Life with Nat - EP112: Marathon Debriefing with Dominic

Episode Date: April 30, 2025

NEW FAMILY MEMBER ALERT. You've heard of him, but now we get the story of his marathon, and oh god... what a marathon it was. Dominic's fundraising page is still open if any of you wonderful listeners can help him raise money for Shelter - https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/dominic-cassidy xx Please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. xxx You can find us in all places here; ⁠⁠https://podfollow.com/lifewithnat/view⁠⁠ INSTA: @natcass1 We're also on Facebook too: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifewithnatpod⁠⁠ A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: ⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠ SHOW INFO: Life with Nat - it’s me! Natalie Cassidy and I’ll be chatting away to family, friends and most importantly YOU. I want to pick people's brains on the subjects that I care about- whether that’s where all the odd socks go, weight and food or kids on phones. Each week I will be letting you into my life as i chat about my week, share my thoughts on the mundane happenings as well as the serious. I have grown up in the public eye and have never changed because of it. Life with Nat is the podcast for proper people. Come join the community. ♥️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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We're worth it. Get trained at standup-international.com. Hello, welcome to Life With Nat, and we've got a very special Thursday episode. My nephew Dominic who I've banged on about and all of you have been so supportive to run the marathon last Sunday as many, many did. So I have begged him, bribed him to come over and have a little chat about his experience because quite frankly it didn't go to plan. So Don, welcome on the pod. Thanks for the intro. What I love is that it's taken me to run a marathon to make the cut to get onto the pod really.

No, it is true. But also everyone obviously listens to your mum and sister so I think they'd quite like to hear from the sensible one if you like. Yeah, they speak for me. And the most handsome one. We'll go with that. How you feeling? Alright. Ish.

Yeah? Yeah. Just waiting for some blood test results after the ending. So we're going to go right back to the beginning so you carry on listening to find out what's happened. What made you do the marathon firstly? So it is a big undertaking. Yeah, I didn't really realize how big actually. Started running properly, probably about a year ago. Yeah.

Just doing some 5Ks. Really, really enjoyed it. Good for my head. Good with work. Just get up in the morning, morning, half six in the morning, half an hour, you're done, it's really convenient. I don't enjoy the gym, so it's just a really good exercise. And it's free.

It's free, literally just put a pair of trainers on, shorts and a t-shirt and you're off. So I sort of really got into it, but only like 5Ks, so yeah, small distances, sort of felt like I was good at it and yeah, got into it a little bit. Then my brother-in-law decided to say to me, I think it was around November time, do you fancy doing a marathon with me?

He done it last year. Obviously it's really difficult to get in. I know a lot of people apply and can't. So I was like, yeah, why not? Like, I fancy that. And I remember all, I think even when you done it now, I think I always said, he like, yeah, once you start running, you just running, you can't,

anyone could do a marathon. So you said to them- I don't remember you being overly interested when I did the marathon. No, probably not as interested as you've been with mine. But then I think if you're not into running and you haven't done it, Yeah, you just don't know what it's about.

You have no idea what it's about. You just start now, I've got like ridiculous amounts of respect to anyone that's done it in whatever time they've done it in. So yeah, he said, do you want to run it? And I said, yeah, like why not? So agreed to run it with him.

I then done, I won't bore you, but done something to my ankle. Oh yeah, football, wasn't it? Yeah, football's don't end up in a boot, blah, blah, but I was fine. Then he ended up having to have an operation, so couldn't do it. So come sort of Jan Feb, I was on my own,

a lot of people have said, have you actually started training for this marathon? And I was like, not really, I'm just like running 5Ks. And there's loads of apps out there which you can follow a program. So done that, and it was amazing. That sort of whole process is a little bit more difficult because I think when you're in the mood to do a run,

it's in your own sort of, you think, I fancy a run, you can go out and do it. Whereas when you've got a program and you've got a program telling you, right, you've got to run 10K today and you've never run 10K, it's like, oh, right, now I've got to get up and run 10K. And also you've got two children, beautiful Amelia

