The Heroes and Heroines of the London Marathon

This morning close to 37,000 people will be experiencing a heady mixture of pain, relief, happiness and sheer pride in themselves after completing the London Marathon on what turned out to be a warm morning. Many of them probably didn't even believe they could run 13 miles when they began their training, let alone 26 miles plus.

Yesterday they will have discovered that inside all of us there is a reserve of grit and determination, whilst in everyone else - the watching public - there is also an enormous amount of goodwill which, sadly, rarely gets the chance to show itself. For those who know me I have completed many physical and exclusive challenges over the years. Not too many people get the chance, for example, to box Roy Jones junior, to row with Steve Redgrave at Henley, or to train and play for the Leicester Tigers, but two of my most prized memories are achievements that many members of the public can relate to: summitting Mount Kilimanjaro, and completing the London Marathon.

Almost every day I look at my marathon medal and certificate with a mixture of pride and disbelief, and every year I say I will have another crack and, this time, get under four hours, a mark I narrowly missed five years ago. One of the very greatest sights I have ever seen in my life is the sign that read: "800 metres to go" at the end of the race. Pure ecstasy!

To everyone who run yesterday - and I mean everyone - you are all heroes and heroines, no matter what time you completed the marathon. And today, as you put your weary feet up, you should be feeling very pleased with yourselves. Congratulations!