My Reason to Run London Marathon


My Reason to Run

Similar Content

Browse content similar to My Reason to Run. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

We have seen in London today what is destined to become one of the great

:00:12.:00:25.

events in British sport. Jo Pavey, debut marathon.

:00:26.:00:31.

One of the greatest pieces of running that we have ever seen.

:00:32.:00:38.

Shoulders burning, fingertips pushing!

:00:39.:00:47.

Eliud Kipchoge, one of the fastest marathons of all time.

:00:48.:00:51.

A sight to behold, every single year.

:00:52.:00:58.

Hello and welcome to this year's coverage of the Virgin London

:00:59.:01:05.

Marathon, in less than 24 hours' time thousands of runners will take

:01:06.:01:08.

to the streets of London to run the 26 point two miles behind me over

:01:09.:01:13.

there. From great elite athletes to good club runners and the ordinary

:01:14.:01:16.

folk who have decided they want a challenge. They are all going

:01:17.:01:20.

through last-minute preparations, and each and every one of them have

:01:21.:01:22.

a very different reason for running. But before the runners can take to

:01:23.:01:46.

the streets on Sunday, they have to come here, to the Expo, to pick up

:01:47.:01:49.

race numbers in some last-minute tips if they need them. Over the

:01:50.:01:53.

next half are so we're going to hear some inspirational stories, of some

:01:54.:01:56.

of those taking part at the weekend. And there is one very special

:01:57.:02:01.

non-running guest coming along to open the 2017 London Marathon

:02:02.:02:02.

ex-beau. Every year, the London Marathon has

:02:03.:02:25.

an official charity, and this time it is the Heads Together campaign

:02:26.:02:28.

spearheaded by the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. It is to

:02:29.:02:31.

spearheaded by the Duchess of encourage people to open up the

:02:32.:02:34.

conversation around mental illness, and this time everyone in the

:02:35.:02:38.

marathon is encouraged to wear a blue headband to think about mental

:02:39.:02:42.

illness. It is a campaign really close to the young royals' parts,

:02:43.:02:47.

and this is way. A lot of people with mental health

:02:48.:02:50.

issues hide it so well. You wear a mask day-to-day.

:02:51.:02:55.

People assume the depression is all about being sad, but it is not, it

:02:56.:02:59.

is mostly feeling absolutely nothing, feeling completely hollow.

:03:00.:03:04.

For ten runners lining up in Greenwich tomorrow, being on the

:03:05.:03:07.

start line is a huge achievement. Earlier this year, they were set a

:03:08.:03:12.

challenge by the Heads Together campaign, led by the Duke and

:03:13.:03:14.

Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

:03:15.:03:17.

Good to see you again, how are you? They started training to run London

:03:18.:03:23.

Marathon despite suffering from a range of mental health issues. It is

:03:24.:03:27.

estimated that one in four people will seek professional help for

:03:28.:03:30.

their mental health at some point in their lives, it is a huge and

:03:31.:03:35.

growing problem. Talking about mental health is best

:03:36.:03:38.

for everybody, it doesn't matter who you are.

:03:39.:03:42.

None of the group had run before and the aim was to show how exercise can

:03:43.:03:45.

be a healthy part of treatment. One of the ten runners is Rhiannon

:03:46.:03:51.

Burke, her mental health issues began five years ago when her son

:03:52.:03:53.

George tragically died from pneumonia. Then five days later, her

:03:54.:04:00.

husband committed suicide. When I heard that he had also passed

:04:01.:04:06.

away, my life as I knew it was over. Me, as a person, changed forever.

:04:07.:04:14.

The effect it has on you as a person, I used to be very bubbly and

:04:15.:04:17.

confident, but actually inside I feel dead myself.

:04:18.:04:22.

For Rhiannon and the other runners, taking part has given her a well

:04:23.:04:28.

needed focus, and there has been plenty of support from the charity's

:04:29.:04:32.

founders. This is an important and personal calls.

:04:33.:04:38.