and Frankie, who are my great niece and nephew. You've got Annalisa at home and you've got a very high flying job. Like how did you find it fitting in the training runs? Cause I found the training runs, I dreaded them. Every time I looked at that plan, I thought I don't even know how I'm gonna fit that in. Yeah, it got a little bit like that

cause I love what the running was doing for me just in terms of like my body, my mind. I was really, really enjoying it. So even when I went up from 5K to 10K, it made me feel better. It was hard to fit in and I'll go on to that. But in terms of how it made me feel, every time I was really, really enjoying it. So even when I went up from 5K to 10K, it made me feel better. It was hard to fit in and I'll go on to that, but in terms of how it made me feel, every time I was doing it,

I'd be more productive at work, I'd feel better, so I'd be more buzzing rather than waking up and you're just grabbing a coffee. Even like eating healthier, not on purpose, but just naturally your body feels like you wanna eat healthy because you've done something good. And I'm not preaching, Zaniel, because I mean, I think once I've done one of my longest,

I've done a half marathon randomly on a Saturday morning. And on Friday night I've done a bottle of red, two cobras and a curry. And I literally woke up and just done it. I just went out, I didn't mean to do a half marathon, I just run and then I just kept running. So I'm not preaching, but it does generally make you want to eat healthy, have smoothies, all of that stuff.

No, I agree because you know your body's working harder. Absolutely, when I ran the two I ran, like you say, even if you don't plan to, you wanna have more protein. You're looking into, you know, you want your muscles to repair. You're having the smoothies, you're having more hydration. Carbs. Yeah.

Whether you like it or not, what I've always said to people, and listeners you'll know if you've ran or you're running one or you're planning to do a half marathon, you don't think you're going to be obsessed with it and you can't help but get obsessed with it. Yeah, 100% with all the apps that are out there now, a lot of them are free as well. And like I say, just the way it makes you feel, I think it's, yeah, it's the best thing I've ever got into, especially when life is busy and it enables you just to like say, get up whatever time in the morning and you can just run and you don't need

loads of stuff around it. It makes you feel really, really good. And as I said, on the flip side, it makes you when you want a beer or when you want to eat something, it feels like you deserve it a little bit rather than you feel guilty because you know I've just run 10k, so you actually feel like you deserve it. So yeah, the training was hard, like say fitting around the little ones was difficult, but you just manage. So for me it was Sunday mornings and in the week, just get up a little bit earlier. And as I say, just go for it. And did you follow,

do you feel like you followed the plan to the minute? Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, the plan I did was the furthest I've run was 32K, which is I think 20 miles. And that's the furthest. You never do a full marathon before a marathon. Then once I've done that, you taper down to 25K and 16K.

You text me on the day of your long run. Well, I text you cause I've popped over. You said that you nearly turned back and cried. It's mad that last long run on your own, isn't it? Yeah, the 32K was eye opening. Cause that was obviously that 10K off the actual marathon. So when I just about finished that 32K and I thought, how am I going to do another 10K on top? All I got told was, you know, the adrenaline being in London, the surroundings, the crowd,

everything will get you through. It almost did. It did. It did. That was the hardest one that you did. But yeah, you're surprised what your body can do. My mind was blown because also, can I just say you are a fit guy, as in you play football, you are quite energetic, you know, you do exercise. I went from doing nothing, not being able to run from here to downstairs without being out of breath, to doing that. Once you've done that, you do think you can actually, if you put your mind to things,

you can do anything. Yeah. The marathon is much a physical thing as it is a mental thing. I agree. And you've got like, obviously attending the marathon on Sunday and I went on my own and even that's all very like, it's just hard because you don't know where you're going, there's different assembly points, there's thousands of people. It's all quite hard. It's overwhelming. It's overwhelming. So even you're thinking about running a marathon, but you forget about all the other stuff that you've got to think about. And you then see like,

there's probably two or three different categories of people that are doing the marathon. You have people that are proper runners that want to do it. You have people that are probably like me that aren't proper runners, but are getting into it. And then you have like another category of people that are generally doing it for people that they're not runners at all,

but they've had someone that's passed away or that have got an illness and they want to raise money. And you've got those people that are not, you know, naturally fit, naturally runners, but they're actually trying to do it for a cause. But it just shows your mind. As long as your mind's at it, you can do it. And it doesn't matter whether you do it in three hours or seven and a half hours. Yeah. If you can do it, you can do it. But I've noticed it's more about the mind than the body. 100%.

