A Million Reasons to Run London Marathon

MUSIC: The Trap by Ron Goodwin

We've seen, born in London today, what is surely destined

to become one of the greatest events in British sport.

Tufa of Ethiopia heading for victory!

It's one of the greatest pieces of running we've ever seen.

Shoulders burning, fingertips pushing!

The London Marathon belongs to Eliud Kipchoge!

The hand of friendship after 26 miles.

A sight to behold every single year.

Hello and welcome to the start of this weekend's coverage

of the Virgin Money London Marathon.

Behind me there is the unmistakable skyline of the City of London.

So many great global sporting events have been held here in recent years,

and once again, tomorrow, thousands of athletes will take to the streets

running 26.2 miles past those iconic landmarks.

It promises to be another stirring day.

Well, tomorrow is the 36th running of this great race.

And, at some point in the afternoon,

the millionth finisher will cross the line.

It could be you, your mum, your dad,

your cousin or a colleague from work. It could be anyone.

Over the next half an hour or so,

we'll be looking at some of the incredible inspirational characters

who are going to be lining up - all for their very own reasons.

Whoever you are, though, whether you're intending to win the race,

or run it in under four hours, or maybe even jog round in eight -

you've all got to start here.

This is where you pick up your race number, you register,

and you might just pick up a few last-minute tips.

Hello, you all right?

Whilst they're here,

runners can get information on all kinds of things.

Preparation, hydration, even psychology.

And it's been very busy here all day,

because running a marathon is one of the great physical challenges.

So, how about 401 marathons in 401 days?

No! Who'd do that?!

Ben Smith of Bristol, that's who.

He's embarked on the challenge of all challenges

for his very own personal reasons.

But, along the way, he's been inspiring many others.

The challenge, I suppose, is quite simple.

I'm running 401 marathons in 401 consecutive days,

and I'm doing it to raise £250,000

for two anti-bullying charities.

I went away to school at the age of ten.

I'd come from quite a close-knit family,

and I went into an environment that was quite cold,

I became quite shy and quite reclusive

and I became quite a prone target for bullying.

The bullying was very mental,

it was quite physical, as well - I was beaten up.

And that turned towards an attack on my sexuality.

And I...

I didn't know that I was gay at that time,

but when I did figure it out, I was scared.

The bullying got so bad while I was at school

that, at the age of 18, I tried to take my own life.

And it wasn't a cry for help.

I just genuinely didn't want to be here.

When I was 29,

I suffered from a transient ischaemic attack - an incompleted stroke.

I was a bit overweight, I wasn't very happy, I was depressed,

and I was in this state thinking, "This can't be my life."

And then, it was a mate of mine

that actually dragged me along to my local running club.

And I fell in love with it.

This project started to grow about two years ago.

I thought, "Let's raise some money for two anti-bullying charities."

It just seemed like two perfect things to put together

to make what's happening now.

Hello, Ben. 401 marathons in 401 days? Good luck to you.

Good luck for London, Ben, and the next 164 marathons!

So, after London, I've done 237 back-to-back marathons,

which has taken me all over the UK.

Total miles for the 401 Challenge is 10,506.4,

which is the equivalent distance between London and Sydney.

The first five weeks for me were complete hell.

My left knee swelled up to twice the size,

I had severe tendinitis in my left shin,

I lost the feeling in my left foot.

I had a stress fracture in my big toe on my left foot.

Everything that could go wrong went wrong!

We love you.

It has been epic. I've met some amazing people.

I've had people, complete strangers,

offer me a bed for the night in their house, or a meal!

I've ran with over 4,300 people

over the past 237 days.

That's insane!

Day 192 and I'm about to cross the Scottish border.

-BAGPIPER PLAYS

-And look!

They've brought a piper!

And then, I've got all the storms I've been through!

They've been pretty memorable!

So, I've found the flooding.

I'll never forget memories like those.

