Latest / The Folkestone & Hythe Sports Podcast / LONDON MARATHON SPECIAL WITH ELLIS,HENRY,LOUISA AND AUTUMN.

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LONDON MARATHON SPECIAL WITH ELLIS,HENRY,LOUISA AND AUTUMN. · The Folkestone & Hythe Sports Podcast

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Cast every local sport across the district. This is Kevin Sports for Daily here
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on a one oh five point nine Bring You the Folkstone and Hive Sports show.
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Recognize this music well, it's actually called the Trap from a nineteen sixty
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sixth film of the same name, composed by Ron Goodwin, but it's much
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more widely known as the London Marathon theme. You can hear it on Sunday
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when you tune in your TV to watch the London Marathon. But today I'm
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joined by four athletes who won't be watching the London Marathon on Sunday. Why
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is that, you ask, why? Because they'll be running it. I'll
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be chained to Ellis Sturt, Henry Cornbill, Louisa d and Autumn Richardson,
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who will all be on the start line at Blackheath on Sunday. I tracked
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down these four runners because they have never run a marathon before, their first
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marathon is the London Marathon, and they're all raising money for their chosen charity.
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So settle down for the next two hours, get a brew, go
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in, get the biskies out, and the carbs. Of course, you
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need car bloading today. As we listen to the stories of Ellis, Henry,
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Louisa and Alton, all from our Folkston and Hive region. They'll be
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telling us their story as they take on the challenge of the London Marathon.
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So we're going to get this show going now with a bit of local music.
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Nine Academy FM folks proud to play music made right here in Kent,
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every hour, every day. Local music there from Radnor Park. I still
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care now if you've just turned in, just tuned in that this is Kevin
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Sports very daily on one five point nine Academy bring you a London Marathon special
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Today. I'm joined by four athletes have all got one thing in common.
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They've never run a marathon before, their first marathon is on Sunday in London,
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and they're all raising money for their chosen charity. So we start the
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show with a welcome to Louisa Aid. Hello, Luisa, how are you
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good? Thank you good, excellent Coome to the show now, Luisa.
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You have tried to enter the London more than once, haven't you? Eighteen
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times? I tried to enter the London Marathon, probably about five or six
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when I was eighteen onwards, and then a bit of a gap when I
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had children, et cetera, and then the other twelve times since that point,
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so eighteen unsuccessful attempts to get in a ballot. Unsuccessful attempts. And
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what have you done this year? Were you successful in the ballot? No,
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it wasn't successful in the ballot, But it was as if Facebook heard
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me, and lots of charities were advertising their places on Facebook. So I
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simply sent one to a charity called Kids, which provides opportunities for children who
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may not have good opportunities in life, doing respite for parents as well and
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for young careers. And because I work in physical education with children and taught
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many children lots of disabilities. Something my heart say, something's really close to
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your heart. Yeah, okay, Well tell us a little bit about yourself.
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You're running background, how you got into running? Obviously you had a
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gap when you had children, but to go back before them, was you
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a keen runner at school? At school, I was a good runner and
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I was picked up by a club when I was fourteen run for City of
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Hull till I went to university. And I went to university and there wasn't
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a local club near me, and enjoyed university. Maybe a little bit too
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much. Oh yeah, So I didn't do any running from that point until
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twenty seventeen after the gap. Where did you end up? Was you living
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down this way or was? Yes? So I got married and had my
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children and was living in I live in Hawking and a friend suggested Parkrun to
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me. At one point I didn't want to get up at nine o'clock on
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Saturday morning, as I was getting up every morning early. Eventually I did
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a few races for life and did quite well in them and thought I've maybe
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still got this, and then started doing park Run and that was where eventually
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someone from the club said, why don't you join the club? Okay?
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So which club was? That? Was? For some running club? Right?
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Okay? And I mean has that been to your advantage you think looking
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back now that yeah, definitely, I'm in coaching has been great, like
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different things as well. For me, I did just just went out and
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ran on the roads or found, you know, somewhere to go, whereas
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now I've been introduced a trail running through the club. I've also doing the
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speed and with the track now is fantastic. Yeah, edition of the track,
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Yes, that's going to attract a few more people. To focus in
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running club as well, isn't it Yeah? Definitely yeah, right, so
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there's a lot more structure in your running there rather than just getting up and
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thinking, oh fancy your running off or go Definitely is the marathon? Yeah,
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until that, even before you know, I'd go to the club once
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a week and I'd just then randomly run. I'd always do Park run.
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But obviously I have followed a plan just when I got off the internet.
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Nothing special. Basically somebody ran well on this plan last year, so I
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thought, oh well I'll give it a shot. Yeah. I think being
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a teacher's really helped me because literally I have followed that plan to an absolute
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tea. Right, otherwise you get kept in after school. Yeah yeah.
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And it's been hard. The weather's been hard, yeah, the features as
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hard as in I could have done fifteen thousand steps at school and then got
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to go and do seven or eight miles on the night in the rain and
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in the dark and the wind and the cold. Yeah, but I've done
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it. You've got a point there actually, because I've got a friend who's
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a postman that run the London Marathon and they like walk about ten miles a
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day and then they've got to go out and do the training. Yeah.
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Yeah, so it's it's really tough and it's been as you say, it's
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been an awful running, hasn't it. The weather's been terrible and so a
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fair play to you. So I mean, when you've got that entry into
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the to the marathon for the first time after trying for all those years,
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what did you think? Oh, no, I've got to go and do
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it now. Yeah. And at first I actually didn't believe it. My
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husband thought it was a scam because you have to pierce that obviously the money
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who enter to the charity. And I actually sat on it for about a
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week before I actually even answered them to say yes, because I did have
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a bit of her like can I actually do this? Get a training,
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get a bit of self doubt there? Yeah, after all that, yeah,
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and then emailed them back and said, oh, absolutely, have you
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still got the place? And they were yet, yes, of course we
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have, right, So brilliant. Okay, Well, we've got loads to
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talk about, and I want to talk about the charity and your feelings about
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it. We talk about that shortly, but the actual logistics of getting up
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to London, how are you going to do that on Sunday. I'm going
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on the coach with the club. It's a very early morning start, but
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yeah, I'm going. I'm going to circle up the atmosphere right from the
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very beginning. Yeah, excellent, right, And I understand that you're being
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a good company because there's a lot of runners going up on the coach,
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isn't there? Yeah, lots there's I think there's nearly twenty eight runners going
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up from on the actual coach. Now, lots of support as well.
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There's a lot of support out there. Good. So can you believe that
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this you know this is going to come come next? You know that you're
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actually going to be there on the start line. But I mean, can
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you believe that you've got this far? How's the nerves? They jangle in
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a bit, yeah, up and down. Sometimes I'm nervous, sometimes I'm
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excited. Yeah I'm okay. I think I'm okay. I've done everything I
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can. Yeah, I don't know. You just got to get around,
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just go out and run it. Yeah. Okay, Now we've got a
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little song lined up. Let me just check. Yes, we have.
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We've got a little song lined up, So tell us you've chosen this song?
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So tell us any any historical background about this. We'll take that were
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my absolute band when I was at university more than anything, and still to
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this day I love Take That, Okay, So why not? So just
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have a little listen to take That and never forget. Okay, did you
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spot that schoolboy era? Everyone in the studio did I hit the wrong button?
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And I own up to that because I've got the songs the wrong way
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round. We're supposed to play that after the interview, but we will play
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Take That after the interview instead, So never mind. This is what happens
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on live radio, isn't it. Okay, Louis, And now back to
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you, So just tell us a little bit about why you chose this charity.