I remember, I don't know how you did your training runs. I used to go down Brock's Point River and people couldn't believe this, but I used to go down the river, Lee Valley where the boating is. And I'd just run up that path. So if I was doing eight miles, I did mine in old fashioned miles. If I did eight miles, I'd just run up the path for four.

And come back. And then come back. And I couldn't do a loop. Once I started that, so I did my long run up the path for four. And come back. And then come back. Yeah. And I couldn't do a loop. Once I started that, so I did my long run up there. I literally got to Tottenham and then turned back. I only got to, I did 18 miles, but I remember doing that on my own in the rain

on Mother's Day morning. I just had to do it. Did you ever do straight lines? Did you do different routes? Once you know what you want to do and where you like going, I feel like you sort of stick to what you know. I'd done a bit of everything.

Did you? Yeah, I'd done a bit of everything. I think when I was used to my 5Ks, it was the same routes. Then I started getting a little bit, my mind took over cause I'd know that lamppost is 2.3K. And even if I had my playlist of songs, I'd know that full song of the jam, that means I'm only 18 minutes in.

Literally, you know everything. So in the end, and that sort of then got to, especially when I was doing longer runs, I did start changing it out quite a lot. So I wouldn't necessarily, what you did would be my worst nightmare because I would know exactly where I am, not so much on the short ones, but for the longer ones.

So I'd even go as far as driving to a car park to then go a different route into a different area just to change it up really. Cause the same scenery, the same podcast, the same things would be difficult. So what I found, everyone was like music, dance music, you know, like beefy music, all of that. And I've done a couple of my best runs listening

to talk sport. Cause this is what I enjoyed. It just took my mind listening to sport. And I was like, I listened to talk sport the whole time. It was like two hours. I was like, I didn't even switch. Which I never would, you know, you'd normally think you want some, you know,

sort of upbeat music, but, so I think I would just say, there's no rule. This is whatever suits you really. You have a million people tell me loads of different things and you take it all on board, but- You have to do what's right for you. Whatever's right for you, exactly. Yeah, yeah.

So let's go to to done the long run, done all your training, done really well. Let's be honest, your pace is quite extraordinary for someone who's only run for a year. For everyone listening, people that are runners or whatever, let's try and put it into context because I know there'll be people who might be faster than you,

but for someone who's just been running for a year, what did you do your longest running? I mean, I've got it here somewhere. By longest in training. Yeah. I've got it, hang on. 32 kilometers, two hours and 46 minutes, 54 seconds.

So your average pace was 5.13 a kilometer. Yep. Now, really we should have slowed it down a little bit, eh, for the proper marathon. What do we say? Probably should have, yeah. Easier said than done, but yeah, definitely should have. Especially in probably the day I done that 32K, I don't know if you got the date on there,

but it would have been 23 degrees. No, it was the 26th of March, I think it was chilly. Yeah, so, yeah. So you did that. You've got your feelings about just being there, putting your bag away when you get your plastic bag, you put your stuff in it, and then you're on sort of the start line.

How did you feel? Because I just think it's amazing. And anyone listening, even if you want to walk it, if you've got some charity that you feel a affinity to, and you'd really like to raise some money. Like I really can't stress enough. You can go and do this and it is quite a spectacular day. But how did you feel when you stood on the start line?

