What's your name and which part of London do you live in?
My name is Stephen Mainstone, I'm 29 and I live in East Dulwich.
How long have you been running for?
I have been running (seriously) since September last year so 8 months.
Is this your first Marathon? If not, what others have you run?
Yes, this is my first marathon.
What inspired you to enter the Marathon?
Last year I went along to the Flora London Marathon for the first time as a spectator to support a friend who was running in it. I was captivated by the bravery and strength of the runners and by the wonderful atmosphere. I love a challenge and they don't come much bigger than training for and running a marathon distance. More significantly, for some time, I had been thinking about doing something in memory of my mother and I decided there and then that I wanted to run the Flora London Marathon in 2007.
Are you running for charity? If so, which one and why did you choose
them?
I am running for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) as my mother, Nita died of MND in 1995. The MNDA provided invaluable equipment, help and support during my mother's illness. Moreover, I wanted to raise money to enable them to continue their work in promoting and funding scientific research into the causes, treatments and potential cures for the disease.
Do you have a funny training story you'd like to share?
I have one of those stories which is funny only after the incident. It was a cold February afternoon and I had just completed a 17 mile run around Richmond Park. I headed for my car but I couldn't find my keys. I looked everywhere within the immediate vicinity but nothing. It was unrealistic to re-trace my steps as there were 17 miles of them!! I was in trouble: it was dusk, the temperature was plummeting so I was getting very very cold, there was nowhere to keep warm as all the cafes were closing and I had no money. However, I did have my trusty mobile. So I contacted friends but they were either away or over an hour's drive away. Desperate times call
for desperate measure so I called the police who were also unable to help but they assured me that my car would not be towed in this instance!! Then Lady Luck struck and a lad passing by overhead my woes and lent me £20. The guys working in the cafe gave me a lift to Southfields tube station where there was a mini-cab firm from which I managed to get a cab home. So, through the wonderful generosity of these people I got home safely and, more significantly, my faith in Londoners had been totally restored.
What time are you hoping for on Sunday?
Prior to my calf injury a few weeks ago, I was targeting a time of 3:30 but now I'm just looking to complete the distance.
Do you have any post-Marathon celebrations planned?
I'm going to attend the post-race party organised by the MNDA and then I'll head home to bathe my legs in ice and have a long hot shower. After that I'm hoping (mobility permitting) to have a cheeky curry in my local curry house.
Will you be running again next year?
I'll let you know on Monday!
Visit Stephen's training blog here and his Justgiving sponsorship page here.
Image adapted from "Running" by Auntie P under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License
