the start so ended up running in pen 6

of the London Marathon with a fractured leg?!I would very much love to thank all the spectators that shouted and cheered me on and also several kind runners who stopped to ask me if I was OK, whether I wanted any Ibuprofen and told me how proud my cousin would

. Having a routine worked really well as it meant I didn't have to worry about anything and could just relax. I was really stressed the night before and had convinced myself that I wasn't going to be able to run the marathon - never mind do any crocheting

On Saturday morning I found myself heading over to Excel to register for the London Marathon 2011! Eek! I have to say I was really excited and slightly apprehensive about what lay ahead. Last year I did some serious training which ended

of water with vitamin C and two paracetamol – yum!My kit was packed the night before and I was ready to leave at 7.30am. Being a VIP, Transport for London agreed to take me free of charge to Greenwich (as long as I could show my race number 41543). A short

helped.On Saturday, the family and I arrived at the Expo in time for a nice lunchtime picnic before going in and really setting the excitement ball rolling. That said, driving through London and having seen the signs warning of road closures and various