‘I cried at mile one’: Nothing could have prepared me for my first London Marathon

My first marathon didn't go as planned but between the mindset and the magic of the crowd, I gained a lot along the way - (The Independent / Niki Cottrell)

I cried just one mile into the London Marathon. Not from exhaustion – I’d trained to run the full course and despite my training not going to plan, I was ready to run 26.2. I ended up in tears because there’s nothing quite like stepping over that starting line. I felt transported seeing and hearing London so pumped up on love.

I hadn’t even crossed the line before I got my first sense of the crowds. They were overwhelming. And I hadn’t expected the noise to be non-stop but it was. Every corner of the course, all 26.2 miles of it, was lined with people cheering, clapping and shouting my name.