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You did say a little bit, but let's say. Yeah, obviously,
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I've been teaching you for twenty six years now, and I've taught children,
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you know, of really high ability. You've gone on to be successful
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athletes, teachers in sport, coaches, et cetera. Two children who have
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been in wheelchairs that have come along and you know, given their absolute shot
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and actually one of those went off and did wheelchair basketball and played for Kent.
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So a real wide and range every single hour of every well, every
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single minute of every single day is different. And walking into obviously PA,
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you get those who absolutely hte pea. You get those who absolutely love pea
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and it is inspiring them so and I feel like every child should have the
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opportunity. Isn't just sport that these children they offer them. They offer them
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sort of respite and all sorts of different things. Every child and you know,
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should have every opportunity in life to do. I think things are so
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much better now though, aren't they. There are more opportunities for if you
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like disadvanced children Beck in the day, I mean, if it was it
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was tough, if you had a problem then I don't know, you preps,
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thoughts, order or whatever. But now things are much more out in
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the open, aren't they. Yeah, definitely, And I think there are
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lots of charities out there who do lots of things for children. As you
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say, it is sometimes just deprivation, and you know, there is an
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offer of you know, creating parks for them and planting you know, even
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like seeds and things like that that children necessarily don't. Okay, So right
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now you've as a charity entry, you've had to raise a few, bob,
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which is what people have to do. How have you been raising your
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money? So I did a bingo night at school, which was great fun.
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Lots of people came, all different things. And with that I did
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raffles and our local you know, some of the local businesses. Land Down
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for example, gave twenty five pound vouchures. The Sports Trust gave me paddleboard
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vouchures. So that raised a fair bit of money. And then I've had
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so many friends and family who have been fantastically generous, and I've made my
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target and I've gone over my target. It's fantastic. There's good people do
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come out of the woodwork, aren't they? Even if, like you say,
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you was a little bit short, But all of a sudden there are
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lots of little donations. Wasn't on it? I think it's Friday night.
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I put out onto a facetbook. I'm just a couple of hundred short.
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By the end of yesterday I was over three hundred more than I had had.
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Great, Yeah, tipped over my absolute. I must ask you this,
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are you a good bingo cooler? Was it you that did? No?
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My husband was better. Yeah I shouldn't really say that, but he
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was better than me. Okay, so we spoke about the charity, but
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will there be cheer stations for your charity along the long way? Kids are
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mile eleven and twenty four, so they've got their own chair station there for
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us. Yeah, eleven and twenty four. So the old cheers go up
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when you get the old t shirt on and you run by it. Yeah
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yeah, Well I will say this and I will be saying this to all
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the people that come in today. At the Cutty Sark. Right when you're
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running towards the Cutty Sark, get in the right hand lane, right over
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to the right hand lane, because they come round you will straighten up.
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You'll have the Cutty Sark on your left and the crowd will be on your
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right and you can touch them almost. So that's where the folks and running
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club will be. And that's where I mean when you come around there,
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I've done the London. I've been on both sides of the fence. You
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will float around there because the atmosphere is so high. But then when we
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go under the tunnel under the Greenwich Tunnel will come up about seventeen miles and
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it's totally different. By that time, the tide that's a sitting and you
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really need that little that you really need it. So I'll be saying this
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to all all the others today now. So we spoke about how you're getting
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up there. Has your training been going, Have you had any any injuries
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or anything like that? No, touch wood, I've been really lucky.
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I've had no injuries. I did have the awful cough that everybody had back
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in February, but I just I did just train through it. Yeah,
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I seem to have been really lucky, as I said, it, seemed
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to have managed to get all my training done. Some times, the weather's
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been more of a been awful, isn't it. But there was one Sunday
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morning which was not too bad where I do believe you did a very long
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run that lived I did. That's the furthest you'd ever run. That's furthest
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I've ever run. Yeah, And what happened when you finished in? I
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cried you did? I saw it. I saw you come across the line
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and I give you a big cheer up. And next thing I look over
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there and you've crawling. That's right. But I think that's that's what's going
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to happen, isn't it. It's so emotional and goodness, what you're going
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to be like at the end of twenty six Well, I think I think
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I'll be an emotional rack. Yeah, I was just saying a lot of
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even in my training runs, often I'll run along and get all emotional.
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Imagine him finishing like crazy, you know, thinking of all the it's all
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the hard work, everything, all the immersions and coming to an end.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. We won't talk about after the marathon
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because that's sometimes it's a bit of an anti climax and whilst you're running through
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you get to about twenty two miles fit, I'm never doing this again,
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you know. But when it's over, you do change your mind. Will
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you try Well it's a bit of a tough question, but do you think
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you'll try again for another one? I'll put him for the ballot again.
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Yeah, yeah, you've probably get it this time. Yeah yeah, Okay,
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annoys, thank you so much for coming on. But before we go,
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we've got a few thank yous and hellos and that to say so over
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to you, right, my big thank you is to my family, to
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my husband Steph. He well he originally started training with me but hurt his
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knee, so he's not trained with me since then, but he's been absolute
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support to me, my daughter and my son who probably just bored of mum
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talking about running, or when we've been on holiday, off mongers in the
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morning, off on her run. So and all my close family as well,
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my brother and my aunties and who have all contributed, folks and running
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club and my key sort of training partners Vicki and Ron and Nikki Goodwin who
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have met me up hills to drag me along sixteen miles or fourteen miles,
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which has been fantastic. So I do on the long runs like a bit
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of company. Yeah school, thanks to school, Yeah, well one,
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let me have a binger, let me come out, letting me you know,
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go and get my number and you know, supporting me all the way.
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And again money has come, you know a lot of the donations have
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come from my school colleagues as well. And all my school colleagues, I'm
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really have bored them, really probably bored them up the Barrithona. You're a
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running ball now, are you? Absolutely? Yeah. It just leaves me
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to say so much. I enjoyed the day so much and everybody here wishes
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you the best of luck after trying so many times. So we'll see you
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on the coach on Sunday, Thank you very much. Okay, Now I'm
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going to play a song called take That, Never Forget, and hopefully i'll
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hit the right button. And this is for Louisa and all her friends and
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family. Take that six minutes of take That so you'll never forget. And
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that's the one that I forgot to hit the right button. But we're back
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in the studio now and we've got some more marathon runners today. We'en joined
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by Elie Stutt and Henry Cornbill. So Ellis just comes to you. Hello,
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Ellis, how are you good? Thank you good? And Henry are
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you feeling all right? Yeah? Not bad? You're up for this?
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Yeah? Good? Okay, so Ellis. Now then let's start with you.
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You will be on the start line on Sunday morning. And are you
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looking forward to it or are you dreading it? I'm so excited? Oh
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I can't wait? Yeah okay. And has it been that way all the
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way through or you've had times when you thought, do you know what?
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I've had enough of this? Do you know what? I was dreading it
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until yesterday when we went to go and pick our numbers up, and now
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it finally feels real and I finally felt excited about being there and doing it
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and finish it. Yeah, that's that's quite a experience in itself, just
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going up there and sensing the atmosphere picking your number up, isn't it.
