) --As a Runner's World supporter virgin I wasn't sure what to expect from the support teams. They were great in making us feel welcome and useful. Here Meerkat, Lady Lucan, Meldy and Legless deserve a special mention. It was interesting to meet some

for a marathon. What would I do differently? I would have changed my socks just before the start and I would have been less focussed on my time. The London Marathon is a great event but unless you are a championship runner (i.e. starting from

instead of sitting behind the fence sipping tea)But after I debriefed I found I was fascinated with the whole world of marathons, like how many people do it. How there were 35,000 runners with a single shared desire, how much of a spectacle the whole thing