Yeah, so I played football just locally, but that's, you know, just being on that start line on your own and then you've got people around you and you're talking to it and it's like, yeah, it's like the adrenaline is, I remember speaking to this guy and I was like, why are we nervous just running? Like you're not doing anything, all you're doing is put one leg over the other,

you know, it's not nothing you've done before, but yeah, it's the best feeling. And I think cause it's you're on your own, it's you doing it, it's incredible. I mean, I literally walked into the office now and obviously I know what happened, I can see my toes and the look of them, which you guys can't and they're like,

you're not doing that again. And I'm like, I 100% am. Like it look of them, which you guys can't, and they're like, you're not doing that again, and I'm like, I 100% am. Like, it's the best, like, it's the best, and I would recommend anyone to- You've ruined the pod now. That was my last bloody question to finish. And are you gonna do it again?

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No, that's all right, I'm pleased to hear it. I mean, once everyone hears your experience and you still wanna do it again, that's brilliant. For the listener, sorry, cause he touched on his toes. We haven't got the best feet in our family, but my nephew is sat here with... How many toes are black?

One, two, three, four, five. Five. You've had a bit of a shocker with the toes. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Five black are a lot. You're going to lose all them. You know that, don't you? Yeah, yeah, I think I won her to be fair. I lost always my big toe. But did you go up in trainer size? No, no, no. I just listened to what the bloke said in JD's spolt. Probably didn't know what he was talking about.

Maybe we'll go to our runners need down in Covent Garden. I'm a six and I run in a seven. Because you're running for so long, I think your foot expands so much and that's when they hit the top. Yeah, I mean to be fair you don't feel it when you're running, but you don't feel anything to be fair. Your numbers are supposed to. So I was following you Sunday morning. I had butterflies in my stomach all morning. I put it on the telly, got you on my tracker, off you go. You're next to Woodjack, you're next to Adam,

old Ian Beale, I've got nothing left. You're sort of near Adam who did brilliantly also. Can I congratulate Adam? He ran for Babs Army again, who I've run for a couple of years ago. And he did fantastic. He did it in 517 and because of the heat, I think he was proud of himself, but he walked some of it. Dom, you didn't walk any of it, did you mate? No, probably should have, but no, that was probably one of my rules. You're a very, very competitive person, I would say. Do you think I'm fair in saying that? Yeah, no, I am. And yeah, I sort of set myself a target before the marathon. I don't really know, I felt like an average of five minutes a kilometer was my sort of aim at this very, very start before

training. That would be three and a half hours. I slowly realized that was a ridiculous target. So I just sort of set a slight to beat four hours and I just, in the end, couldn't get that out of my head. So despite it being warm, despite it me never doing a full marathon and only going up to 32K, I had it in my head that I wanted to break the four hour mark. And yeah, I mean, you said about how was it

on the start and stuff. I mean, I went, so because I agreed to go on a three and a half hours of my target, you get put into waves of the people that wanna go that fast. So obviously when you start, you're just seeing these people run. And naturally, even though I didn't wanna do

three and a half hours, you naturally just try and sort of keep up with them. And you also have like, what they called, the markers with the flags. The markers with the three and a half. So you can follow them and that means you're on target for that pace. They have them for like three and a half,

three 40, three fifty and so on. When people start overtaking you, you just sort of naturally think you're going slow and when you feel so good for the first however long and then all of a sudden you're going into areas like Burmansey and it's buzzing and you've got people on drums and you've got people playing music out their cars and you feel good, you just go with it and that's what I did. It was amazing. Like the first three quarters even more was brilliant.

So three quarters, what we're looking at sort of 18 miles up to 18. Yes. I think there's a video where I saw Elia and then Gianluca and his girlfriend on mile 21. So I grabbed a drink from them and at mile 21 there's a video and well, I'm like sprinting like Usain Bolt. I look absolutely fine. So yeah, that was mile 21. I was all right, but mile 21, I was still sort of, yeah, was solid. And on the way round, did you, it was a very different experience to you. You didn't talk to anybody

because you were proper running, weren't you? Yeah, I didn't really talk. Yeah, cutting one or two little words and a few bits in the tunnel, people shouting, which I like singing, which was fun, but not, I think it felt like where I was probably running with more maybe serious people as well. They weren't up for having a chat.

