- TCS London Marathon
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What’s your TCS London Marathon motivation?
3 MINS READ
Highlights
- Thousands of participants train for the TCS London Marathon every year, many of them to raise money for charity and good causes..
- Others are driven by health and fitness benefits that come from taking on the famous TCS London Marathon course.
- Sports technology and fitness apps help runners prepare and can even keep them motivated during the race.
In this article
In this article
Why we run
For many runners, a marathon is the pinnacle of their ambition, the sport’s equivalent of conquering Everest.
A hundred years ago, the mountaineer George Mallory was asked why he was prepared to face such adversity to climb the world’s highest mountain. He famously replied, “because it’s there”.
For thousands of participants, the existence of London’s celebrated running event is motivation enough to be on the start line. Like Mallory, they’re driven to take on the challenge simply because it’s there.
The TCS London Marathon sits high on the lifetime tick-list of runners around the world. Completing the course often signals the achievement of a long-held dream.
Taking on the challenge
TCS marketing executive Morgan Tame will be on the start line in London this year. Morgan’s running journey began in school and he feels it was always leading to this moment.
“If you're running on a consistent basis, everybody says, ‘when are you doing a marathon, why haven't you done a marathon, is a marathon on the cards?’ So now the answer is yes, and I’m excited and ready.”
Morgan will become one of more than a million people to have taken part in the TCS London Marathon since its inception in 1981 — and they all have their own reasons for committing to go the distance.
These are some of the most popular motivations for running the marathon.
The memory of my mother and father crossing the finish line hand-in-hand motivates me to want to do it myself.
Charity fundraising
Participants have raised more than £1 billion by running the TCS London Marathon, making it one of the world’s most successful fundraising events.
Many charity participants take part in memory of a loved one or to raise funds for research into illnesses that have affected friends and family members. Running for a good cause can bring an additional sense of purpose and provide extra motivation during the long months of training.
“Running for charity adds a level of accountability,” says Morgan. “When you have engaged your friends, family, and your community to help you raise money, you can’t just say, ‘I don’t feel like doing it today’.”
To improve fitness and mental health
Very few people can just turn up on the day and complete a marathon.
Like Morgan, most participants have extensive training schedules to build the required fitness and stamina needed on the big day. For many this will be the prime motivation, a big target that helps them commit to get fit and lose excess weight, which can lead to negative health issues.
Research also shows running can bring a range of mental health benefits, including stress and anxiety reduction, improved sleep and a boost to self-confidence.
Morgan has experienced these benefits himself when preparing for long-distance running events. “Mental resilience develops over time. I feel it building throughout the training period. All that hard work pays off when you draw upon those stronger mental reserves on the day of the race.”
Running can give you purpose
Many of the requirements for planning and executing your TCS London Marathon campaign are similar to those that drive success in careers and business.
You’ll need to build a strategy and commit to it. You’ll likely set incremental goals in the run up to the event and remain determined to tick them off and celebrate them along the way. On the day you’ll strive to complete the best time you can — and possibly set a benchmark to improve on in your next marathon.
£1 billion is the amount raised by participants running the TCS London Marathon
Using technology and data as a motivator
Tracking your progress towards your fitness goals is a great marathon motivator and it’s easier than ever to do with the technical innovations developed for runners in recent years.
Running apps delivering real-time data can help with pacing and food and hydration strategies. The Official TCS London Marathon app is packed with motivational features for both runners and spectators.
Morgan used the TCS app last year to track friends and family around the course, cheering them on as they crossed the iconic Tower Bridge. Sending messages via the app’s ‘belief booster’ is a great way to keep runners out on the course motivated.
As millions of previous TCS London Marathon runners will tell you — the sight of the finish line at the end of The Mall is the final motivation required. It may even inspire you to dig deep enough to find the reserves for a sprint finish.
Morgan’s finish-line motivation is shaped by memories of his mother and father crossing the London Marathon finish line hand-in-hand in 2005.
“I have a photo of them at the finish. Knowing that my family and friends have done it motivates me to want to do it and to stay fit.”
Every runner who crosses the finish line of the TCS London Marathon joins an exclusive club of athletes who have completed one of the greatest sporting events on earth.
With that cherished medal draped around your neck, it’s time to celebrate a race well run… and maybe start planning for an even better one next year.
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