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It's amazing. Everybody is excited. Yeah yeah, and they all they're all
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sort of rearing to go, aren't they. Okay, so let's take take
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take ourselves back first of all, to I mean, was you sporty at
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school? Did you like running or did you hate it? And you just
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kind of jelled into it. I've never been a runner at school as a
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swimmer and I played water paylos. This is far from what I was doing
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when I was younger. But yeah, yeah, okay, So how did
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you get into running then? So I actually signed up to the marathon when
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I was offering soft tissue and sports massage at the end last year. Ah
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the way I said to my friends, I'm going to sign up. All
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right, So you were up there last year working, were you? I
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was? Then? So I do it with UNI, but we offer massages
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at the end to various charities. Yeah, yeah, okay, excellent.
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So Henry coming over to you. So what's your sporty background. I've basically
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been forced to play football by my brother. I was made to stand in
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the garden and getting the way of football's and been a goalkeeper ever since.
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Oh okay, so yeah I've not been done. So you didn't You didn't
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do much running around the penalty area then? No? Okay, So for
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for a goalkeeper to run a marathon, that is something unheard of. It's
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the first time I've heard of it. Golgiebers don't normally not running at all.
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So when did the change happen? Then it was it was Ellis signing
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up. I was I saw Elis doing it, and I thought, yeah,
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that's that's a that's a bit of me. I'd love to do that.
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Yeah, let's just a lady. But you can do you? Actually?
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I know you. You come in as a couple, but do you
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train as a couple. No. Our lives are very different. We we
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both go to UNI, and we both work while being at UNI, and
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and that times aren't aren't the same. Our work evenings, Ellis works daytimes.
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So we've had to train on our own, which which has been very
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tough. Yes, and it's just been going to races together and that's the
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only time. Yeah, really we have been We've been lucky enough to run
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together at point. Yeah. So Ellis I've seen you running together at races,
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that's for sure. Are you You both crossed the line together at LID,
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didn't you? We did, Yeah, twenty miles. Yeah. How
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was the for you? It was a very long run, so that was
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our longest run before the marathon. But it was nice. It's a nicete
20:07
race seeing it. Yeah, the weather sort of held out for us.
20:11
Yeah. But yeah, finishing start together, finished together, that's good,
20:15
definitely. Yeah. I mean you were lucky that day. I mean,
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if it's your first LID experience, then that was one of the better ones,
20:22
to be honest, because I've been going down to LID for many years
20:26
now and the wind gets up and it really blows a gale, you know,
20:30
I can imagine across the fields exactly. And there was one year where
20:34
all the gazebos were getting blown away and we actually had a tree come down.
20:38
The runners had set off, but in that time a tree had come
20:44
down blue tree across the course and a lot of the runners were like legging
20:48
over it and trying to get round it. They were literally and there was
20:52
a fear that we'd have to stop the race. But it happened to fall
20:56
across somebody that had a chainsaw and they immediately come out and they hacked away
21:03
the tree, and when the runners were coming back were going, where's that
21:04
tree gone? And it just wasn't there. So you were quite lucky that
21:08
day. So, Henry Lid for you, that is a long way.
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Was you ready for that or did that really test you? Yeah? It
21:17
was obviously you do your training beforehand, but it was the longest run we'd
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both done. But I've done a half month and race the week beforehand up
21:26
at the Olympic Park and that went really well, And so yeah, it's
21:30
just been y is different, isn't it When you actually even at training and
21:36
you enter a run, you're focused on that run. Whereas when you go
21:38
training it's a slog, isn't it. You know, it's something that might
21:41
be on your schedule and you've got to go out and do it. Sometimes
21:45
you don't really want to, but if you're committed to, like a Sunday
21:48
morning at LID twenty miler, then I won't say it's easy, but it's
21:52
a little bit more comfortable, isn't it. Yeah, it's sort of you've
21:55
got your place in it. You have to do it. Whereas they're training.
21:57
It's all about whether you go out and do it. And if you
22:00
don't do it, that's only on you. You've got. Yeah, it's
22:03
all on yourself. You have to be very self regulated you do. Yeah,
22:06
I mean what you find. I mean I've done three marathons, so
22:11
I have found that you only sort of get in only get out of it
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what you put into it, isn't it. Yeah, definitely. So you're
22:17
tapering down now obviously, Well it's a bit leth to go running now,
22:21
isn't It? Rases on Sunday, But yeah, it's been really strange to
22:25
tapering period. It's sort of you want to get out, you feel like
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you're not doing as much, You feel like you should be doing so much
22:30
more. Whereas you're listening to everyone. You've just got to trust the advice
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and that's that's the that's the hard part. Yeah, right, ellis coming
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back to you, have you stayed away from injury? I have? But
22:44
well, yeah, not illness, but definitely injury I've been very lucky touch
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words. Yeah, that I haven't really picked up any little niggles or anything,
22:51
which has been really helpful. And your recovery has been all right,
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yeah yeah, even after twenty Yeah, there's a long recovery after the twenty
22:59
I definitely needed the slower runs that week. Yeah yeah, okay, And
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what about you here, you recovered all right after twenty Yeah. That was
23:07
the next day we had the spinning session at UNI, so sort of kept
23:11
yeah, yeah, it was all good. Okay, right, Well,
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we're going to play a little song there which you've requested. Hopefully I can
23:18
get this one right. So is there any special reason LISU chose this one?
23:23
Eelo, mister Bluesky? Is it something that you run to or this
23:26
one actually reminds me of Henry. This is the first song that we really
23:30
clicked to together when we first got together. So oh okay, so let's
23:37
take us back to Elo ninety seventy eight and mister Bluesky Yellow there, mister
24:00
blue Sky. Now then that was the romantic little record there for Henry and
24:06
Ellis. And there's some little thing on the end of that song and a
24:08
lot of people I don't know whether they know this. I'm pretty sure I'm
24:12
right now. This came out on vinyl right back in the seven ninety seventy
24:18
eight, in fact, and I was a big ELO fan, and this
24:22
was the last track on one side of what we used to call them LPs
24:26
along playing records. And if you listen to that bit, it's like a
24:30
voice sympathizer, but it says please turn me over. And a lot of
24:37
people don't believe me, but I'm sure I've got that right. You dig
24:40
out your your ELO record and have a little listen. Okay, I'll digress
24:45
a little bit, a bit of a seventies trivia there. So we're back
24:49
in the studio with Ellison Henry. Now let's come to you. Ellis.
24:56
You are running for a charity, So tell us about the charity and where
24:59
are you running for it. So we are running for JDRF, which is
25:02
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and they provide support and they support people from point
25:10
of diagnosis all the way through their journey as diabetic. And we're actually running
25:14
for them as I'm diabeting myself and they are the charity that saved my life.
25:18
Really is that's really really, that's really a tremendous story. So you're
25:23
a diabetic, if you like, just take the mystery out of diabetes.
25:29
What exactly does it do to you? Just explain it very briefly. So,
25:32
as a type one diabetic, my pancres doesn't produce any insulin, so
25:36
I have to give that via injection, and I also have to continuously monitor
25:40
my blood glucose levels. Okay, so does that I mean, you're obviously
25:45
used to it now you can control it, But I mean does that affect
25:48
your everyday life? Yes, massively. So it's four injections a day and
25:52
probably ten fingerpricks to test my blood sugar levels. Really, yeah, it's
25:56
quite a lot. So that is a bit of an eye opener actually,
25:59
because if you like, and there's probably a lot of people out there don't
26:03
realize just how our life changing diabetes can be. So this is really special
26:10
for you. And you obviously had no trouble picking this charity, did you,
26:15
No, not at all, and running for the charities like it's a
26:19
privilege from me as well, because I want to prove to every other diabetic
26:22
that it doesn't stop you. You can still run marathons, you can still
26:26
do things as diabetics. Yeah right, So on the day, will you
26:30
know the emotion or the you know, the highs and lows, will it
26:33
affect you definitely? Yeah? Right, So pre crossing the start line,
26:40
what precautions do you have to take? So we've done lots of events,
26:42
like you said, We've been to LID and that's been great for me to
26:45
sort of prepare for these, sort of the marathon itself, with the adrenaline,
26:51
with the emotions, even the weather, just literally being ready for anything.
