03/05/2026
🟢⚪️MARATHON DEBUT FOR BOBBY - WHAT A RACE!⚪️🟢
Every marathon has a story....here is Bobby's, told from the heart!
"For most runners, the London Marathon is a bucket‑list dream. For me, it became something deeper; a chance to honour the people who shaped me, and to prove to myself that I one day, I can belong on one of the biggest stages in the world.
I earned my Championship place last October after running 1:07:58 at the Manchester Half. It felt like the door to London, my marathon debut, had finally opened. I wanted my first marathon to be one of the best in the world, and I wanted to stand on that start line knowing I’d earned it.
But the journey didn’t go smoothly. In January, just as training should have been ramping up, a small calf tear sent me right back to basics. Six weeks of rebuilding. Six weeks of doubt. Six weeks watching the clock tick down toward race day. With only 9–10 weeks of real training left, the dream felt fragile.
And yet, somehow, the training block that followed became the best I’ve ever had. I averaged 90 miles a week, peaked at 103, and built a level of strength I didn’t know I had. No fancy sessions. No magic workouts. Just volume, discipline, and stubborn belief.
I raced twice in the build-up. First, the Bath Half, the British Championships, where a fuelling mistake derailed what should have been a breakthrough run. I went through 10k on sub‑67 pace, but my stomach had other ideas. Turns out making your own gels isn’t quite the masterstroke I thought it was. That race humbled me. It reminded me that the marathon doesn’t care about your plans.
Two weeks before London, I lined up for the York 5K to wake the legs up. I hadn’t run anything fast since representing Wakefield at the Armagh 5K in February, but I managed 15:00, the perfect confidence boost. A reminder that the engine and strength was there.
Then came the big day.
People don’t talk enough about the fear. The quiet moments before the start when your mind spirals and your stomach churns. I was a nervous wreck that morning. But I wore the vest of my coach, Keith Angus, as a tribute for my first rodeo, a way of carrying him with me, and that grounded me. When I stepped into the Championship pen and saw familiar faces, something clicked. This is what I do.
The gun went, and I settled into pace. I was on track for around 2:25, my A goal, until the same stitch from Bath returned at mile six, right after taking water. How can something as simple as water cause so much chaos? It was infuriating. But instead of panicking, I leaned into the crowd. London doesn’t let you run alone. The noise carries you.
I hit halfway in 1:13:03, perfect for a negative split, though no one warns you how brutally hard that actually is in a marathon.
By mile 15, I finally found the courage to try fuelling again. The gel went down, the nerves eased, and the roar along the Thames grew into something almost physical, a wall of sound pushing you forward.
I stopped caring about the clock. I just ran. I soaked it in. I fought for every place in the final mile, determined to finish strong, and crossed the line in 2:28:46 for 153rd place.
Records mean a lot to me, becoming the sixth‑fastest Wakefield Harrier over the marathon, and the fastest since 1981. A 43‑year gap bridged in one race.
After I finished, I took a quiet moment to myself. No cameras. No crowds. Just me, the medal, and the realisation that this was only the beginning. London didn’t break me, it lit something in me.
I’ll be back next year. Stronger. Smarter. And ready to chase something even greater.
What's next for me?
The marathon may be done, but the journey is nowhere near over.
This summer, I’m turning my attention to the track, sharpening up, racing for Wakefield Harriers, and embracing the shorter distances that will make me a more complete athlete.
My first big target is to qualify for the World Athletics Antrim Coast 5K in late August. To get there, I need to run under 14:45, a standard that scares me just enough to excite me. If I can hit that, it’ll set me up perfectly for my first serious attempt at breaking 30 minutes for 10K at the Leeds Abbey Dash in November.
And somewhere in between the big races, you might just spot me at the “world‑renowned” Newmillerdam Quacky Trail Race, where I’ll be attempting to defend my course record on its 10th anniversary. Because no matter how far I run, Wakefield will always be home"
Congratulations Bobby, from all at the club!
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