Simon Ray-Jones – First Marathon, 3:26:34

Simon was referred to me by our mutual physiotherapist Fiona Cressey-Roberts, as well as knowing him from the club I coached at.

He’d had a rough 6 months with injuries to his foot and knee, as well as a gall bladder operation a few weeks before we began. Having secured a place to run the London marathon for Break, he wanted some guidance since this would be his first time running the distance.

We made a lot of small tweaks to the plan throughout a year working together, using a monthly in-person session to closely monitor movement improvements.

In the final weeks, Simon achieved a 3-minute PB during the Cambridge half marathon and completed his first 20 mile race. We used this to decide on a race strategy and finalised the fuelling plan for the marathon.

Simon executed the race plan to perfection, starting on pace and holding this well until a very slight drop in the final miles. This is always understandable, but considering his circumstances and the journey he’d been on, what Simon achieved was even more impressive.

What were the circumstances? Well, aside from it being his very first marathon and finishing in an incredible 3:26:34, Simon and his fiancée Sinead welcomed their first child into the world just 4 days before the race. What a week he had, and what a pleasure it’s been seeing him grow in confidence and running capability over the last 12 months.