26:56
And will you have to have any medication actually on the course, yep.
27:00
So I've got a water vest full of water, full of sweets,
27:03
full of glucose tablets, so I'll be loaded up right. Okay. So
27:07
so Henry, now, did you know much about diabetist before you met Alice?
27:14
No? Nothing, I didn't know anything. So it's been a real
27:17
eye and I open her to how someone with type one lives and so that
27:25
made you made you join her. Listen, go in for this entry with
27:30
the charity. Yeah, it's yeah, giving her support it it's one hundred
27:36
percent behind Dellis at this and to see her and how she's she was scared
27:41
to run at the start and now she absolutely loves it, has joined herun
27:44
club and she's excited to get her shoes on, whereas before that it was
27:49
trying to drag her out the door, trying to get her run in,
27:52
which their contrast to its just it's been amazing to watch. Okay, that's
27:59
a great little story out and I love I'll tell you what the studio does.
28:02
You know when you get people in that you find another story outside the
28:07
story which has happed so many times in the studio. And I didn't realize
28:11
you were diabetic. I knew you were running for the charity. I thought
28:15
you might know somebody, but you know, to hear you and to pass
28:18
this message out on to the people of Folkston, it is amazing and people
28:21
might start to think cool bo, that's what diabetic means. Yeah, okay,
28:25
so let's get onto a fundraising Henry. Now, being a charity entry,
28:30
you probably had to raise at least two thousand pounds each. So how
28:36
did you go about that? Yeah? So, like you say, we've
28:38
had to raise four thousand, buying four thousand pounds combined, and we've done
28:44
that with obviously you ask your friends and family, you do you just give
28:47
in, You put on Facebook or your social media, and that got the
28:51
initial settin amount, and we had a charity date as well at where I
28:57
work and there were really supportive with it, and we had a East Kent
29:03
ukulele band come and play that was free of charge, but they were amazing.
29:07
Yeah, they were really really good. Yeah, And so that we
29:11
had a barbecue going and we raised just shy of two and a half thousand
29:15
pounds on that day alone, and we're lucky enough to have Halifax match fund
29:22
a certain amount about as well, so we're really close to it just after
29:26
that, and that was back in October, whereas now we're just just over
29:30
five thousand pounds. So brilliant. That is awesome. It does take some
29:34
doing, and as as soon as you hit that target at four thousand,
29:37
it kind of takes a pressure off a little bit, doesn't it as well?
29:41
Okay, yeh, listen now before we are watching the time here and
29:45
we're getting carried away a little bit, but before we wrap up, let's
29:48
just just say a little thank yous and hellos and and anything else that you
29:55
want to show is your turn amazing. So we've got a huge thank you
29:57
to the Life Skills Center in Folkston. They raised loads of money for us
30:00
that open day. They raised just over six hundred pounds for us, so
30:04
that was great. Their generosity is obviously we're very grateful for that, every
30:08
single person who's donated, every single person who's come running with us. Honestly,
30:14
we can't thank you enough. You've done loads for us and you don't
30:15
know how much it means. And also a huge thank you to be to
30:19
ur in Hive that's my running club. It's been brilliant to be Runners in
30:25
Hive, isn't it. Yeah, yes, they have got They're a great
30:26
supportive crowd, aren't they really supportive crowd. And I couldn't have got through
30:30
the winter training without running club being there and going out with others. So
30:33
I'm really grateful for that. Okay, Henry, anyone you want to thank
30:37
my mum and dad there have been my biggest supporter is throughout all of it.
30:41
They've been the ones making sure I'm not getting out the door when I
30:44
don't want to, and they've turned up in the cold and the wet on
30:47
races and followed us wherever, and they're the one is shouting on the side
30:51
of the road making me embarrassed. They'll be there. Well, they'll be
30:55
there on Sunday. They will be there on Sunday. Well, Henry Elis,
31:00
it's been brilliant coming in for you to come in today, and it's
31:03
opened the eyes of a lot of people about diabetes. I hope, and
31:07
I'll be up there, so look out for me at the cutty sock and
31:11
just want to wish you all the best for Sunday. Thank you, Kevin,
31:15
thank you brilliant Fast for God Days. Have a Tom Grennan there.
31:29
Remind me that was a song for Ellison Henry another two of our athletes who
31:32
will be on the start line on Sunday. And do you know what,
31:36
I didn't know that Ellis was diabetic. And it's funny how things come out
31:40
in this studio, little stories within stories, and I kind of feel like
31:45
I should go home and read all about diabetes now and find out what she's
31:48
going through. Okay, so we're coming up to the end of the first
31:52
hour, but we don't go away. Get that kettle on again, and
31:57
we've got a little song coming up now which hopefully will take us up to
32:00
the news. There's not much of it, so we're going to go straight
32:04
into Elton John Saturday nights to write for Fighting and we'll be back after the
32:07
news and then get to yourself free cools. I'm in their fifty Ways to
32:19
Leave your Lover. Okay, So welcome back to the Folks and IF Sports
32:24
Show, and we are going to be talking London Marathon. It's not over
32:30
yet. We've had three athletes in that will be on the start line and
32:34
very shortly we're going to be joined by a fourth athlete, Autumn Richardson.
32:37
She'll be telling us about the charity she's running for and how she got into
32:42
running. In the meantime, let's have a little listen to some local music.
32:45
We've got the Drunken Poets Society and Brother where are They? Right here
32:51
in Kids by local artists on Academy and Famous Folkston a local music there from
33:06
the Drunken Poets, So I sey with a song called Brother Where Are They
33:10
Now? Our next guest is a lady who was at first a bit reluctant
33:14
to come on the show, but I'm glad she changed her mind. So
33:16
a big hello to Autumn Richardson. Hello, Autumn, how are you?
33:20
Yeah? Really good? Kevin? How are you good? I'm great,
33:22
Well not really, I'm coffee for England at the moment. But I'm just
33:24
holding out for the show because this is one show that I didn't want to
33:29
miss. Unfortunately, last week I couldn't do my show because I had a
33:32
chest infection. I could early speak. So but I'm here now and I'm
33:37
glad you are as well. So London Marathon on Sunday, I mean,
33:44
how does that sound? Have you got your number? Oh? Even just
33:45
talking about oh now, it's like my heart. Yeah. Yeah, I
33:49
went yesterday up to the expo to get my BIB number. Yeah, and
33:52
it's such an amazing experience. I think for a first time, you just
33:55
don't know what you're going to expect, right, And did you go up
34:00
on your own? So I went with one of my old friends and he's
34:04
running the London Marathon as well for the Salvation Army. Okay, yeah,
34:09
it was quite nice, nice gesture. I mean, it just kind of
34:15
just realizes that you know, you're not alone, are you. There's going
34:17
to be thousands of other people all doing the same thing, picking up their
34:21
numbers and really looking forward to Sunday. So let's go back, Let's wind
34:25
the clock back. Now, so what got you into running? Do you
34:29
know what? I thought about this the other day. I don't really know
34:31
what got me into running. I mean, I think at the time,
34:35
I just I wanted to find something different, some different form of like workout
34:39
because I don't really enjoy hit workouts or strength that much. So I started
34:44
doing couch to five k and I just loved it. I loved every minute
34:45
of it, and I felt I wanted I wanted to get fitter two and
34:50
I would hardly recommend it for anyone. Right, So, couch to five
34:53
k? Did you do that with a club? No, I've done it
34:57
on my own. Actually, I never really thought about joining a club.