They were like, I'm trying to get a PB here or something. So yeah, a little bit. Because I was sort of jogging along, talking to Karen who's doing it from this one for here, stopping to have an orange, you know, it was a very different thing for me. Yeah, yeah. Gordon Ramsay was in the crowd

and somehow I slapped hands with him, which was good, in the tunnel. So that was cool. What do you, fucking move! Yeah, you should have, I tell you somehow I slapped hands with him which was good in the tunnel. So that was cool. What did you do? Fucking move! Yeah, I needed a boost but yeah, it was incredible. It was, it was really good. I've got some messages from some of your pals that I think we should play.

Your best mates, Mark, James, Dan. Let's have a listen to these. Yeah, go on. Dom Cass is running the marathon. Go on Cass, keep going son, you've got this, you've done the seven miles, you've only got another 19 to go. Come on Cass, come on Cass, Cass, Cass, Cass, Cass, Cass. Is that Dan? That's Mark. Oh that was Mark? That's Mark. Oh they all sound the same all the time. They're all related to it. But how lovely that, yeah of course you. How lovely that they're all supporting you. Did it feel good?

Yeah, I told them I was like, maybe some voice notes would do me good. And then I listened to them yesterday. Literally, for the first time. I thought, yeah, I'm going to have some voice notes, I'm going to listen to a podcast. I might even listen to one of yours if I get that board. I was like, I'm going to listen to a bit of music and then literally had the AirPods in for about a couple of miles.

And then I was like, I'm taking these out. Cause yeah, you can't even hear anything anyway. And so I listened to them all. Yeah. So bless them. They done all that. That's so nice. Yeah. But it's nice to keep anyway. Let's listen to some more. Cass, I'm currently running the line

at Lucas football match. Yeah, I've probably done about 12, 14 steps. Fucking fuck, mate. You just keep going, keep going, Cass. Let's go, let's go. Go champ, go Cass. Lovely James. Cass, mate, the app stopped working,

so it still says you're on the same thing that you were at half hour ago. You ain't collapsed and have been airlifted out of that place are you? Cassidy you're nine and a half miles through in one hour 17 absolutely rapping the boy keep going son go on Sonny tell him keep going son Cassidy halfway in one hour 50 absolutely smashing it guys keep going son. I Love these You give a fuck race is something to think about

Keep going son. Just fucking keep going. Think of them teeth. Come on. Come on Come on, come on, suck it up through them. I should have listened to him join it. He would have posted you, definitely. Keep running, Uncle Dom. Keep running, Uncle Dom. You can do it, keep going, boy. So there you're through mile number 18. He thinks he's the grown-up.

That's what it feels like. I can't believe what you're doing because I am tired just following you on that mat. That's true. To keep going, James, incredible stuff. because I am tired just following you on that map to keep going, doing incredible stuff. I was actually exhausted just following the app. I just kept putting it on. I know what Mark's saying.

These are brilliant. Cash, you've done it, mate. Just sack off the last few miles now. Go and have a nice drink, eh? Just chill out now, that's enough. You've done it, you proved your point. You can do it. Go and sack it off.

Go on, son. Keep going. He did not sound like he's dead. Cassidy, four miles to go, son. Four miles. You are doing it, son. Four miles. Keep going, gees.

Dom, you're really doing well, mate. Serious, Dan. Well, you're on the home straight, so sit through and then chill out for a little bit because I mean this is the marathon. Thanks Dan. Last bit Cass, last bit is really hot now to be fair, really hot, no more jokes, this is it, head down, one joke, head down, teeth out, let's joke head down teeth out let's go come

on let's go Cass for anyone listening the teeth jokes and all that Dom's teeth are fine they're you know obviously Maria's his sister so that sort of thing but not as bad no I'm only joking I'm only joking final two miles it's the home straight son you're gonna do it you're gonna win by a tooth keep going son get them teeth out and win it so close now Cass come on come on son come on you've done it unbelievable Jeff let's go Cassidy you're there mile, you're there, mile 25. You're there. Keep going, son.