# Running, running, running, running... #

I engage quite a lot with the people that I run with,

so I'm always chatting. You can't shut me up half the time.

I think they just can't wait to get away from me at the end!

Oh, you've done it!

Food!

Where did you get chips from?

It is literally get my hands on whatever I can eat.

So, I roughly go with about 6,500 calories a day.

I'll only have 6,000 calories to eat after this.

And we've done over 50 school visits now.

-Hello!

-APPLAUSE

It's me again - Ben.

-Are you Ben, as well?

-Yeah.

-Oh, wicked!

They're the best thing that I look forward to.

Do we think bullying is good, or do we think bullying is bad?

ALL: Bad!

It really fills me with faith

that our kids are now being brought up in a way

which gives them the opportunity to be who they want to be.

Do my legs hurt? Yeah, every day.

'Running gave me back my confidence'

and it gave me back my self-esteem

and it helped me deal with a lot of the stuff

that had happened to me in the past.

And without it, you know, I wouldn't be here.

And I'm grateful for that.

Well, an incredible story, and we wish Ben the very best of luck.

It's still a long way to go for him,

and who knows what time he'll cross the finish line.

But time is important for the elite runners,

and none more so than two of Britain's best marathon runners,

Sonia Samuels and Scott Overall.

And the reason time is important on Sunday is because this race,

effectively, could seal the deal for you in terms of your ticket to Rio.

So, explain to us what you have to do, Scott.

So, the qualifying for British Athletics to go to Rio is

you have to finish in the top two British athletes at London

and run the qualifying time of 2.14 for the men.

So, I've run the qualifying time already, so...

I say "just", I just have to be in the top two on Sunday

and that will guarantee my ticket to Rio.

And a similar scenario to you - a different time, of course.

But, Sonia, the time's in the bag?

Sunday's just a straightforward race

between you and the best of British women.

It's good to have the time in the bag,

but, like Scott says, you have to be top two.

So, it's going to be down to the race on the day

against the other girls

who are potentially going for those top two spots.

This whole place here is incredible, isn't it,

in the build-up to the marathon? People are getting excited,

people who are going to cross the line in six hours.

They're over there, getting their supplements and feeling excited.

You guys, it's a very different mind-set, I imagine,

when you're in those final hours preparing.

How are you feeling right now?

I think it's a bit of a mixed emotion.

You're excited, but you're also very nervous.

You're just trying to... It's a mental game, more than anything,

these last few days before the race.

And I think you just have to find something

that will take your mind off it,

watch a movie, read a book, whatever...

Just try and not focus so much on the race.

Conditions will determine the kind of race it is.

-It's going to be a bit chilly, Scott.

-You try not to,

but you keep an eye on the weather

throughout the whole week leading into it. And, yeah, I looked

and it was supposed to be two degrees on the start.

Very best of luck to both of you and to all the British athletes.

I look forward to interviewing you when you cross the finish line

looking as sparkly and relaxed as you are right now.

And, of course, these two here, Scott and Sonia,

are just part of really strong fields

in both the elite men's and women's race -

one of the strongest ever assembled at any marathon.

Here's Phil Jones with a look at the runners and riders.

Eliud Kipchoge is the sixth-fastest marathon man of all time.

His record since 2013 -

six marathon starts, five wins, one second place.

He defends his London crown.

Wilson Kipsang was defeated in a sprint finish last year.

Twice a London Marathon champion and the course record holder,

he's back to resume the Kenyan duel,

and aims to be just the fourth man in history

to win a hat-trick of titles here.

Another Kenyan, Dennis Kimetto, is the world-record holder,

the first man to go sub two hours three minutes for a marathon.

But he hasn't won a race since that staggering record

won him Berlin 17 months ago.

He was third here last year.

Ethiopia's Tigist Tufa won the Women's London Marathon title

last year, ending a run of four consecutive Kenyan wins.

She's back to defend her crown.

Mary Keitany lost out to Tufa last year,

but she's twice won the title

and is the second-fastest woman of all time.