34:59
I just done it on my own. I didn't want any pressure from anyone
35:01
else myself. Yeah, so what did you do? Just download something off
35:06
the internet and yeah, yeah, so you know you can get like I
35:08
don't know what happ it is now, I can't really remember, but I
35:10
had like Sarah Millican's like talking me through like my runs. It was quite
35:15
funny, it was really good. Just it's the motivation that you need to
35:19
do the running. Yeah. Yeah, And so after that five k was
35:22
over, what did you think yourself then? What shall I do? Now?
35:27
Can you remember the first actual race that you went into. Yes,
35:30
the first race that I ever went into was the folks In Rotary half marathon.
35:34
Yeah, oh right, Yeah. I literally went from doing like just
35:37
running on my own and that was the first place I think at the time,
35:39
I just wanted to give myself a challenge. I could see loads of
35:44
other people like friends and family around me doing all their races, and I
35:47
wanted a challenge. And that was a very tough experience in itself, was
35:53
it. Yeah? I mean it's generally a flat course, but then you've
35:59
got to get up that hill Road of Remembrance seven't you on the way back?
36:01
But you're kind of kidding yourself. You think, yeah, half a
36:06
marathon is not too bad, but it's a long way, isn't it.
36:08
Yeah, so you've moved right up from a five k to a full marathon.
36:14
But we're going to talk about what went on in between. So did
36:19
you eventually join a club? Yes, so I actually joined Beginners to run
36:23
it. That was the first club I joined. I knew a few people
36:27
that were there and they said it's quite like an easy guying club. And
36:29
at the time I wasn't too sure about joining Folks and Running Club who I'm
36:31
with now, because I thought they were quite like a serious running club and
36:37
that I wouldn't fit in. But I'm with Folks and Running Club now and
36:39
I love them all so much. Have been super supportive for my journey.
36:43
Yeah, yeah, excellent. Right. So the program that you've had to
36:47
do to get on the start line for Sunday, where did that come from?
36:52
Have you been doing that on your own or have you been doing it
36:53
with colleagues? So I've been following a training plan that was given to me
36:58
by one of my colleagues as they've done marathons before. And I've been really
37:04
quite lucky that I've had a lot of people that helped me out, especially
37:07
people from my running club. I want to give a special mention to Carla
37:10
Landa. She's joined me on a lot of my long training run. She's
37:15
given me a lot of advice and a lot of help because I think for
37:17
me, because it's my first one, I've been very clinical with it and
37:22
she's been reassuring me don't worry about it. There's lots of people that haven't
37:25
done as much training as you, and they're still running perfectly. Fine.
37:28
They're going to do it as well, I know Carla and now her husband
37:34
Michael's getting more into running. Yeah. I used to just come along with
37:37
the dog and support, but now see they leave the dog at home when
37:39
he joins in the runs as well, doesn't it. Yeah? It's azing
37:43
right. So do you think that you're prepared now? I mean, it's
37:46
no going back. I wish I've done a bit more. It's too late
37:51
for that. Are you? Are you ready to go? I think so?
37:53
I mean I don't think anything can prepare you for something on this scale.
37:58
You've just got to go with it. I mean, if I'm honest,
38:00
On Monday, I had a bit of a cry to my mom because
38:04
I've lot some of my shoes just aren't doing what they should be doing for
38:08
me. So I'm having to go back to my old everyday ones. And
38:12
it's just things like that They just make you think, am I really prepared
38:15
for this? But I know I am. I've done all the training.
38:19
It's just and you're another one that we saw you one Sunday morning, lid
38:22
didn't we? Yes? Yeah? How was there? That must be the
38:24
furthest you've ever run? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was my favorite.
38:27
That was my longest run, and I actually really enjoyed it. I
38:30
mean, I know everyone will say it's quite a boring it's quite a boring
38:32
run, if you will, because you're just through going through countries like lanes.
38:37
There's not really anyone there to support you and cheer you are. You
38:38
have to do it yourself. But for a training run it was pretty good.
38:44
Yeah good, Yeah, you're right actually because it's out in the Blaque
38:47
countryside. Do you think why am I doing this? But when it's all
38:51
done and you've got twenty miles in your legs? And I spoke to you
38:57
and initially after the lid and you said you felt all right, Yeah,
39:01
but I think you've changed after that, didn't you. No? Do you
39:05
know what? I actually felt really good after it. I'm putting that down
39:07
to just knowing that my fueling for their runs ye have been working, because
39:13
I spoke to a few of my colleagues at work because they're doing it for
39:15
their dinner marathon, and they said they were aching quite a lot. I
39:17
mean I did ache the next day, but I wasn't nowhere near as bad
39:21
as what I thought I was going to be so I felt quite lucky.
39:22
So it's not just about running a miles on your feet. It's about looking
39:29
after your body and looking after yourself and your diet. And yeah, definitely.
39:32
So you think you got it right on that day, Well that's good.
39:35
That's good training as well for Sunday, isn't it. Yeah? Definitely.
39:37
Okay, Well we're going to take a little break now. We're going
39:38
to play a little song and which you have requested it. It's called Candy
39:44
Stanton. Young Hearts Are Free, Young Hearts are run Free. Is there
39:46
any reason that you've chosen this one? Do you always run with music?
39:51
Yeah? I do always run music. I don't like really running without it.
39:54
I think it's quite boring. It doesn't really motivate me, whereas the
39:59
music does. If I'm running and I feel tired, I just need that
40:00
little bit of a pit me up. This is the sort of song that
40:04
I'll listen to. Just gives me that little bit of energy, a bit
40:06
of a boost, None of it, that's why not. So let's listen
40:09
to a Candy Stanton and Young Hearts Run Free. Candy standing their Young Hearts
40:30
run Free. And I've had to start. I mean Autumn. She's gone
40:34
out of the studio. She's got headphones on, she's singing away to this
40:37
song. I've had to chase her and get her back in the studio.
40:39
Anyway, that's a song that Autumn loves. Running to a Candy stant and
40:44
young Hearts run free. Now, Autumn, now I've dragged you back into
40:46
the studio. Tell us a little bit about the charity that you're running for.
40:52
I take it first of all that you've got a ballot place, did
40:54
you So? I was quite lucky in that. Through my job with they
41:00
offer us ballot places because we are offer free travel. I'll work on the
41:04
trains, and yeah, we had a ballot throughout the whole company, and
41:08
I was one of the lucky. I think it's thirty people to get a
41:10
place, and I think for the first for the first time that I've ever
41:15
considered running a marathon, especially London. I feel very lucky to even have
41:20
a place, really, because I was on furums on Facebook and you hear
41:23
of all these people and they've been trying for what ten fifteen years and they've
41:27
never had a place. Yeah, it does make you realize how lucky you
41:30
are you are. I may look at Louisa. Eighteen times she tried and
41:34
in the end she's admittedly they weren't all consecutive, but eighteen times and she's
41:40
finally gone down the charity route and she's buzzing. She's absolutely buzzing. So
41:46
you were lucky to get a ballot place, but you don't have to raise
41:50
money for charity for a ballot place, but most people do and support you.
41:55
So tell us about the charity that you're running for. Running for MS
42:00
Society, which is for multiple people living with multiple Sclerosis's out and that's in
42:07
honor of my auntie Laura, who was diagnosed in twenty twenty with it.