I think you're very strong and how you're managing to do this, it's

:04:39.:04:41.

incredible. When your mum passed away, you're

:04:42.:04:46.

older than my children, but I obviously worry about them. They

:04:47.:04:50.

will be OK, won't they? They will be absolutely fine. You

:04:51.:04:54.

never get over it, such an unbelievably big moment in your

:04:55.:04:59.

life. It never leaves you. You just have to deal with that. You will

:05:00.:05:06.

provide a blanket of stability and understanding that they need. And I

:05:07.:05:13.

can tell you enough, you doing this is an incredibly big positive step.

:05:14.:05:19.

Harry, tell us a little bit about Heads Together, and your aims for

:05:20.:05:23.

the charity? The aim is for the charity, well, I

:05:24.:05:27.

think last year the aims were very different to what they are now,

:05:28.:05:33.

because this campaign is literally blowing up in the conversation

:05:34.:05:37.

around mental health. Every year, the momentum has built and built,

:05:38.:05:41.

and now we have realised that not only is there a more appetite, but

:05:42.:05:48.

the appetite is enormous, especially over this last week. It has really

:05:49.:05:54.

picked up, the momentum, and we all believe and know because of the

:05:55.:05:58.

statistics, that the country is at a tipping point, and the conversation

:05:59.:06:01.

has brought us to this tipping point where change needs to happen. The

:06:02.:06:07.

stigma needs to be removed, and we need to set the foundations for

:06:08.:06:11.

every generation, especially the younger generation, to be able to

:06:12.:06:17.

talk about their mental fitness. You, your brother and the Duchess of

:06:18.:06:20.

Cambridge, when you got together and decided this was a cause worth

:06:21.:06:24.

having a conversation about, were putting on this huge stage, the

:06:25.:06:27.

London Marathon in particular, there must have been something that

:06:28.:06:31.

resonated with the three of you. Was there a conversation you had where

:06:32.:06:35.

you realise the importance? Yes, it's the first time the three

:06:36.:06:39.

of us have come together for one cause, one campaign. Mental health

:06:40.:06:42.

was popping up in the news all over the place, and the topics at -- of

:06:43.:06:48.

conversation across the UK in certain areas was really aware IIs,

:06:49.:06:53.

this was something that needed to be talk to about. The London Marathon

:06:54.:07:01.

was an end goal something to aim towards to bring people together.

:07:02.:07:05.

And the three of us, whether it be that rings, young people are

:07:06.:07:11.

homeless people, the conversation is always linked back to mental health.

:07:12.:07:15.

We were getting frustrated that people were suffering in silence. It

:07:16.:07:19.

did not seem to make any sense to us, so if the three of us can come

:07:20.:07:23.

together and put our heads together and start this conversation and

:07:24.:07:27.

encourage the rest of the UK to talk about and have a conversation, then

:07:28.:07:34.

that was an easy do for us. It was a team effort.

:07:35.:07:39.

What would you hope to see in three years' time? What is the endgame,

:07:40.:07:44.

the result? For all of us, the result is to be

:07:45.:07:49.

removing the stigma. I would like to think that we have removed the

:07:50.:07:54.

stigma with the London Marathon. The next steps have to happen. All we

:07:55.:07:58.

can do is create the environment where the whole of the UK is saying,

:07:59.:08:01.

right, something needs to be done, so let's do it. That is our job, our

:08:02.:08:07.

role. I think it has been proven that the appetite is there, so let's

:08:08.:08:11.

do it, let's unite the whole country and bring in the right changes,

:08:12.:08:16.

where changes are needed, and make it easier for people to receive

:08:17.:08:19.

help. The point we're trying to make is not everybody will need that

:08:20.:08:26.

help, because if you can remove the stigma, the conversation that

:08:27.:08:28.

happened earlier on in that process will mean you will not need help

:08:29.:08:31.

necessarily down the line. You catch it early. Talk about something when

:08:32.:08:36.

it is a small issue before it snowballs. Of course, there are

:08:37.:08:41.

other hereditary issues, but for a lot of these issues if we can

:08:42.:08:44.

encourage the younger generation to talk about their issues more, when

:08:45.:08:50.

they grow up those issues will not be there, and they will be a happier

:08:51.:08:54.

and better person for it. The whole country has come together and will

:08:55.:08:58.

come together, and we need to drive the rest of the way until everything

:08:59.:09:02.

is good. Good, see you on Sunday. Not

:09:03.:09:06.

running, of course. Not running, but we will be there

:09:07.:09:11.

for many hours standing in the freezing cold.