The reigning two-time New York Marathon champion

leads the Kenyan challenge.

Twice a long-distance world champion,

Florence Kiplagat's London best was a runners-up spot two years ago.

Kenya's world-record holder for the half-marathon

returns to try to top that.

Well, there should be some fantastic races tomorrow,

with elite athletes going for times or victory.

But for 35,000 other runners,

the reasons for being there are very different.

For some, it's because their own lives have changed.

And for many, it's because they want to change the lives of others.

When he was just five,

Stuart Eggleshaw lost his mother to pancreatic cancer.

The 44-year-old from Mansfield is running for the charity Smiles

and Cancer Research UK,

after beating his own health battles.

Following a car crash in 2012,

he lost a staggering 22st and 9lbs

through the Body Magic programme

that promotes healthy eating and exercise.

He's making his marathon debut.

Barnsley's Becky Rend will have her cousin in mind

when she covers the marathon course

in aid of the Midlands Air Ambulance charity.

The cousin in question is Leah Washington,

who had a left leg amputated after a headline-making crash

on a roller-coaster at Alton Towers last year.

25-year-old legal assistant Becky

knows that without the work of Air Ambulance that June day,

Leah might not be alive.

Heather Duff was 12 when she ran the mini London Marathon in 1999

and promised herself she'd return one day

to complete the full adult course.

Two years ago, the 29-year-old from West Lothian

was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer.

So rare, in fact, it was only the 19th reported case.

Now in remission, Heather will fulfil her marathon vow

while raising money for Cancer Research UK.

Just a handful of some of the incredible and inspirational stories

of the many thousands of people

who will be pounding the streets on Sunday.

And you may well recognise quite a few of those faces, as well.

And one of them here, James Cracknell,

has been a familiar sight on the streets of London

over the last few years.

How many are you up to now, then, James?

This will be my fifth - if I make it all the way to the finish.

You won't just make it, you'll do it in an impressive time, as well.

-You always say...

-Talk's cheap at this stage.

You ask anyone around here now, they'll have a good idea.

-But then they all change on the day.

-Sum it up for us.

-What's so special about this marathon?

-It's not like running.

For the first half, it's unlike running

because there are loads of people running with you

and loads of people cheering on all the runners, which doesn't...

So you don't notice the first 13 miles?

You get through a fair bit for free and then it does start to come back.

Actually, Tower Bridge is probably the best and worst place,

because you cross and it's halfway,

but you've got to turn right and run round Canary Wharf.

And when I get there, the elite runners are already running back.

And you're thinking, "Oh...!"

And then you've got to go the other way, so, you know...

Well, James, you're not the only Olympian in town,

because Dame Kelly Holmes, double gold-medal winner, of course,

from the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 800 and 1,500 metres,

has turned her hand to the just over 42,000-metre race

for the first time ever.

She's not saying just yet

how quickly she thinks she's going to go,

but she has been getting a few tips from Paula Radcliffe.

So this is a nice place to come and train and put in some miles.

Yeah, it is nice, actually.

It's only sort of part of a route that I normally do.

But it's nice that I've got off the tarmac,

because that's what I find hard.

Good. And that's what I think you're going to find

will be your hardest thing.

It's not going to be the fitness to run the marathon.

It'll be your muscles just used to the pounding of that distance.

It makes my legs ache thinking about it, Paula!

-Shall we see how your legs have recovered?

-Let's go!

I'm just not a long-distance runner. I literally know that.

Because even when I was training, my longest run would probably be,

like, an hour on a Sunday or something or a recovery run.

-But just literally...

-But it was a quick hour.

-No, only when I was with you! Only if I actually go out with you!

-No.

You just, like, sprint from the start!

Because I'm up on my toes so much and the way that...

You know, I was speaking to one of the physios and the doctor

and he actually looked at my hips

and he says the way my hips are actually twisted

allowed me to do what I did as a middle-distance runner.