42:10
Right. Yeah, So I've seen her go through all of her treatments and
42:16
like, I understand how difficult it is on some days for her to just
42:21
even just do like easy common task for people. So when I've initially signed
42:27
up, I must go back. And when I initially signed up to do
42:29
the marathon through work, I didn't actually want to raise money for anyone because
42:35
I'd in October i'd done the Royal Parks Off Marathon and I struggled to raise
42:38
money then and I found it quite stressful. And then when I finally paid
42:43
for my bald place. There was like a little section that said about if
42:46
you want to raise money for charity, and I thought, you know what,
42:49
I'm going to do it for my auntie. I'd considered it, and
42:51
I thought it'd be silly. Even if I can raise, you know,
42:52
just fifty pounds, it's still something towards the charity. So yeah, that's
42:58
I just thought I'd rather I couldn't think of anyone else. I'd rather do
43:00
it for no one know. It's obviously close to your heart, and especially
43:04
some member of the family, And if it's only a recent thing, then
43:07
it's still kind of fresh in your mind, isn't it if you've seen a
43:09
suffering and you just feel that you can do something to help, not her
43:14
particularly, but help the cause and help other people and make people aware.
43:22
That's the other thing I learned about diabetes this morning. I've learned a little
43:25
bit about multiple sclerosis in the past, but it is something that people's just
43:30
kind of someone else has got it. It's not you. You know someone
43:35
else has got it, so it doesn't bother me, But people are not
43:37
you. You're doing something to help your auntie, So fundraising have you done
43:44
any events or as you just kind of just let it flow because there's no
43:46
pressure on it. Yes, I've just let it flow. I've had no
43:49
pressure, and I didn't want that for this because training is enough pressure as
43:52
it is. And I've been really fortunate. I've had really supportive family and
43:57
friends and colleagues. Did you get yourself a target? Initially it was just
44:00
five hundred pounds? I've exceeded that, have you? Not really proud of
44:06
myself? For ye? How much? Was it initially a five hundred five
44:08
hundred? Right? And go and then tell me what you're up to?
44:10
Know? I think as of today I'm up to I think it's a thousand
44:15
and ninety five pounds. Oh right, so you doubled it. And it's
44:20
the other thing that you know, people family and friends and people that sometimes
44:24
somebody might give you a donation that you don't know. They might just Multiporcelorosis
44:32
might have touched them along the way on their journey, and they think this
44:37
girl's doing the first marathon. She's never run a marathon before. You know,
44:39
it's a tenor and all those little things mean so much, don't they?
44:44
Have you had many anonymous donations Yeah, I have. I had an
44:47
anonymous donation to boost me up to one thousand pounds yesterday. Oh really,
44:53
And I got home and spoke to my family about it. It turns out
44:58
it was my brother, which I think was really generous of here, and
45:01
I think that's such a kind of thing for him to do. Yes' great.
45:05
But I have had like other anonymous donations, and for me, I
45:07
think I'd love to know who they are because you want to say thank you,
45:10
yes, very true, yes, yes, but I'm grateful either way.
45:14
Yeah, these people are more than please just to give you a little
45:17
little bit of money. What's your brother's name, Martin? Will Martin,
45:21
you're a lad? Yeah, good will go good on you. Now,
45:25
it's been a long journey. When did you start training back in sort of
45:29
January? February? Yeah, January. I'll started training just well, just
45:31
after New Year. Yeah. And you haven't had the nicest of runnings of
45:37
you with the weather, No, it's terribly windy. Yeah, and I
45:39
haven't actually looked Have you looked at the forecast for Sunday or have you stayed
45:43
away from it? Looked every day? It seems it does seem to be
45:49
quite nice on Sunday. I think it's meant to be like perfect running with
45:51
a bit of a breeze, nice dry spells right now. I remember one
45:54
year going up to the marathon and this is a gentleman that you know,
45:59
Gary Brazier. Yeah, one year him. I don't know if he was
46:01
on his own or with Marie training, but anyway, the training was done
46:06
in it was a cold winter, and the actual marathon day it was almost
46:10
tropical and so many people were suffering. I can remember being at the cutty
46:15
saw and Gary come around and he stopped. He said, okay if he
46:20
said he I don't know if I can do this, and obviously he did.
46:24
I remember he was doing it for his dad. But the weather,
46:29
yeah, they trained in all the cold weather and the marathon day was extremely
46:31
hot, which is what you're not to get up for, so hopefully,
46:36
I mean, if the weather's nice, it' a bit like lid. It
46:38
was quite a pleasant day, wasn't it. Yeah. I mean when I
46:42
spoke to a few people that I knew that done it with me, they
46:44
were like, oh, it was terrible today, But I think I would
46:46
prefer one in in a bit of light rain. Yeah, a good bit
46:50
of wind as well. It keeps you refreshed and cool. I think right
46:52
now on Sunday you can't have your headphones on, So do you think that
47:00
will upset you a bit or there'd be just like too much going on?
47:05
No, I think, do you know what, I think it's different.
47:07
I mean running around folks in and all the quiet country lais and stuff,
47:10
you need that bit of motivation. There isn't anyone else around you to give
47:14
you that bit of a to keep you going. Whereas it the London Marathon,
47:17
it's just going to be busy everywhere you go. There's not going to
47:20
be any like quiet areas where they might be. I don't think so if
47:24
there were, no I did have some facts here actually somewhere, but I
47:28
think on the very first London Marathon back in nineteen eighty one, there was
47:32
they put a limit of seven thousand runners, yeah, because they were worried
47:38
about crowd congestion and things like that. Now currently we're up to forty five
47:45
thousand crazy as yeah, I know, so that is amazing. So I
47:49
don't think you'll be lonely all yeah, And I'm sure that runners are all
47:55
in the same boat and they might see you struggling, or you might see
48:00
someone struggling and you can't know, but you're right, you know you're doing
48:02
okay, And that just is the running. The running community are are great.
48:07
They're great motivators, they're great friendship people. And I'm sure that you
48:15
won't even think about your music. You know, in actually fact, there'll
48:16
be music on the way around. You can stop and ever little listen if
48:19
you want to. Okay, So, so we've done the targets, we've
48:22
done, we've done the furthest you've ever run. So we spoke about the
48:29
club. Let's go back to the club. Is there we spoke about Carla,
48:34
it was the best thing you ever did for joining the club, Yeah,
48:37
definitely. I think there's a certain point when you start your running journey,
48:40
if you will, that you need that actually little pick me up from
48:44
other people around you, and you want to take it a little bit further,
48:46
but you just don't know where to go. And I think joining a
48:49
club really helps you, like bring you out of your share when it helps
48:52
you really seek your full potential. And I must give credit to like,
48:57
honestly folks and running club are amazed, especially during my marathon training like even
49:05
this week alone, I've felt really like anxious and I needed a bit of
49:09
reassurance from everyone, and they were amazing, honestly, Like it makes you
49:13
really emotional because you think, like all these people are just really really backing
49:17
you. They've been there before, you see, a lot of them have
49:21
been there before, and they don't forget. I've done three marathons, I've
49:25
done to London, and you don't forget the people that helped you, and
49:31
you don't forget. You will never ever forget your first Land of marathon.
