CARL PARKER – MY 2018 Virgin London Marathon

Following Spartan’s 2017 Boxing Day 10K road race, the traditional raffle was held to win the Club’s spot in the London Marathon.

The lucky winner of this spot was Carl Parker. Below are Carl’s memories of the lead up to the race and the race day.

As we all know the day of the marathon was the hottest on record. I have never been great at running in the heat plus the first two months of my four month training schedule was hampered due to a back injury. All the way through training I was contemplating deferring my place to next year due to my back, but I ran 21 miles quite successfully three weeks before the race so I decided to go ahead and enjoy the day. The day itself was a fantastic experience. The crowds were amazing. My running itself wasn’t at its best due to the hot whether. I struggled from about 11 miles but managed to complete the marathon about an hour slower than my normal time. I also manged to raise £300 for CP sports which is a charity for people with Cerebral Palsy to give them the opportunity to take part in sport.

Thank you Spartans once again.

On behalf of Spartan’s we congratulate Carl on his excellent achievement and obvious determination.

Well done.