Leah O'Donovan

I got the phone call yesterday afternoon around 4.00pm from the charity St Johns Ambulance indicating they’d had a dropout. If I was still interested, a place in the London marathon was mine. The minimum fundraising amount is £1,450. That was one of the lowest minimum amounts. Immediately I was placed between ‘rock’ and ‘hard place’. I informed the lady on the phone that I had entered the Edinburgh marathon instead. I asked for the weekend to think it over.

So now, friends, I have a quandary: do the dream London marathon or stick with Edinburgh? In listing the pro’s and con’s of each race the only pro of London is the fact that it is London. With Edinburgh I don’t have to start the training programme until 1 February and I don’t have to raise any money. It sounds horribly selfish but we all know that raising money is not easy and certainly raising £1,450 would be difficult; especially in this (dreaded phrase) ‘economic climate’ and with my upcoming work commitments in the run-up to the May election.

Having gotten over the initial elation of knowing I could run London I have now started to think more logically; hence identifying the only real pro of running London being the fact that it is where it is. More pro’s for the Edinburgh marathon are creeping in as well: good breaking-in race as there may be less runners than London and the first five miles are downhill; and of course I can always try to do London next year. I’ve also been toying with the idea of doing the New York marathon in November. Basically, London is not the be-all end-all marathon.

I’m pretty much 80% sure that I’ll stick with Edinburgh, but I thought I would put this out there for any comments from my friends and family.