You know, the power and that.

And now he says, "Now you're trying to do longer stuff,

"it's changing you biomechanically.

"So you're sitting back more

"and it's actually now putting so much pressure on your hips."

It's not for the willingness to do it, knowing I have to do it.

But then, you know, when you're in pain for five days after,

you're just like, "Oh, my gosh...!"

But now I've opened my mouth, I'm doing it.

And you've got a big motivation to keep you through it

with kind of the motivation of that target, which is a huge target.

£250,000 for five charities.

Yeah, it's a driver.

You know, I think when you've got something as a driver,

that's what's keeping me going, that's why I have to do it now.

I've done charity for years and I feel passionate about that.

I've always given back and I always will,

but I think, if I can just do one massive, massive push, let's do it.

So I decided I was going to do London, Paula.

Best of luck to Kelly. Although I'm sure she has got a time in mind.

But as she says, it's raising £250,000 for charity

that's the important goal.

And it's pounds of a different kind

that inspires other people to run.

Maybe they want to get fit, lose a little bit of weight.

And if you've been inspired today thinking,

"I fancy a bit of that marathon running,"

check out the BBC Sport website.

Go to the Get Inspired pages,

where you can find out all kinds of details about running clubs

and other sporting activities in your area.

You're never too old or too young or, in some cases, too silly

to start marathon running.

Check out these athletes here,

who have got some world records of their own that they're after.

Among the potential world-record breakers are Ian Bates

as a stunted T-rex,

bidding to become the fastest 3-D dinosaur-dressed runner

to complete the marathon.

Worthy of a RAPTOR-ous reception!

This gingerbread man needs to run as fast as he can to take the biscuits.

Richard Kell is the name.

The quickest marathon in a four-man costume -

that's the aim of this fire crew,

celebrating the 150th anniversary of the London Fire Brigade.

Alarm-free, we hope.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Lisa Wilkinson is the feistiest of them all,

running her 25th marathon with a Snow White record in mind.

It's the appliance of strength and stamina

for marathon-mad Philip Box and his tumble dryer.

And while he'll be putting his back into it,

it's a show of strength, too, from Stephen Reading.

His target - to become the fastest circus strongman

to complete the marathon.

Ryan Dearing's a hot dog with added relish and extra mustard.

He'll need it all to become the hot-dog-clad record holder.

Hiya!

Bob Johnson's two-man canoe could be his victory vessel,

as he dips his oar into marathon-record waters.

When camouflage makes you stand out in a crowd,

it has to be Corin Leach, in pursuit of a ghillie-suited record.

Has wings, will fly.

Well, at least she'll try.

Fay Morse hopes to give Tinker Bell a run for her money

and become the fleetest of fairies.

Link by link and yard by yard, the great crusade for Dave Cook

is to break the record for running in chain mail.

Well, it takes all sorts.

As this man here knows.

-Jon Scott is attempting a world record dressed like this.

-I am.

-How quick have you got to run to get your record?

-Four-and-a-half hours.

And what kind of time would you normally run in regular clothing?

This will be my first-ever marathon.

But I think I could probably do a regular marathon

in around about three-and-a-half to three forty-five.

So I've got a little bit of margin, hopefully.

-It should be a doddle for you.

-I'm sure, yeah.

Well, you are a man of fitness.

You're in charge of fitness for the European Space Agency,

hence Tim Peake stood between us,

because you're the man responsible for getting these guys fit

when they go up into space.

So what kind of things would you have done with Tim

before he embarked on his expedition?

So before Tim flies, we have to make sure he is as healthy as he can be.

So not as fit as he can be.

So we're not trying to create elite runners or weightlifters.

But he needs to be ready to exercise very hard on the space station.

Libby, one of your colleagues,

is demonstrating how it will look for Tim Peake on Sunday.

This is the kind of equipment that he's going to be in.

So talk us through...

Hi, Libby, by the way.

