Pamela tells us all about the day and her experiences:
How did you feel before the race began?
At the start I was a bit panicky as I was due to be in pen 5 but friends of mine who I was running with were in pen 7 and I couldn’t find them ! There wasn’t a phone signal and no coverage so I frantically tried to find them which I did behind the row of Rhinos lol.
What were you looking forward to the most?
I was looking forward to seeing the crowds and seeing friends and family. I was worried about the toilet situation but the queues were very small.
And how did the run itself go?
My first half went really well, apart from dropping all my fuel and the fact that the Virgin London Marathan (VLM) ran out of water for over 7 miles which in the baking heat was really tough. At mile 14 I had heat exhaustion and the paramedics said “well that’s you done now!” They had under estimated how determined I was and after a 45 min treatment and diorolytes I carried on and finished in a 7.01 which was a lot slower than I intended but after seeing people on stretchers and sick at the side of the road I was pleased to have finished.
Also just after my treatment at mile 14 within 5 minutes I saw my husband with Archie and my gorgeous 4 year old told me that he was proud of me for being so brave!! Out of the mouths of babes as they say and that made me even more determined to finish.
What was it like to reach the finish line?
I was shattered and elated at the finish and very emotional and couldn’t wait to find my family. It was the hardest physical challenge I have ever encountered but the crowds were amazing. Some were buying water and sweets for us all and one family brought around 100 ice pops and I was lucky to have one and it was the best thing I have tasted in my life at that point.
All of the runners are now record breakers as we ran in the hottest VLM on record and that is a great achievement. A huge number of us are going to #finish for Matt# at the weekend who was the poor man that died on Sunday and are also donating to his charity.
How does it feel to have done the marathon and raised funds for Action for Hearing Loss?
I have raised £4010 so far and the page is open until September. I am so proud of myself and am really pleased to be able to make a difference.
Congratulations to Pamela for her remarkable achievement.
If you would like to donate to Action for Hearing Loss, Pamela’s page can be found here.
Monica Berrangé
Centre Principal