49:35
It would be like sitting staring for the rest of your life. A lot
49:38
of people go on to run other marathons, and I always say, if
49:42
you're going to run a marathon, run London, Yeah, definitely. Okay,
49:45
so how are you getting up there? And logistics? So are you
49:46
staying up there the night before or getting the train up early? So we
49:51
were quite unlucky. Actually, so I'm because I work on the trains,
49:53
I get free travel, so I'm quite lucky that I can take all my
49:55
family and friends up with me, well to a certain limit. Anyway,
50:00
we were originally meant to stay in a hotel, but they canceled it.
50:05
Because they had double books. I gut it, and that was only a
50:07
couple of weeks ago. Yeah, but me and my family have made decision
50:10
just to come home in the evening because I think I'd rather just be in
50:14
my own bed and you know, just be at home, because I think
50:17
traveling home the day after, I'll probably really regret that ye were about the
50:20
day before, you just going to get the chain up. Yeah, I
50:23
think most people were just going up on the day. I I don't know
50:25
what I think most people do. When I did it, we we did
50:30
stay in a hotel. But it's like it's like when you're flying. You
50:34
know, you start at get week, but you can't sleep. You're too
50:37
too excited, you're running the course in your head and you're sort of on
50:45
edge. The only saving grace is of course that you are that you are
50:49
up there. But then you wake up really tired. But you probably doing
50:52
the right thing going up on the day and coming back so good. Right,
50:58
we're getting to the end of the little interview, Autumn. Is there
51:02
anyone else that you want to thank? So I just want to thank my
51:07
family for just being very supportive and just putting up with me being very emotional.
51:12
The last couple of months, I've missed a few like really key like
51:15
family events like my uncle's fiftieth birthday that was fun, lid, So I'm
51:21
really grateful that they've been very understanding. I'd like to thank all my family
51:24
and friends that have supported me and helped me raise like just under eleven hundred
51:28
pounds. Now I didn't actually think i'd get that far, but I've been
51:30
so grateful to have the support and help that I've had. I'd like to
51:34
thank everyone at Folks and Running Club Honestly, like the last couple of months
51:38
especially, and like the last year, they've been so super supportive. Like
51:42
there's so many people I'd love to give like special thanks to because I'm not
51:45
like a quick onner at all, Like I'm one of the slower lot,
51:47
and they've like people have like stayed back to run with me to give me
51:51
like the motivation and support that I've needed. I don't know, there's just
51:54
so many people I'd love to thank you. Yeah, I mean you've gone.
52:00
You've got to hold your hand up and say that you've gone from couch
52:05
to five k off your own back to being on the start line of the
52:07
London Marathon and ready for it. You've done the preparation, You've run twenty
52:13
just to know. I know it sounds a bit ironic, but you've only
52:15
got six more to go after that. That will be the toughest six you've
52:19
ever run. But you've just got to just soak it all up, really
52:23
milk it and just absolutely enjoyed the day. Okay. So we've got another
52:29
little song lined up? Where is it? Oh? Yeah've got there?
52:30
Now? This is another I love this track. Actually I do play this
52:34
a lot of the races when I go along. We've got a song called
52:37
Chap Shifters by Lolus theme once again? Is this new? Mean anything?
52:42
No? Just to really feel good? Song makes you happy? I think?
52:45
Yeah? Right, okay, awesome. Thank you so much for coming
52:49
in. When we spoke a long time ago, I said to you about
52:52
coming in on the radio station. You nearly jumped out of your skin.
52:55
But you've been such a good interviewee today, You've been so comfortable and if
53:00
you have that approach of the marathon on Sunday you will have a great day.
53:05
Thank you so much. keV Beagues there, How Deep is Your Love?
53:21
Nineteen seventy seven they made some great songs in their beaches. Don't get
53:27
them like that anymore. Okay, So this is Kevin Day on the Folks
53:30
Do One, a high Sports show, and we've just been chatting with Autumn
53:34
Richardson, who's so excited and looking forward to running the London Marathon on Sunday,
53:38
as was our other guests that came in today. And what a brilliant
53:43
morning we've had London Marathon Special. It is a special day in a lot
53:46
of people's lives. They've been training for three months and you know, made
53:52
sacrifices along the way, and it was all it's all going to sort of
53:58
will it be an anti climb afterwards? I aus myself, but I'll tell
54:01
you what they're going to do. They're going to say never again. Then
54:05
they're going on the train and they look to see when they can sign up
54:07
for the next one. Okay, So we have got another song on to
54:12
go now. This time we're going to called the Resurrection Shuffle by Ashton Gardner
54:16
and Dyke. Ashton Gardener and Dyke there a bit of a one hit wonder,
54:30
I think, Resurrection Shuffle. So we're doing this London Marathon Special and
54:36
We've had a fantastic morning hearing the stories of four people that have come in
54:39
the studio today. And now what we found out was running a marathon is
54:45
not to be taken lightly. So it makes you tired, it makes you
54:49
grumpy, makes you wonder where you're doing it, but it also makes you
54:52
determine once you realize why you're doing it, to get this job done now.
54:57
In my time, I managed three marathons before I realized it wasn't for
55:01
me. My first one was in Barnsley in Yorkshire, as we had some
55:06
family up that way, and oh it was miserable. There was no spectators.
55:10
It was a lonely old course. I remember seeing a road sign that
55:15
said Barnsley six miles. I thought, oh, that's not too bad.
55:17
I can handle that. So I ran about a mile and then I saw
55:22
another road sign that said Barnsley six miles. Oh not anyway. My time
55:28
on that day was four hours eight minutes, and as I recovered, I
55:31
thought, do you know what? I want to run a sub four?
55:35
I was determined to run a sub four marathon, so I entered the Thane
55:38
Marathon a bit closer to home and wait for it. Guess what I did
55:43
four hours, thirteen minutes. So I thought, oh, that's it.
55:45
No more marathons for me. But in twenty ten I randomly entered the ballot
55:52
for London and got a place, and I thought, oh no, what
55:54
am I going to do? Now I've actually got a place for the London
55:57
Marathon. Now ballot place is a rare thing. So I started training and
56:01
I picked up an injury, so I had deferred my entry to the following
56:05
year. Unfortunately, the following year I broke my leg and so there was
56:09
no way I was actually going to run twenty six miles. So in my
56:14
recovery I walked round. I walked round, walked around and progressed, and
56:19
on the day it was a case of use it or lose it. Only
56:22
my partner suit I was going to be on the start line. So I
56:25
walked and ran it all the way and it was one of the best days
56:29
of my life. The pressure was off. I could stop and have a
56:31
chat, listen to live music, take some pictures. I didn't worry about
56:36
the time. The weather was nice. I was volunteering for KMFM at the
56:39
time, and they thought that I was just up there watching the London Marathon
56:45
and they got the absolute shock of their lives when I told them I was
56:49
running. So we was doing feedback to the radio station. In fact,
56:52
the program finished before I finished. Now I got eryt printed on my T
56:59
shirt and that caused a lot of humorous comments. I'll can tell you.
57:04
One comment was, alway, fairy, where's your where's your Ferreite? Up
57:07
your trousers And another humorous spectator said, I've got a fer homely can run
57:15
faster than you. But the funniest one was a lady on the PA system
57:19
at the mail was she welcomed back the runners who obviously thought that I was
57:22
a Frenchman, and she said, ah, welcome back, monsieur Ferre.
