A couple of days after completing the London Marathon, I’ve had only a little time to process the experience. Not only is it an assault on your body, but also on your mind and senses for hours on end. I’m very thankful to those who have supported me through sponsorship, donations, or just words of encouragement. It was hard to get to the start line, but if you know me, then you will already know that nothing would have kept me from reaching the end.

Unfortunately, there were people who didn’t make it, including some very ill individuals who needed urgent medical attention, and I really hope they are okay. So this is nothing negative toward those who needed to pull out, but it’s only when you take on these kinds of challenges that you realise just how much mental power it takes. I honestly think that just about anyone, given enough time, can physically push themselves, but it’s the mental toughness that gets you to that point.

For much of the run, your whole body is screaming at you to stop. It takes real energy to push that “monkey brain” out of the way and just keep going. I hadn’t realised how much effort this takes until I couldn’t even concentrate enough to order food later that day. I had to keep turning to my wife and asking her to do things. As bizarre as that sounds, it’s the truth; I was done. After the stress of training, raising money, traveling to London, getting to the start line, and everything else. As soon as I crossed the finish line, my brain just shut down for a bit.

The biggest message I get is congratulations on completing the marathon. It’s true, as my grandad would say, that wild horses couldn’t have kept me away from the finish line, but it still took a deep effort to get there—and I owe a lot of it to the people who read my blog and follow me on social media. Thank you. Honestly. You all mean a lot to me.