The Gardeners' World Blog

I’ve been lucky enough to work on most of the great sporting events but nothing beats the London Marathon for sheer emotion. It’s not even the scale, although that can be frightening in its complexity. I find it’s the responsibility of trying to reflect 35,000 runners, all with a story to tell. The elite at the front will be looking for fast times but the rest will be aiming to meet the challenges they set themselves and raise millions of pounds for charity in the process.

Some of the tales are heart-rending and are the stuff of real inspiration. Who can fail to relate to the emotional stories of runners affected by tragedy or illness, particularly when children are involved? We don’t apologise for not exclusively focusing on the elite. This is an event that is so much more and you may be surprised to hear that audiences do not drop away once the races are won. Clearly, people are moved by the experience and enjoy watching ordinary people and a sprinkling of celebrities pushing themselves to the limit.