Spartans in the Spotlight: Club ballot winners tackle the iconic London Marathon

Thanks to the club being affiliated with England Athletics, we typically receive a highly sought after London Marathon place each year. The club then organizes a draw to allocate this place to a club member, usually at the Boxing Day Fancy Dress 10km. Jilesh (2024) and John (2025) were the lucky winners. 

It is not guaranteed that the club receives this place. It depends on the number of club members who have signed up for individual England Athletics affiliation. If you want to make it more likely that the club receives a place then sign up for EA affiliation! You need to have an EA affiliation in order to take up the club’s place.

This year the criteria to enter the club ballot will be: 

1. You must have run in at least 5 club races in the preceding 12 months.
2. You must have volunteered or have provided a volunteer at least twice (including for the half marathon in September) in the preceding 12 months.

Read about how Jilesh Chohan got on:

I was very lucky to be awarded the 2024 JSAC place for the London Marathon. Unfortunately, I sustained an injury during the training block had had to defer my place by a year. So we set off from Jersey, a year later than planned, in April 2025. I was not fully fit but determined to take my place on the start line this time.

We flew into London Heathrow then used the Elizabeth Line to get into Central London. We were fortunate to be staying very close to the finish area, so we dropped off our luggage at our hotel and headed straight to the London Marathon Running Show (ie the expo) at ExCeL London.

The expo was, as you would expect, very large and busy but by going on Thursday we were able to avoid the worst of the rush. After picking up my bib, buying some obligatory London Marathon merch and other random stuff you never realized you needed, we headed back to the hotel.

I had opted to join Team Green which meant I had chosen not to have a drop bag on marathon day but you were able to leave a small bag at the finish area on the Saturday which due to our hotel location being only a 10 minute walk away was very easy for me. Team Green had their own start area and as the Team Green numbers were capped, there were extra toilets available at the start area (very important) and hot drinks were also on offer. Friday and Saturday involved a shake out run, carb loading and meeting up with family and friends all whilst trying to keep time on feet to a minimum. I would very much recommend joining Team Green combined with staying close to the finish area.

Race day involved an early wake up but not ridiculously so. The hotel was now full of runners from all over the world. Unsurprisingly breakfast at the hotel was busy (a theme of the morning). I had a quiet walk to Charing Cross station where the chaos was to begin. I managed to get on the train advised for my start time but as we progressed through London it became completely overcrowded until we reached Blackheath and everyone piled out into the morning sunshine. It was a good 15 minute walk to the Green start area.

I met fellow Jersey Spartan John MacPherson which was a miracle given the number of people in the holding area. A few trips to the toilets ensued. After trying to relax and keep cool with John we watched on as the marathon started for the wheelchair and elite athletes. It was soon time for John to get into his start wave and I soon followed. The start procedure was very efficient and quite quickly the start line came into view, by 9.55am I was across it, my London Marathon had started.

Due to battling an injury during my training, I had decided not to race the marathon which did not mean I wasn’t going to give it my all but that my pacing would be conservative. This allowed me to enjoy most of the marathon. Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and The Embankment had crowds multiple people deep but the whole course was very well supported. The noise was constant, just varying in volume from place to place. I loved it. It did get warm and the last couple of miles were a slog but having complete strangers shout your name (having your name printed on your top is a must) and constantly encouraging you was like nothing else I’d ever experienced.

After over 220 minutes of running, it was all over. I’d run the London Marathon and had the medal to prove it. Memories which will last a lifetime.

There is a real party atmosphere as you leave the finish area and enter Trafalgar Square. This is where most of the finishers meet their family and friends, so the pubs and bars are full of people wearing their medals and hobbling around telling their marathon stories mostly with huge grins on their faces. I met my friends and family afterwards and we had a great afternoon sharing our experiences of the London Marathon over a few well-deserved drinks.

I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

What did John MacPherson have to say about his London Marathon experience?

