| London Marathon special |
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This Sunday, 35,000 people will pound the streets of London, beginning their 26-mile journey from Greenwich to The Mall in the Flora London Marathon, the world's biggest such event. More than 500,000 spectators will line the route, and charities hope to raise as much as £40 million.
Competitors range from the oldest (a man aged 93), to the most addicted (one man is running his 441st marathon) to the rigorous (Paula Radcliffe, who was the fastest woman in last year's London Marathon and is determined to shatter her own women's world record of two hours, 17 minutes, set last year in Chicago). Among runners are a small band of celebrities, who are hoping the cameras won't linger too long on them looking red in the face, out of breath and, frankly, unglamorous. We talk to some about how they got in shape, who they are raising money for - and discover their tips and fears. Brenda Blethyn, 57, the actress who was Oscar-nominated for Secrets and Lies I've worn out two pairs of trainers so far and am running about 26 miles a week, which is not quite as much as I should, I'm afraid. As far as diet goes, I find that tricks don't really work. You have to eat sensibly, you can't run without nourishment so you must have carbohydrates before running. Part of the training is getting into the right mind-set. You have to drink lots of water - and alcohol is absolutely out. I hate the training, to be honest, but the event itself is absolutely wonderful. You must not let it be an ordeal. If you get tired, slow down a bit. There is no law to say you have to run all the way, or even finish it. It's just a fantastic way to raise money for charity. In fact, my only fear is about being overtaken by a man in lead boots and a deep-sea diving kit. I did the Dublin Marathon, unregistered, aged 15. I came home bow-legged and dead on my feet. I've done four other marathons - similarly without much training with a best time of three hours, 45 minutes. On one I hit "the wall" at five miles and on another I hitched home at the halfway mark because I was knackered. In recent weeks I've run between six and 20 miles a week, depending on work and drinking commitments. I don't have a trainer - just a couple of personal shrinks to address the sanity of doing the race. I don't have a technique either. I rely on brute ignorance and putting one foot ahead of the other. And I don't exactly diet. I admit to significant caffeine abuse and I'm reluctant to endure a drug test in case it's discovered I'm over the alcohol limit. I'm running for Mencap, the leading learning disability charity. I think my best advice to fellow runners would be: "Don't do it, pull yourself to your senses man." ....
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