held every year since 1924. Marathoning is fast becoming a national past-time: prime minister Mikulas Dzurinda is a regular marathon runner – he has a PB of 2:57, and even managed to find time to run the Flora London Marathon while on an official visit

and music, and fields of up to 10,000 runners. Still, there are advantages in going small, too: you’ll probably find that a low-key event is easier in terms of travel and getting to the start, for instance.Races are usually advertised in local sports centres

and finished in 2:08. She could see that her training was making a difference, and it led her on to a 4:55 at the following spring’s London Marathon. Her big breakthrough came in 2000, however.“I’ve never been able to run any faster than 10-minute miles