:09:12.:09:13.

for many hours standing in the You look like you have got a

:09:14.:09:17.

marathon in you, you could do a three error?

:09:18.:09:22.

Maybe five errors in a costume. The marathon is not from me. -- five

:09:23.:09:25.

Alice. People have got their reasons for

:09:26.:09:33.

doing it, and crossing that line is going to be really emotional for

:09:34.:09:37.

people. The London Marathon is also an elite

:09:38.:09:42.

race, and from any of the British athletes that means trying to secure

:09:43.:09:45.

qualification for the World Championships in London in August.

:09:46.:09:50.

And hoping to get a place there is former European champion Jo Pavey.

:09:51.:09:56.

Come on, Jo Pavey! Way she goes! A glorious run! It is gold for Jo

:09:57.:10:06.

Pavey. We have not seen you for a little

:10:07.:10:11.

while, how have you been? Just putting in the training,

:10:12.:10:14.

keeping it going and having this focus of the London Marathon has

:10:15.:10:18.

kept me motivated, wanting to put in the miles. I have really enjoyed the

:10:19.:10:22.

change in emphasis and really looking forward to it.

:10:23.:10:28.

When did you make the decision? I presume the World Championships was

:10:29.:10:32.

something you did not want to miss. Exactly, I would love to compete in

:10:33.:10:38.

London 2017 on home soil, such an amazing opportunity, and fond

:10:39.:10:41.

memories of London 2012, that home crowd, I know what that feels like.

:10:42.:10:45.

Definitely that is motivating. The marathon felt like a new challenge,

:10:46.:10:50.

something that would really keep my motivation going, such fond memories

:10:51.:10:53.

of competing in it before. Really wanted to give it another go.

:10:54.:11:03.

Jo Pavey could, another marathon. I definitely learned the hard way,

:11:04.:11:06.

you have got to pace yourself, so important. I thought I was

:11:07.:11:12.

listening, but as soon as the gun went off, I went for it, I wanted to

:11:13.:11:16.

try to be competitive and was not ready to be put those top girls. It

:11:17.:11:20.

felt like the last 40 minutes of the race, I felt delirious. Pushing

:11:21.:11:25.

myself to that finishing line, thinking I had run this really

:11:26.:11:27.

badly. Last year's winner has failed a

:11:28.:11:34.

test. What does that do to the credibility of the field?

:11:35.:11:39.

I think it's a shame that you have got a winner testing positive,

:11:40.:11:43.

because they are just ruining the sport. We are glad that she has been

:11:44.:11:48.

caught, but it is a shame for the sport that there are still people

:11:49.:11:50.

out there are cheating the system and ruining the name of the sport,

:11:51.:11:54.

because you want to believe a good performance, you want be looking at

:11:55.:11:57.

athletes winning Olympics and big events and admire their performance,

:11:58.:12:01.

and people like her are ruining the sport because every time you see a

:12:02.:12:05.

good performance you're wondering, is that for real or not?

:12:06.:12:11.

A brave, brave run from Jo Pavey which should have been rewarded with

:12:12.:12:14.

a medal. What a performance from Joel!

:12:15.:12:21.

You mentioned retrospective testing, are you expecting a medal in London?

:12:22.:12:24.

I hope I am going to be awarded the are you expecting a medal in London?

:12:25.:12:30.

Bronze medal from Sachar, it is a bit bittersweet to get a medal ten

:12:31.:12:34.

minutes late. When I think back to the big disappointment, it should

:12:35.:12:37.

have been a moment where I got to stand on the podium being probed to

:12:38.:12:41.

get a medal for my country, and that moment was gone. But instead I am

:12:42.:12:47.

thrilled to finally get a medal. How do you approach the marathon?

