After months of training, Marc West shares his delight at taking part in this year’s London Marathon

I think I’ve just about fully recovered. Miraculously, I’ve no nasty chaffing in inconvenient places, still got all my toenails and escaped with only one small blister.

And, after a week of hobbling around a bit and making any excuse to put my feet up with a nice cuppa, I’m feeling back to “normal”.

Never before has my body endured such physical demand as when I ran last month’s London Marathon.

Believe me, 26.2 miles around the streets of our capital is not to be sniffed at – especially if you’re aiming to get home in under the magical mark of four hours.

Despite the sheer hard work and determination needed, a record 36,000 people competed in this year’s 35th anniversary event and in the process raised millions of pounds for charity.

So, after four months of training at least three times a week, the once-in-a-lifetime bucket-lister suddenly crept up on me and I found myself checking the weather forecast for the umpteenth time while forcing down a last supper of pasta and that all important small glass of red wine – just to settle the nerves, of course.

Sleeping was near impossible – such was the weight of expectation upon my shoulders – and a very early start on the Routemaster to Greenwich Park ensured that weird going-on-holiday feeling.

Then, after countless visits to the toilet, there I was on my own at the start line with only minutes to go and Eye of The Tiger on repeat in my head. It all became very real, very quickly – there was no going back now.

The first few miles drifted past with relative ease and I slowly acclimatized myself to this most unusual of situations.

The streets south of the river were lined on either side in a constant stream of waves, cheers and music – it all became a blur.

I was splashed with holy water by a vicar who had just finished his Sunday morning service, offered jelly babies by local children and high-fived more times than I care to remember. The sheer fun of the occasion is quite over-whelming.

So, if I was to achieve my target time – let alone finish – I needed to focus and stick firmly to the plan I’d formulated during all those early mornings slogging my way up and down the Thames towpath.

Before I knew it Tower Bridge rose up in front of me marking the halfway point and a wonderful rush of adrenaline washed over my entire body to accompany this welcome milestone.

Then, potential disaster struck. I was feeling great in myself, but my troublesome right knee made it very clear things weren’t all dandy.

The next few miles were, in all honesty, hell. I got passed by a man carrying a stepladder, a red postbox and Elvis, to rub salt in my wounds.

But, I hadn’t come this far to fall at this hurdle and wasn’t prepared to let down all the people who’d so generously sponsored me. I grit my teeth, dug deep and ploughed on.

It’s amazing what the human body can endure when the heat is on.

Passing mile 22 outside the Tower of London, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Oxford Mail:
Marc West with his medal for finishing the London Marathon

By now, the crowds were heaving and, without doubt, it’s their encouragement that got me through.

Despite my legs feeling like lead, I held my head high and soaked up the incredible atmosphere of this most uniquely British event.

The final furlong came into view and I swept around the outside of the last bend in front of Her Majesty’s pad with tears in my eyes before putting in a final spurt to cross the line hand-in-hand with one of my “new best friends” as the clock struck 3:43.31.

Words fail me to accurately describe “that feeling”, but I’m sure having just read about the incredible journey I made to this point you’ve got some idea of how utterly elated I was to be walking down The Mall dripping in sweat, aching like mad, but smiling from ear to ear with a finishers medal around my neck. So, would I do it all again…? You bet! Completing the world’s most famous long-distance race is one of the proudest achievements of my life (so far).

Fancy having a go yourself? If so, you’ve got until 5pm today to enter the public ballot for 2016 entry via virginlondonmarathon.com

Otherwise, like me, you can bid for one of thousands of places raising money for a charity close to your heart. In total, I raised more than £2,000 of vital funds for Helen & Douglas House children’s hospice in East Oxford and donations are still very much welcome at justgiving.com/teamwesty