..what Libby's wearing.

So one of the unique things about running in space

is you have no body weight.

The first time you touch the deck, you would simply float away.

So we have to give Tim a special harness

which actually pulls him onto the treadmill

and actually allows him to run.

The more loading we use in the harness,

the more difficult the run becomes.

But the more loading we use,

the more pressure Tim feels through his shoulders and his hips.

So very much like wearing a heavy rucksack.

So the challenge for Tim will be

to try and find the right amount of loading

that will allow him to run for three to four hours,

and the right amount of running speed - the combination of the two -

will give him the challenge that he wants.

And he'll have a screen, as well.

So he'll be going through the streets of London,

seeing all the landmarks along the way. Which will help him, I guess.

He will, yes. So for normal exercise countermeasures,

we simply have a treadmill with a wall in front of it.

So it's not the most stimulating environment.

Luckily, for his marathon, we will have a screen in front of him,

it will show the whole route and he will match up

the running speed with the video route and so he will cross

the finish line in the video at the same time he finishes 26.2 miles.

OK, well, I will leave you two to it.

Best of luck for the record on Sunday.

He is obviously in good shape, Tim Peake,

and preparing well for his marathon challenge.

So, to find out just how well it is going, we sent Steve Cram to

be our Ground Control to Major Tim.

Hi, Tim. Steve Cram here from BBC Sport.

You're one of tens of thousands who are going to be taking

part, in your own unique way, on Sunday.

Most of them will probably say they haven't done enough training.

Do you fall into the same category,

and what particular issues have you been facing?

Hello, Steve. It is great to be talking to you this afternoon.

I have got a guilty admission,

I probably do fall into that same category.

I don't think you can ever do enough training for a marathon

but I have certainly been putting in the miles on the T2 treadmill,

is what we call it up here on the space station.

I have done a few half-marathons and a little bit longer

distance as well so I am comfortable I can run the marathon on Sunday.

But I am sure there will be a few points where I will be wishing

I did a bit more training.

Most people have something that will keep them going on Sunday.

For some, it will be the cause they're running for,

for some it will be maybe the finish line.

I know you have a brilliant view out of the window

but what is going to keep you going in your own particular marathon?

Music you listen to, or things you're thinking about?

What will keep you motivated?

That is a great question.

I think there are a number of things that will keep me motivated.

One of the main memories I have of 1999,

when I ran the London Marathon before, was the atmosphere

and the crowd and the other competitors taking part.

That spirit really lifted me the entire way through the race,

so in order to try and get some of that up here on board the space

station, I have got a couple of things.

Firstly, I have the RunSocial app,

so I will be looking at the route I am running

and I will be running alongside everybody else who is running

the digital version of the London Marathon.

Also, hopefully I will get the telly sent up to

the space station as well.

So at times I will be able to see what is going on with

the real race in London, which will be a huge boost to me,

to be able to know I'm running alongside everyone down there.

Of course, people like Jon and Libby, who are running alongside me,

and everybody from Team Astronaut, from the Prince's Trust as well.

It is great to know I have got all that support down there

and I am running for a great cause, that will keep me going.

It goes without saying that everyone who takes

part in the London Marathon is a hero.

But some people deserve a special mention.

David Weir, who equalled Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson's six

victories in London. Going for the magnificent seven, David.

I'm trying to, yes.

-How has preparation gone?

-I have had a really good winter, actually.

A lot of mileage, back in the gym.

I don't know if it is because it is an Olympic year

and you just get that buzz again.

I raced in Boston on Sunday but, you know,

it was the first time doing that course and I came fourth.

I was a bit gutted afterwards but after I thought about it,

I'm getting ready for this race on Sunday.

What is it going to take to win it for a seventh time, do you think?

It is going to take beating Marcel, Kurt and Ernst at the moment.

They are the three guys that are really pushing well at the moment.

This course suits me and it is a bit more technical, it is

not as fast and furious like Boston.