57:25
I said, is not FAIRA is faery? Anyway, my time that day
57:30
and I'm not ashamed of it was six hours and one minute and I don't
57:34
regret it one little bit. Going for the ocean there from nineteen eighty five,
57:58
when the going gets tough, that's gonna be on some people's mine on
58:00
Sunday. Now, winning the London Marathon puts your name in lights. And
58:05
one particular runner who lived and went to school when Folkstone won the London Marathon
58:08
in nineteen eighty three. In nineteen eighty four, he won the first ever
58:13
Folkeston ten mile race and came back this year to start the race forty years
58:16
later. Now I did play this out a couple of weeks ago, but
58:20
it's great to hear how how this gentleman loves coming back to Folkston. So
58:25
let's have a listen once again to me chatting to former London Marathon winner Mike
58:29
Gratton and his partner Amy. However, Mike Graton's course record still stands at
58:34
forty eight minutes forty five seconds, which he is held since nineteen eighty five,
58:38
and after the race I managed to catch up with him and his partner
58:42
Amy, who actually ran the race. So let's have a little listen.
58:45
So we've just had a lovely day here down at the Green Hive and the
58:50
folks in ten is now over and I'm joined by a gentleman who won the
58:52
very very first race forty years ago. Hallo, Mike, how are you?
58:57
I'm very good, thank you, it's so good to see you.
58:59
How'd you feel about coming back here? I'm happy to come back and completely
59:01
didn't run because it's a bit windy you're right it was. We've were hearing
59:05
about that later from your partner Amy, who did actually run it. Yeah.
59:08
But take us back to your early days of your school and how you
59:13
how you sort of broke into running. Yeah, my dad was in the
59:16
Army. We were stationed in Germany and the school I went to there had
59:22
into Service Schools championships and I did the one hundred meters. School needed someone
59:27
to do it, so I put my hand up and I finished second.
59:29
So next thing is my dad was stationed back at Shawncliffe and this was his
59:34
last stationing, so he bought a house in Cheriton. I went to more
59:37
Horse School from my O levels and while I was there, the pe teacher
59:43
stuff suggested I we're go along to the local running club, which was obviously
59:45
focusing and in those days we trained on a little grass circuit down back of
59:50
State Street before we moved there up to Shorncliffe on the Ciner track. The
59:53
track I remember that because we used to race around the cinder track. But
59:58
the cinder track's not there unfol but we have got a lovely brand new running
1:00:01
track behind the Three Hill Sports Park. Anyway, Sorry I digressed, that's
1:00:06
right. Yeah, So I'm pleased they have because we campaigned right back in
1:00:09
the early days of the Folks and Sports Center at Bagnon Park and we helped
1:00:13
raise money for that. To mea helped hope at the time we would get
1:00:15
a running track, maybe at the cricket stadium. It never happens, but
1:00:19
now it HAPs great. Yeah, yeah good. So I mean, how
1:00:22
did you break in? You so you're with folks In running club in your
1:00:24
school days. The next step it was through school really. I got entered
1:00:30
into the district school's cross country which was at brock Hill, and then from
1:00:35
there I got into the district team for the county cross country as an intermediate,
1:00:40
got in the Kent team and then the English School Championships for at Luton.
1:00:44
So I finished about one hundred and fortieth I think in that and that
1:00:46
really sort of made me think I'm a county level runner. So that summer
1:00:51
I made the English Schools track and field team, finished seventh in the fifteen
1:00:53
hundred and went on to win the English Schools five thousand meters three years later,
1:00:58
and by then I was doing a pe course at college, starting to
1:01:01
think about the mount and then the marathon boom started. And there was ideal
1:01:06
timing for me. Yeah. Good, So there's forty years ago. But
1:01:07
it's funny that those early clubs, for example, last weekend I was in
1:01:13
Hastings to watch that they are half marathons and there was also their fortieth anniversary.
1:01:16
So those clubs are boomed in the in the eighties and they are still
1:01:20
around. It's forty years ago, it is, and it's it's the first
1:01:22
London Mountains started all that up because there were lots of little club races tombage
1:01:28
ten than at ten. They all existed, but they were quite small.
1:01:30
Yeah, and then all of a sudden there's this new boom of runners who
1:01:34
wanted to run the London Mountain needed to start somewhere, so lots of running
1:01:37
clubs can Toby Harriers South Camp in this area folks and obviously just absorbed all
1:01:44
these new runners. Suddenly there was a need for ten mile races on the
1:01:47
seafront and folks and half mountains in Hastings that didn't exist before. That's right.
1:01:52
Now. We're also joined by Amy in Mike's partner. Amy know you
1:01:55
had the pleasure of running today, didn't you? Hi? Did? How
1:01:58
was it? Because it was a very breezy when I got hat of the
1:02:00
car this morning on the course, I got straight back in, so hell's
1:02:04
it for running? It was breezy, but it was breezy for all of
1:02:07
us. So this was my first time doing the Folkston ten and great on
1:02:10
the way out and you had to dig deep and work hard on the way
1:02:15
back. But really well supported, really enjoyed it. No, Hell's totally
1:02:20
flat. There's lots of it, definitely, it's not like that's not like
1:02:25
Scottish. Yeah, no, it was good. It was good out and
1:02:28
back, straightforward and you just had to dig deep. Yeah, yeah good.
1:02:34
How does it compare to some of your other rices? I mean you've
1:02:37
probably done you've done loads of lots of rices, but yeah, is it?
1:02:39
Is it sort of an easy one? Do you think? I know,
1:02:42
the conditions are tough, but conditions are tough for everybody. Easy one
1:02:46
probably if you're on your game. Yeah, and if you paste it right.
1:02:51
But yeah, it's good out and back. It's straightforward. You can
1:02:53
get into kind of your your rhythm, let's just say so you can keep
1:02:58
that rhythm, but you can't. You could do negative splits, but unfortunately
1:03:01
for me to do it was positive. It doesn't you were there taking part
1:03:07
lovely see you you Yeah, okay, filing back to you, Mike.
1:03:10
Now, we're going to just have a little shout out for two O nine
1:03:14
events because I bump into you over in Cyprus, and so how's two O
1:03:17
nine events going. They're doing well. I've taken semi retirement because I'm seventy
1:03:21
in November, but I'm still enjoying going to Cyprus and just come back from
1:03:27
Portugal. Hence I've got a bit of a suntan. And that's the coaching
1:03:30
side. But we're still doing the New York Mouse, in Chicago mouse and
1:03:32
all those things. And it's a preasurable side of industry really, the office
1:03:37
stuff I don't go and do anymore. The good stuff I still do.
1:03:39
Yeah, Mike, has been a pleasure to talk to you and you Amy
1:03:43
today. Thanks so much for coming back. And it's so nice. You've
1:03:45
got a little place in your heart for folks and and the folks and so
1:03:49
all started. Yeah, thank you so much. Okay, it's a pleasure.
1:03:52
So they're going to catch up there with Mike and Amy and and it
1:03:55
sounds like they're going to be back. Yep. That was me chaining to
1:03:59
Amy and right there and the folks and ten and what a great day that
1:04:03
was. And that was a good tem miler that was on a lot of
1:04:08
people's schedule for the big race on Sunday. So Sunday the London Marathon iconic.
1:04:14
Now it's been going so I don't know since what nineteen eighty one,
1:04:17
and it first started with seven or thousand runners and now it's got forty five
1:04:23
thousand, and they've raised billions and billions of pounds for charity and all those
1:04:29
wonderful stories that come out of the London Marathon. So it's only fitting,
1:04:32
I think, to finish this London Marathon special. I really hope you've enjoyed
1:04:35
it. We've had exclusive interviews with four local athletes, Ellis, Henry,
1:04:43
Autumn and Louisa, who will all be on the start line. So there's
1:04:46
only one song to play out up to the news. It's the London Marathon
1:04:50
theme Anything and Cling