After completing the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, 2024, I took a well-deserved break that extended until August. By mid-September, I resumed structured training with one clear goal from day one: the London Marathon.
Unlike the previous year’s build-up to Tokyo, I began this season from a stronger baseline. Although I allowed myself recovery time, I made sure not to let my fitness dip too drastically.
Pacing the 1:30 bus at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in early part of season (October, provided a near-term target and helped kickstart my focus. October to December emphasized speed and general fitness, with shorter races laying the foundation for marathon prep. One key checkpoint was the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, where I clocked 1:36:09, a personal best over the distance and a strong signal that I was on track.
At one point, the idea of racing the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) 2025 alongside London crossed my mind. However, my coach and I agreed that maintaining an uninterrupted 8-month build would be unsustainable - mentally and physically. Chasing two peaks in such close succession would have been risky.
Instead, TMM 2025 became the official starting line for my London prep, where I paced the 3:30 bus for the second time. While the pace felt easy relative to my fitness, covering the full 42.2 km was an invaluable mental boost. With speed and general fitness in place, the subsequent 13 weeks focused on specificity and sharpening.
One standout moment during this phase was chasing down my personal best in half-marathon. With previous times in the 1:22–1:23 range, sub-1:20 felt within reach. I chose the Navy Half Marathon in Delhi (a fast course) and achieved breakthrough with 1:18 finish. This result reshaped what I thought was possible. Just doubling that time and adding a bit of buffer for full distance?! The numbers were starting to get very exciting.
Key highlights from the build-up:
In both long runs and mileage, this training block surpassed my Tokyo build and was a significant evolution from the methods I followed 5 years ago.
There were two minor concerns in the final month:
But even with those, confidence was at an all-time high as I boarded my flight to London.
The London Marathon has held a special place in my heart for over a decade. I’ve been applying to run here since 2012, and finally getting to the start line here carried personal meaning beyond just the race. Completing my Six Star journey here at London added extra significance. Over the past two years, we even had a Fast&Up stall at the London Marathon Expo, marking our brand a truly global one.
With my brother based in London, it truly felt like a home race. Taking advantage of the Good Friday weekend and school summer break, we arrived in London on April 18th, allowing ample time to settle in and soak up the.
As the expo began, we moved to an Airbnb strategically located between the Excel Centre (the expo venue) and Greenwhich (the race start). That move allowed us to balance both race logistics and recovery.
In the nine days leading up to the marathon, I made the most out of the British running culture. I took part in two Saturday Park runs, a cherished community tradition across the UK, and a solid long run at Bushy Park on the Sunday before race day. Running at Bushy Park, the birthplace of the park run movement, felt symbolic and grounding.
Race day morning unfolded nicely. I boarded the train and reached Blackheath Hill station by 7:50 AM. From there, a 15-minute walk took me to the holding area. The walk itself was a moment to take it all in, with runners from around the world, each carrying a unique mix of nerves and excitement. There’s a quiet magic in that shared anticipation.
The day had already turned bright and sunny, with the temperature sitting around 14°C, forecasted to rise close to 20°C by midday, which is warm enough to warrant caution. The race announcer echoed this sentiment, gently advising runners to stay hydrated and avoid chasing personal bests. Not the most reassuring message, but certainly a necessary one.
Logistics were well managed. Baggage drop was seamlessly coordinated, with each start zone having its own designated area, making the process efficient. That said, one critical tip from experience: As start time nears, urinal queues can get long, and a miscalculated wait could throw off your rhythm entirely.
While London is one of the world’s premier marathons, the start which was split across three locations felt slightly underwhelming in terms of aura. It lacked the central, electrifying surge one expects at a World Marathon Major. But maybe that’s just the calm one would want before the 42.2 km ahead of you.
With warmer than ideal weather, I knew I needed to be smart, and not reactive. I resisted the temptation to overhaul my pacing strategy and stuck to a familiar and trusted template that had worked for me in Tokyo: a controlled first 30K, followed by a strong finish.
The approach was clear:
I crossed 30K in 2:00:24, almost exactly on target.
There were moments in the early stages where I felt I might be holding back too much, but I knew from experience that patience early pays dividends later. The first 5K is downhill, and consciously easing off in this stretch helped hold extra fuel in the tank.
The final 10-12K unfolded exactly as planned. I gradually increased the pace over the course, and the fastest stretch of the race came between 40K and the finish. It was deeply satisfying to feel that kind of strength in the closing stages.
While London is known for being fast, I found it to have a rolling terrain that added complexity. These weren’t harsh climbs, but constant micro-undulations that required careful effort distribution. Compounding this was the dense pack of runners, especially in narrow segments. Often, it was impossible to read the road ahead, which actually helped me to moderate the pace.
The last kilometer of the London Marathon is something truly special. Running up The Mall, with Buckingham Palace framing the backdrop, is every bit as iconic as a runner dreams it to be. As I approached the final 400 meters, I realized I was within striking distance of a sub-2:48 finish.
In that moment, it was no longer about form or fatigue. I’ve put all my effort and determined to make every second count. When I crossed the line and saw the final time: 2:47:59, it was pure satisfaction - A personal mission accomplished.
And then came the moment of completing a journey - receiving the Six Star Finisher Medal. It was emotional, meaningful, and humbling all at once.
Adding to the joy, my friend Sreejith also earned his Six Star medal. After a short walk through the recovery area, it was time to celebrate with Pavithra, Radhika, and my running family from Soles.
In the days that followed, the significance of the race only grew. Every conversation, every message from fellow runners, and every race-day memory retold made me relive the experience. It’s one thing to run a great race, but it’s another to see how much it resonates with others.
One stat that stuck with me came from X (Twitter): only 14 of the top 500 finishers, about 3 percent, ran a negative split of more than a minute. While I finished 1,292nd overall, but with a 2-minute negative split, a statistic that truly reflects the race I trained for and delivered.
Pacing Splits
| Segment | Time |
|---|---|
| 20–25K | 19:55 |
| 25–30K | 19:51 |
| 30–35K | 19:41 |
| 35–40K | 19:26 |
| Final 2.195K | 3:52/km pace |
At the start of 2025, I set a few racing goals, one of them was the London Marathon. With five majors completed under three hours, and two unsuccessful sub-3 attempts at New York in 2019 and 2022, chasing that final sub-three finish is the next big target. Training for the November 2nd race will begin soon.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past two years, it’s this: our limits aren’t what we think they are.
Vijayaraghavan Venugopal, is a sub 3 hour marathon runner and has been running for over a decade. He is an Abbott Six Star medal finisher. Vijay is the CEO of Fast&Up India.