:12:48.:12:53.

I am getting older but I still think the marathon is an event where

:12:54.:12:57.

potentially I could do well. The build-up I have had has been

:12:58.:12:59.

consistent, I have trained really hard. I have had more illness than I

:13:00.:13:03.

would have liked, but any busy parent can relate to that, the

:13:04.:13:10.

little ones bringing home the bugs. Think it is just dealing with the

:13:11.:13:13.

ups and downs of what you have to do, really.

:13:14.:13:16.

Jo Pavey is one of many British women hoping to get a qualifying

:13:17.:13:22.

time for London. It is a stack trace, but one name stands out. The

:13:23.:13:27.

triple New York and London winner. In the men's elite race, if you're

:13:28.:13:31.

going to win that, you're going to have to beat Olympic royalty.

:13:32.:13:38.

In a world where the world -- word great can be overused, Kenenisa

:13:39.:13:42.

Bekele is deserving of the tribute. great can be overused, Kenenisa

:13:43.:13:47.

He is the stellar name in the men's elite field. On the track, the

:13:48.:13:52.

Ethiopian long-distance runner was a dominant force. He went really big

:13:53.:13:56.

titles, five world titles, and broke both the 5000 and 10,000 metre world

:13:57.:14:04.

records. His 2014 transition brought him victory in his marathon debut in

:14:05.:14:09.

Paris, in a course record time. Only just returning from injury, this

:14:10.:14:13.

time last year, Kenenisa Bekele he still managed to finish third in his

:14:14.:14:18.

London Marathon debut. He controversially missed selection for

:14:19.:14:22.

Ethiopian's Olympic team, only to deliver the perfect response will

:14:23.:14:26.

stop triumph in the Berlin Marathon in the second fastest time ever.

:14:27.:14:32.

Today, he will have Eliud Kipchoge's course record in mind. And he may

:14:33.:14:37.

even further cement his legend with a new world record under two hours,

:14:38.:14:42.

two minutes and 57 seconds. Only true greats can afford themselves

:14:43.:14:43.

such rarefied opportunity. Here at the Expo there are so many

:14:44.:14:57.

great things to do, you can get nutritional tips or amass such, work

:14:58.:15:04.

out your place, it may not be record pace but Barry Smith is here to tell

:15:05.:15:08.

you how to get that feeling of that. We can get up to the average speed

:15:09.:15:17.

for the men's. I meant the world record. What is the difference

:15:18.:15:21.

between this and the normal treadmill? This has a flexible floor

:15:22.:15:27.

so if you fall you won't hurt yourself. People have come through

:15:28.:15:33.

the doors, have they all given it a go? Yes. Only if you haven't done

:15:34.:15:41.

that. I will not make you do it. Martin yelling is a marathon expert,

:15:42.:15:46.

he knows what it takes to run a Martin yelling is a marathon expert,

:15:47.:15:51.

decent Marathon. Can we crank the pace up to world record? Let's do

:15:52.:15:58.

it. You can tell us what it feels like. It's definitely getting fast.

:15:59.:16:07.

This feels really quick. This is 12.7 miles an hour. I'm not sure how

:16:08.:16:16.

this is possible for 26.2 miles. Don't forget you will be injecting

:16:17.:16:22.

pace at various points, slowing down, this is just the average.

:16:23.:16:26.

Reach out for a drink from the drinks station. It's amazing how

:16:27.:16:33.

people achieve these kind of places for that distance. I did think

:16:34.:16:40.

you're quite done a lot there. This is 400 metres. You're quite a

:16:41.:16:46.

masochist putting people through this. But all very safe. Very safe,

:16:47.:16:56.

yes. We're not sure if there will be a world record on Sunday but it will

:16:57.:16:59.

not come from one of these famous faces.

:17:00.:17:05.

Famous faces to spot include Match of the Day presenter Mark Chapman.

:17:06.:17:11.

Four and a half hours is his aim, a similar target for Chris Evans, read

:17:12.:17:16.

you to's now regular Marathon entrants. Four hours is the aim for

:17:17.:17:27.