So hopefully it will suit me on Sunday.

Best of luck, David, going for the magnificent seven on Sunday.

-We'll all be rooting for you.

-Thank you.

Every year, the London Marathon teams up with an official

charity partner. This year it is the turn of the NSPCC,

which, incredibly, is celebrating 30 years of ChildLine.

They have helped millions of children in that time.

On Sunday, a group of young people will be running under

the name Team ChildLine,

to help represent those voices that they have helped.

When I run, I sort of feel free.

I'm mainly running the marathon because of what happened to me and

my story but also for all the other stories that people haven't shared.

I think the team element is something really special.

For each of us, individually, to run a marathon,

I don't think it's anything any of us would have ever dreamed of.

I don't really know where I would be if it wasn't for ChildLine.

I definitely wouldn't be the same person I am now.

I don't really want to think about how things could have been.

I think I was about 14 or 15 and there were a lot of things

going on in my life that I couldn't make sense of.

I didn't know how to deal with those feelings,

and I think because I had quite low confidence and self-esteem,

I didn't know, like, if I could speak to people about things.

I just didn't know kind of where to turn.

I have been bullied throughout my time at school.

It started online, comments which obviously weren't about me.

But everyone sort of knew they were about me.

The bullying did eventually, like, become something that

happened in school. So that was quite tricky to, like, deal with.

It was quite lonely and isolating, I guess.

I turned to ChildLine and, I think, when I found them online,

the website, I remember just spending hours looking through.

I was reassured that it could be anything.

If it is affecting you and is making you feel low or

anything, then, yeah, they are there for you.

ChildLine actually helped me understand what was going on

and talk about it.

It was a huge weight being lifted, so that was an amazing feeling.

The main piece of tactical advice ChildLine gave me

was writing things down.

I started writing letters to myself, from then,

explaining what was going on so I wasn't bottling it up any more.

Hello, you're through to someone you can talk to.

There was an opportunity to volunteer with ChildLine and,

yeah, it was a massive step, but I took it.

Being able to train as a ChildLine counsellor myself,

I literally don't have words for it, it's amazing.

I think having that little bit of insight is just really special

because it means I can sit there and be like, "I want to help you,

"I want to help you get through this."

Like they did with me.

I'm helping the new campaigns and different things the NSPCC do.

That has been amazing, like.

I was someone who was contacting ChildLine

and now I'm helping to get the message out to other people.

Running it is such a good image of how ChildLine supports

young people.

There are hurdles to overcome

and still kind of difficulties on the way but you have got that

crowd cheering you on and there is that finish line in sight.

I really just hope my story encourages people who haven't

contacted ChildLine to contact ChildLine

and those that are contacting ChildLine to continue

and those who have, to possibly volunteer or try

and donate money and help NSPCC carry on what they are doing.

Doing it to raise awareness of ChildLine and to

celebrate its 30th birthday, I think it's such a good way to celebrate it

and be like, "This service really changes lives."

Such a special team and very best of luck to them all.

A great way to finish this look ahead to the London Marathon.

35,000 runners of all shapes and sizes

and all kinds of backgrounds will be taking part,

hoping to finish this globally iconic event.

You can see it all on the BBC.

Tomorrow, coverage starts at 8.30 on BBC One

and coverage across BBC Radio, online and social-media channels.

So the 36th London Marathon is upon us, and tomorrow,

at some point, the millionth finisher will cross the line.

Another incredible milestone in this truly uplifting human race.

Best of luck to all of you. Sleep well tonight. I'll see you tomorrow.

Some 7,000 men and women are preparing to embark

on what for almost each and every one has become a personal crusade.

# How far we've gone

# How far we're going

# It's the here and the now

# And the love for the sound

# Of the moments that keep us moving

# Soldier on, soldier on

# Don't think about it at all

# Yeah, will you take me tonight?

# Yeah, will you take me tonight?

# Yeah

# Soldier on, soldier on. #