the 800m and 1500m finals in Athens at the age of 34 – becoming the first British woman to win double Gold at an Olympic Games. Since retiring in 2005, Holmes has buried herself in a project that excites her just as much as racing – developing
that raises money for the Mr Mouse Farm for Unfortunates. Charitable work is undertaken, looking after hundreds of retired horses and wildlife habitats. Disadvantaged children and those who are slow of mind and action attend as volunteers to assist
who would be supporting me on the big day, we planned for them to be at the 9-mile, 15-mile, 18-mile and 25-mile points and worked out all the journeys and roughly when I expected to pass each point. I laid out my race kit and then retired for an early
to be a one-off, a birthday present to myself to celebrate my 50th and to shut me up. For years I'd been saying I had a marathon in me (yeah - a 16-stone retired prop forward running a marathon - as if... everyone knows props don't run....). I thought
on how running dug him out of the depths of depression after an accident forced him to retire from boxing...‘With tears rolling down my face I crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 12 minutes. The feeling of crossing the finish line was on a par with my