Nice mental. It's finished, isn't it? Cass, you've done it, Cass. Come on. Everyone cheer, cheer, cheer. That was close. Well done, Cass. Unbelievable. So good. Really well done.

Cassidy, mate, that is an incredible, incredible achievement, guys. I thought I was going to cry at one point. Unbelievable. Your mum FaceTimed at mile 25. I couldn't see you, but I screenshot you. Unbelievable. Well done. Incredible achievement, guys. Well done. I hope you enjoyed it. I can't believe you completed it. Well done.

Well done Cass. What lovely messages from all your mates. Oh good yeah it was actually nice listening to them all for the first time. Yeah it was good. It was yeah it was nice. Probably needed them on that final stretch. Yeah so I picked up Eliza. You'd finished it was about 20 past two or something. I thought he's done it. Waiting for Elia, thinking, oh, he's going to be home by four. Probably at your mum's by half four, having a glass of champagne. This is going to be unbelievable. Oh, don't. Let's talk about actually what happened. So 21 miles, I was right, saw Elia, so that's five miles left.

Yes. So, you know, at this point you are, everything's a little bit, or you know, you don't really sort of remember, you're trying to take everything in. Think it got to about mile 23, and I'm really like guessing here, about a mile 23, 24. And what actually really messed me up, I had an app and the app said to me,

I had done 39K, so I had 3K left. Then I saw a sign to say I was only through 23 miles or 22 miles. So basically my app was like three miles out. So my mind just went to that. Mentally. Mentally I was like, I thought I'd be done in 3K and I've still got seven miles left.

Yeah. That's all six miles, it's such a big difference. Yeah. Mentally that really, really, really hit me. So yeah, mile 23, I started feeling my eyes go a little bit. So. What do you mean by go? So I was dizzy or? Well, when you're, so when I was doing it, so I had obviously family there. Yeah, mile 23, I started feeling my eyes go a little bit. So- What do you mean by go? Sort of dizzy or?

So when I was doing it, so I had obviously family there. So, Annalisa, Amelia, Elia, Jan Luca, and Amy, mom of course. Now I had some friends from work and a couple of close people that I worked with in the industry that I really wanted to see. So I'd missed them at different points. You end up just trying to look at a crowd constantly

but that ends up taking its toll on you as well. Cause every time you see someone, you think they look like your mom or whoever. And I just thought, right, stop looking at the crowd and try and look out for people and just, you need to just focus now. So I'd done that around 23. So I've probably done that for about another mile or so.

Got to 24, then my knees started going. I think I just went quicker, in essence just finished quicker. So I thought I just need to get there now. And you can almost see it, everyone will notice I could bend as you go around. And then you can see that you're on the mound. Pretty much see you on the mound and then you're on the home straight. Now obviously I've heard this so many times, that bit's the toughest and obviously the crowd can get you through. No crowd would get me through because I was, the crowd weren't there for

me. I didn't even know the crowd existed. I think there's a video that, um, at least from my mum, I've got there shouting at me and you can see me in the video and I've got, no, I'm, you know, can't hear them or not acknowledging them whatsoever. So I was just focused and then I don't know how far out, if I'm honest, maybe half a mile. Yeah. I don't know. It could be 500 yards, could be a mile, but maybe around half a mile. I don't know, it could be 500 yards, could be a mile, but maybe around half a mile. I just remember my eyes rolled back to my head and just pretty much collapsed on someone next to me. And the last thing I can remember was I just said, I just need to finish this race. And then I woke up in all I can describe was like a body bag full of ice in the emergency tents at a marathon. And that's it.

A doctor was there, said, do I know what my name is? Absolutely not. Did I know my date of birth? Nothing. And just didn't know anything for about, I would say, probably wasn't that long, probably two, three minutes. Yeah, it's a long time. It's scary that.

