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Have you always wanted to run the London Marathon? Last week Kinetik’s Marketing Coordinator Molly took on one of running biggest challenges, this is her runner’s story. We hope it inspires you…
Now that the incredible build-up is over and the crowd’s roars have faded away, I can finally reflect on what a mammoth experience it was to run the London Marathon!
Before I faced the Marathon itself my colleagues and I were lucky enough to take Kinetik Wellbeing to the London Marathon Expo.
Every single runner attends the Expo in the 4 days before the marathon to collect their race number. We were proud to support our partners St John Ambulance at the event and we enjoyed meeting their excitable 
runners before the race. It was a great to highlight the fantastic work of St John Ambulance and our joint aim to deliver health in the home. We measured the blood pressure of hundreds of runners and their families with the Kinetik Advanced Blood Pressure Monitor X2 Comfort which was a great way to demonstrate the importance of monitoring and managing your blood pressure.
As the buzz of the Expo ended on Saturday, the big day rolled around. I have never seen such a vast colourful bunch of people as I did at the Red Start in Greenwich and with the sun shining and so many people running for causes so close to their hearts, the atmosphere was incomparable to anything I have ever been part of.
Any seasoned runner will tell you that you can’t aim for your best time in London, you spend a lot of time and energy working around the thousands of runners running with you. My most disheartening moment came at mile 18 when we looked at our fitness trackers and realised we had actually run 19 miles through all the extra weaving we had done. It’s safe to say that London is probably the most crowded run you could ever do but the experience is totally worth it and you won’t run more than 50 metres without someone screaming your name. (Top Tip: Ironing your name to your vest is an absolute must!)
Matters were made even harder by the fact that we had all trained through the longest winter, only to be hit with the hottest London Marathon ever recorded! I definitely paid every single Buxton water stand a visit. It was amazing to see so many St John Ambulance volunteers lining the route. They were fantastic, and with so many exhausted runners they really had a job on their hands – which they carried out so thoroughly.
We really are very proud to work alongside them at Kinetik!
I will always remember the kindness of everyone who helped out in London on that Sunday, from the constant encouraging screams of the supporters to the ladies who held me up me at the finish line when my legs no longer functioned.
I wore my Kinetik Bluetooth Activity Tracker for the whole day which meant I could track my own time against the mile markers. By 7pm I had covered over 54 km and taken almost 56,000 steps – as well as burning a massive 3,750 calories. The stats of running a marathon are truly astonishing and it is a wonder that my body endured the challenge.
It also turns out that it is true when they say marathons are addictive. During the agony and exhaustion of the run itself I definitely never wanted to put myself through it again! But once I had calmed down, recovered and reflected on the achievement I was Googling where I could take on my next 26.2 mile challenge.
Even more important than the physical challenge I endured is the fact that over £2,500 has been raised for mental health because of it. I must say I am pleased to have a break now from the marathon chatter of, ‘How has training gone?’ ‘What time are you aiming for?’. Now it’s time for a well-deserved rest!
Read more about my cause at www.virginmoneygiving.com/MollyWatters
Kinetik Wellbeing’s range of devices allow you to measure, monitor and manage your health in the comfort of your own home. This applies to a range of fitness and wellbeing devices which can be found here
@KinetikWB
@stjohnambulance
Header image: © babaroga – stock.adobe.com