My London experience started with a rejection. As I always seem to do now, I applied to the public ballot for a London Marathon place, and as usual did not get in. I then put my name into the hat for the Spartans ballot on Boxing Day and once more, didn’t get picked. So I put the marathon to the back of my mind. I decided against doing a different marathon this spring, which I was comfortable with, as I would be away a lot in January and February and not be able to train. 

I was away most of January and remember going to a JSAC Tuesday Runners training session on a cold, damp, dark, Tuesday night. I think it was the first week of February and I was completely surprised to hear that there was to be a re-draw from the hat. I could not believe it when my name was pulled out! It was the best surprise ever!

My training was rather behind to start with and I was about to go away for another two weeks to the Caribbean, which was less than ideal, because of the heat. I much prefer running in cooler conditions. Little did I know what was coming my way on marathon day!

Anyway, when back in Jersey I managed to get back into training, just in time, and managed several long runs, with a cheeky PB in the Hospice to Hospice Half marathon, breaking my psychological barrier of 1hour 30min. Training continued to go well and I racked up 5km and 10km PBs. Following which many of the Tuesday runners nicknamed me “PB John”. I just had to get ‘PB John” printed on my Spartan running vest (to keep me motivated/honest on marathon day!). A shout out to Richard English and the lovely people at Beresford Kitchen who did a great job customizing my Spartans vest.

On the Saturday before the race, I flew over and had the pleasure of the company of fellow spartan Phil Ahier and his wife, Jo, and son, Peter. We met another Jersey runner, Roger, who was also doing the marathon. We recognised him as a fellow regular at Parkrun. We all travelled to the ExCeL Centre together to collect our numbers. That is where things really got interesting… there were so many people, so much merch and positive energy!

With very little sleep, I made my way to Green start on Blackheath. I have never been on such a full train in my life. I chose to “go green” and not have a bag to drop off. I found the Green start so much better than my two previous experiences of the Red start. There were fewer people and it was so close to the actual start. I could hear and see all the professionals start. I had the pleasure of hanging out with fellow Spartan Jilesh Chohan, we were able to relax in the sun while waiting for our start time. 

The Green start had free tea/coffee, energy snacks and just a great vibe so I would recommend it to anyone. I was in wave 0.4. I was initially very confused about how this would work, but it worked really well. Each 0.1 was merged by way of a filter lane with the Blue start. 

Originally coming from Inverness, I see myself as a “Channel Highlander”, so it was nice to start beside someone from Highland Harriers from way up in Wick in the Highlands. We had a good nervous natter as we crossed the start. 

From the outset it felt hot. But the atmosphere was just incredible and hard to describe. The crowds were consistently amazing for the full 26miles. My PB John vest turned out to be a genius move. I got so many shout outs, including at least two on tannoys. Running round the Cutty Sark, over Tower Bridge, along the Embankment and round the last corner in front of Buckingham Palace will be a very special memory that will stay with me for a long time.

I was hoping (maybe rather optimistically) for a time of 3.20 ish, but finished in 3.24. However, I have solace in good old Strava that gave me a marathon PB of 3.21. Regardless. it was another PB by about 2 minutes. My Spartans vest did me proud and I was able to live up to the name. 

The marathon just keeps on giving, just this week I got a Guiness World Record Certificate in the post. Not because I did anything special individually, but because collectively we did something awesome. I finished alongside another 56,639 people, the largest number of marathon finishers ever!

I was so proud to run wearing my Jersey Spartan vest and so grateful to Jersey Spartans for giving me another incredible experience. It really was amazing and I consider myself very fortunate. Thank you so much!! I don’t grudge a penny of my subs 😉

If you’d like to find out more about the club draw for the 2026 place, please email [email protected].

If you’re feeling inspired and looking for a challenge, why not sign up for the MNDA Jersey Half Marathon in association with JSAC on Sunday 7th September 2025 (FREE ENTRY for JSAC members!): https://race-nation.co.uk/register/jersey-spartan-athletic-club/mnd-association-half-marathon-2025-in-association-with-jsac