Quinton Fortune. Rowe Helen Glover is no duck out of water. Five and a

:17:28.:17:34.

half hours would please I TV newsreader Nina Hussain. Pamela

:17:35.:17:41.

Ralph has an eye on a time just over four hours. Baasit has his aim on

:17:42.:17:59.

for hours. East End's Ian Beale is aiming for seven RS, sounds like a

:18:00.:18:04.

stroll. Sian Williams thinks she is in for our 20 minute shape but to

:18:05.:18:10.

finish it all is a feat whatever the time for runners today.

:18:11.:18:16.

They are just some of the celebrities who will be pounding the

:18:17.:18:21.

streets of London, raising so much money for charity. The London

:18:22.:18:23.

streets of London, raising so much Marathon brings together people from

:18:24.:18:30.

different backgrounds and one of those is Francesca from near Wigan.

:18:31.:18:35.

She has lived her whole life with a visual impairment and training for

:18:36.:18:39.

the Marathon has given her so many positives.

:18:40.:18:47.

I have hereditary hasta Geac and glow coma bright lights are very

:18:48.:18:59.

painful and it makes me Nightline. The glow coma is from that, it's the

:19:00.:19:11.

detail. -- might blind. I felt really out of control and that is

:19:12.:19:18.

when I developed my eating disorder bod year ten and the bullying

:19:19.:19:23.

continued. It made me stronger, I am who I am and I wouldn't be here

:19:24.:19:35.

without the experience. I like the thought of it for the last two or

:19:36.:19:41.

three years, with my site deteriorating I wanted to do with

:19:42.:19:49.

while I still had good site. Needing someone to guide me, they directed

:19:50.:19:56.

me to the British Blind Sport database. I run with a tether with

:19:57.:20:03.

her at the side of me and she indicates that there is an incline

:20:04.:20:06.

coming up for any undulating ground ahead. It became a friendship within

:20:07.:20:14.

weeks, we got to know each other and we chat most days now so it's

:20:15.:20:19.

definitely a French shop. I get anxiety and it holds up but once you

:20:20.:20:26.

start running it falls away and he feel free, and you are running with

:20:27.:20:31.

someone you know you can trust. Once you get the running but, some people

:20:32.:20:39.

do don't have it and some do and it's the feeling of doing something

:20:40.:20:44.

you enjoy, it's painful but that achievement and the metal is

:20:45.:20:48.

probably one of the best you can get. A lot are runners will say they

:20:49.:20:53.

do it for the goody bags and the medals. Best of luck to Francesca,

:20:54.:20:59.

do it for the goody bags and the I'm sure she'll have a fantastic

:21:00.:21:04.

experience and for one lady last year it was a one in a million

:21:05.:21:08.

experience, the lady who crossed the line as the millionth runner ever in

:21:09.:21:15.

London Marathon history. Did you know immediately you were that one

:21:16.:21:21.

in a million? It took weeks to find out and then a phone call when I was

:21:22.:21:26.

at home. Did you remember the campaign? We got to tell you that

:21:27.:21:35.

was you, and I wanted to scream and cry. Everybody had to cross the

:21:36.:21:41.

line, you have that gorgeous picture. Not quite a! I was a broken

:21:42.:21:49.

woman by the end of it so when they have done any promo pictures they

:21:50.:21:53.

haven't shown me doing the marathon. And you're back for more punishment.

:21:54.:22:01.

You'll also serving Metropolitan Police officer and in the light of

:22:02.:22:06.

what happened with the attacks in Westminster, a margin for you and

:22:07.:22:10.

colleagues that will be fantastic to see London back in full colour and

:22:11.:22:16.

the streets alive. It's the best place to be an marathon day. Having

:22:17.:22:23.

worked it in the past and run at last, the crowds were amazing. A

:22:24.:22:27.

couple of weeks ago London was a horrible place to be working but a

:22:28.:22:32.

couple of weeks later it's back to London again. Best of luck, I hope

:22:33.:22:39.

you enjoy it. Remember to look up to the camera. If I finish it! So many

:22:40.:22:49.

people will be out there, some of those veterans of the course but one

:22:50.:22:53.

runner has not competed in London before. The sport is a lot to me,

:22:54.:23:04.

really amazing. I never get tired when I running, I just want to keep

:23:05.:23:08.

going. I don't want to stop the whole day. Five years ago I came to

:23:09.:23:18.

