Emdad Rahman
LONDON’S HALF MARATHON through Westminster and the City has returned once again, and we have hooked up with a special runner to inspire us ahead of what promises to be a spectacular event.
The event is proud to deliver a pan-London community engagement programme and involves London-wide schools, boroughs, community groups, cultural organisations, sports clubs and businesses in both event development and on the day.
Issy, a 27 year old respiratory physiotherapist, lives in Bethnal Green. To keep herself – and her patients – safe during the pandemic, she avoided public transport and started running to work. She found that running really helped her mentally as she continued working through Covid-19. She said it feels like meditation for her and made her feel she could then cope with the day ahead.
Issy is engaged to be married. The wedding was postponed during the first wave of Covid but she is getting married this year. She said, “I have always been keen on running, but in the first wave of the pandemic we were all warned about public transport and finding alternative routes to get to work. So I bought myself a running rucksack and decided that I was going to run to work every day.
“At that point we had just changed our shift patterns to cope with the increased demand, going from a pretty standard eight hour shift with the occasional weekend to a four day on, three day off patterns of ten hour shifts. Running soon became my little daily meditation. No matter what had happened the day before at work, I knew that the little 20 min run would clear my head and get me ready for another day in ICU treating patients. Running always allows me to think clearly and I find a strange kind of peace in pounding the pavement with my fave podcasts in my ears.
“I have entered the LLHM every year for the last three years but never got a place. When I saw they were planning a COVID themed year, I was desperate to get a spot and did a little celebration dance when I won the ballot and got my place in February! I’m so excited to run in a race with others after a year of social distancing, and I’m also really looking forward to all the themed sections especially the rave tunnel. I love the fact that there is a memorial mile too, although not sure I will be able to run through it without shedding a few tears.”
The London Landmarks Half Marathon is a closed road, central London run and is the only half marathon to go through both the City of London and City of Westminster. The event is organised by Tommy’s, the baby charity, to benefit themselves and many other good causes. £12.2m has been raised to date through the first two events.
The event is not your average half marathon! The 2021 event will celebrate the grand, quirky and hidden landmark moments of 2020 and 2021. While participants run past some of London’s most spectacular landmarks, the race will be shining a light on how we are coming together as a nation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The race takes place on Sunday, 1st August. It starts by The Strand, finishes by Downing Street and has fabulous views of London’s most iconic landmarks including Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Nelson’s Column, the Gherkin, the Shard, the Tower of London and the London Eye.
●For more information, go to: https://llhm.co.uk
●Read more about it: Was 2020 “the year of the bike”? Capital Kids Cricket and the world’s most expensive tea event
●Watch East London’s weekly news magazine programme, live at 10pm every Tuesday and on demand all week: The Tuesday Show