London Marathon 2025
27 April 2025 was a record day for marathon finishers in the UK with over 23k in Manchester. London set a new world record with over 56k, a few more at Blackpool, plus 203 at Tissington. It was also a warm day across the country making it a difficult day for tackling a marathon. However, runners at London were treated to plentiful water stations, sprinklers & water pistols to help keep them cool.
The organisation at London is superb, with the waves starting from Greenwich and Blackheath shortly after the elite runners have set off. Everyone probably knows the course to some extent. The first few miles are mainly downhill around Charlton with all the starting areas merging at around 3 miles at Woolwich. After 6 miles the course takes you round the iconic Cutty Sark which is a splendid sight.
After this it’s through Rotherhithe and Bermondsey where the Shard comes into view. Shortly after mile 12 a sharp right hand turn takes you to the north of the river over Tower Bridge. From there it’s onto Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs where the DLR thunders overhead and GPS drops out completely amongst the tall buildings. After that, it’s back towards Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Finally, the course takes you to Westminster, past the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, onto Buckingham Palace for the finish along the Mall.
This year Matlock was represented by 4 runners, with some solid performances in the city heat. First back was Jose Rivas Gutierrez in under 3 hours. Mig Kolanowski, who got the club’s allocated place, ran a superbly paced race, finishing with a negative split and a PB of 3:42:53. Not too far behind was Nick Harrison in 3:54 and then Dan Ashcroft sneaking under the 4 hour mark.
A mention must also be made for Antony Lester who ran the race for Ashgate Hospice and, at the time of writing, has raised almost £15k. Despite sustaining a calf injury that hampered his training, he was taped up and completed the race.
The support is tremendous all the way round and the families of the MAC members who ran also had a great day in the city.