London to participate for the Olympics. Since that time I haven't

:23:19.:23:28.

been back to my country. I was born in Somalia, in 1991 in Mogadishu. I

:23:29.:23:41.

started when I was five years old, playing football, then started

:23:42.:23:46.

basketball and now ended up running. Where I live was unacceptable for

:23:47.:24:00.

ladies to do sport. It was really difficult, especially for the

:24:01.:24:04.

ladies. They knew I'm sporty so it wasn't safe.

:24:05.:24:13.

It was my dream to go to Britain, Iran 400 metres. I was so happy. It

:24:14.:24:31.

was, the whole nation was keeping an eye for the race so it was a clear

:24:32.:24:36.

message showing the Somalian seen alive -- it was my dream to

:24:37.:24:43.

represent my country. What happened to my family wasn't really good.

:24:44.:24:48.

So... They knew that even if I go back to

:24:49.:25:08.

Somalia, I wouldn't be saved, so it was good news for me and my family.

:25:09.:25:15.

But Britain is different. It was another world to me so I ended up

:25:16.:25:22.

becoming homeless. It was hard to find where to live. Who I go with.

:25:23.:25:34.

Then I found the hostel. When I was in the hostel I met the running

:25:35.:25:42.

charity because they were working for homeless. I got my motivation.

:25:43.:25:53.

They treat me the way I wanted to be treated, they helped me the way I

:25:54.:25:57.

wanted to be helped. Britain is my country right now, it changed my

:25:58.:26:07.

life, it's where I feel safe. This marathon is the first time I run it.

:26:08.:26:15.

The reason I've run it is to show the other women who live around the

:26:16.:26:19.

world who don't get the chance that I'd get, to show them, do what you

:26:20.:26:25.

want to do, follow your mind and your heart. A remarkable story. Best

:26:26.:26:37.

of luck to her on Sunday. Another great athlete performing in 2012 was

:26:38.:26:42.

David Wear, a legend of the London Marathon. Love meeting in the

:26:43.:26:48.

massage area. How many marathons will this be? This will be my 18

:26:49.:26:55.

year NRO computing in the London Marathon. Can you believe you've

:26:56.:26:57.

been doing this for a this long at Marathon. Can you believe you've

:26:58.:27:04.

this level? When they told me it was my 18th year in a row, I felt old, I

:27:05.:27:12.

did think I'm getting slower so as long as I can compete with the guys

:27:13.:27:17.

at the end I will be happy. Will this be the year to get that

:27:18.:27:24.

magnificent seven? I'm just happy to be in good shape, I don't put that

:27:25.:27:29.

pressure on my shoulders, I'm in pretty good shape and happy with my

:27:30.:27:35.

performance. It's been an illustrious career with so many

:27:36.:27:40.

victories. Is the end close? We'll see. I've enjoyed the trimming, I've

:27:41.:27:47.

enjoyed being back in the park so we will see on Sunday. I hope you have

:27:48.:27:54.

a fantastic race. Have a great race anyway. Thank you.

:27:55.:28:04.

Best of luck to David and all the competitors across the elite races,

:28:05.:28:12.

the good club runners and ordinary folk starting the marathon for the

:28:13.:28:17.

first time. Coverage starts at 8:30am on BBC Two but we will leave

:28:18.:28:23.

you with a look at what is coming up on this board platforms and it's

:28:24.:28:27.

fair to say that it's a Marathon sporting weekend. It's a site that

:28:28.:28:42.

never fails to inspire. Very neat! That's what it means to him. Adam

:28:43.:28:58.

Peaty! That guy is unstoppable. Sure scores, the black and whites are

:28:59.:28:59.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS