Michael only got his London Marathon entry from Kidney Research UK in January this year, but he still managed to raise over £3500 and have the day of his life at the London Marathon 2025. His sub 4 hour time capped off a great campaign, with some innovative fundraising ideas and lots of new friends made at his local running club.

Here's Michael's fundraising page if you'd like to sponsor him.

For more podcasts head to https://www.sapphirerunningzone.com/podcasts. We have four channels, one on training support, another on fundraising, a third on runner stories and a fourth on events. If you'd to be the focus on one just let us know using the chat function on https://www.sapphirerunningzone.com

PODCAST NOTES

Keywords London Marathon, running, training, fundraising, race day, charity, marathon experience, running community, race preparation, personal achievement Summary In this episode, Tim Rogers interviews Michael Woodward about his experience running the London Marathon for Kidney Research UK. Michael shares his journey from training highs and lows to the excitement of race day, the challenges he faced during the marathon, and his successful fundraising efforts. He reflects on the support from the running community and the impact of the charity on the event, as well as his future plans for running more marathons. Takeaways

• Michael felt ecstatic after completing the marathon, achieving his goal time.
• Training for the marathon had its challenges, especially balancing family and mileage.
• The social aspect of running with a club enhanced the experience.
• Race week was filled with excitement and anticipation.
• The atmosphere on race day was electric, with crowds cheering for runners.
• Navigating through thousands of runners was a unique challenge.
• Michael's fundraising efforts exceeded his initial target, thanks to social media and corporate sponsorships.
• The support from the charity and spectators made a significant difference during the race.
• Michael plans to continue running marathons and has already set his sights on future races.
• The experience of running the marathon has inspired Michael to raise more money for charities.

Sound Bites

• "The lowest point was the mileage each week."
• "It just made it such a social event."
• "Manners don't cost anything."
• "It's caught hold of me."

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the London Marathon Experience 02:59 Training Journey: Highs and Lows 05:50 Race Week Preparations 09:00 Race Day: The Start and Initial Feelings 11:59 Navigating the Race: Challenges and Highlights 14:58 Fundraising Success and Strategies 17:56 Post-Race Reflections and Future Plans