What made you get into running?
At first it was just to get a bit of fitness back and lose a little weight but the more I ran the quicker I got so it became quite addictive trying to better my times. As an idea of my improvement, my first marathon was 2:58 in September 2007 and 7 months later at the London marathon I ran 2:28. Things have slowed since then but I’m hoping to beat my 2:16 pb this year at Frankfurt.
Why did you choose to dress up as your alter ego?
Running in fancy dress had always been something I wanted to do one day and Spiderman was right up the top of my superhero shortlist. I had just won the Manchester marathon the week before London so rather than rest up I decided it was the perfect opportunity to have a bit of fun. I only had a few days to sort things out but luckily I got hold of a Spidey suit and I was able to test it the day before at Mile End parkrun (my local). I was rather pleased that the costume was not too restrictive. A little warm and claustrophobic but definitely possible to run fast in it. Which I did as I ended up running a new world record for the “Fastest marathon dressed as a superhero” in a time of 2:29:57!
Which Charity do you support?
I’m lucky that I don’t have to go down the charity route for my race entry but for my Spiderman run I raised some money for Parkinson’s UK
How did you find out about the London Marathon Magazine cover & how does it feel knowing you’re landing on 1000’s of peoples door steps?
I found out via people on twitter and at first I thought there were 2 versions of the acceptance magazine but when I looked closer I saw I was on the Sorry one! I actually don’t mind as it means that probably 10 times more people will see Spidey coming out of the Blackfriars tunnel on his way to a new world record! Though 10 times more unhappy people could be a bad thing too…
Will you be running London Marathon 2016?
It’s likely I’ll be running but whether it is a serious run or a fancy dress run I’m yet to decide.
What has been your most memorable running moment?
It has to be running as Spiderman. The crowd support was unbelievable and there was probably only ever a 30 second gap between hearing someone shout out Spidey or Spiderman! It was great to watch people’s reactions when they saw me as I was running quite fast and near the front of the race.
Click Here to see Spiderman running with Paula Radcliffe
Who is your inspiration, & why?
Not so much who, but what. I find it inspiring when I see people from all walks of life running marathons. They’re different ages, different body shapes, different fitness levels, probably very different amounts of running they’ve done, but they all have their own reasons and goals. Some of these people have real battles going on for the duration of the race. I find it hard enough for 2.5 hours of running and I generally enjoy it so to do so for 3, 4, 5+ hours when perhaps you don’t enjoy it is something I struggle to comprehend. At least it is all worth it at the end!
What are your future goals?
I’m trying to run the Olympic qualifying time of 2:14 which would be a dream come true.
When can we next look out for you in fancy dress?
Possibly at next year’s London marathon though I may start doing parkrun’s as Spidey just to make it a bit more fun.
And finally, what is your favourite thing about running?
I love how easy it is for anyone, anywhere, to just go for a run. It takes so little organisation and you only need the basic kit and you’re off!
Click Here to Read about Queen Bee: The star of the VLM ‘You’re In’ magazine