That was scary. Not knowing my name was scary. Didn't know anything. Yeah, but surely waking up, not knowing where you were in a load of ice in a bag must have been really petrifying actually. I know we laugh about things but... No, no. Well, no. That is 100%. I don't want to put people off running this marathon. I know you'll come onto that because... Yeah, we will. But it was. It was one that was scary. And obviously you got no one with you. And yeah, not knowing your name, not knowing anything it was, it was really strange. It must be quite normal. After about a couple of minutes,

they asked me again and I knew my name, knew my date of birth was really strange. It must be quite normal. After about a couple of minutes, they asked me again, then I knew my name, knew my date of birth, and then literally, I know it's probably quite bad. The first thing I said was, did I finish? And they were like, looked down, and I had the medal around me, so I was like, thank fuck for that, because I was like, I've done all that training, and if I was gonna pass out,

why not do it on mile two and not mile 25 or 25 and a half? Yeah, it was just scary. So I was probably in there. And then they said to contact someone there, but I didn't know the pin of my phone. Just didn't know it. My face ID wasn't working where I must've been- You looked about 105.

I can't explain how cold I was. I just cannot explain it. I was naked just with like these aluminium sheets on and I was freezing cold and they would not heat me up because they needed to get my body temperature down to a certain level because I think they said my body temperature is 45 or something, 45 degrees or something.

It's very, very hot, Dom, yeah. And they had to call me right down. But then Annalisa, you know, you met up with Annalisa, you got a cab, is that right? Yeah, so yeah, after being in there for, say, an hour, an hour and a bit, and there was people just being reeled in, you know, left, right and centre. It was crazy.

Well look, we need to say, there's always casualties at the marathon where people push themselves or people rest their souls, you know, people have passed away or people might have issues that they don't know, health issues. And when they push their body to that limit, you find out your issues. I think, like you said, you don't want people to be scared about it, but what you've done, if you don't mind me saying, is run your first marathon, which they are calling the hottest marathon in a very long time. Now you don't know.

Yeah, I think it's further fourth hottest one. But you didn't know. It's your first marathon. For all you know, it's like that every year. And you haven't gone, I need to slow down a little bit. I need to realize how warm it is. It's going to be dangerous. You've just wanted to do your sub-por. Yeah, and that is the worst thing that I should have just not... If anyone doing it, especially your first one, do not worry about the time.

Just go and do it and enjoy it. If you do it and you enjoy it and all of a sudden you've done it in three and a half hours, then you're amazing. If it takes you six, it doesn't matter because I just got too focused on a time. And then, yeah, I've never- But that isn't a bad fit. You shouldn't feel bad for that. No, no. But as you said, it's just knowing that you've never done- so I've never gone past that 32K, knowing then all the training I've done is between minus one degree. So I remember doing it when it's cold to probably max about 14 degrees within reason,

maybe day 16, 17. And what did it get to, 23? I think it was 23-ish, and then you're doing it around thousands of people, your emotions are all over the place and you're getting up really early to travel to London early. Yeah, you're tired.

Yeah, it's a completely different, but so, yeah, I should have just factored it all in and just sort of done what my body told me to do rather than not listen to it and do what my mind wanted to do and go, right, you're gonna go and break four hours, which is what I set out to do. So next year when you do one with me,

I don't expect you to stay with me because I'm slow. So we can walk around and drink D&Ts. You can do it with me and we can go a bit slower, but you can still head off because I'll find you boring, but maybe we can do one next year. Yeah.

head off because I'll find you boring but maybe we can do one next year. Yeah. So then you got to Harlow Hospital. Yes, a black cab to Harlow from pretty much outside the Marathon. How did you find that journey because it must have been a good hour home? Yeah, about an hour and a bit. I don't really remember it to be honest. I was a bit, just a little bit fuzzy. So yeah, for up a couple of times in the cab or outside the cab. The cabbie was great to be fair. Yeah, I was a bit delirious. He said he was great. He was fuming when he got home to clean his cab.

Tommy, honestly, it would have just been like sugar gels and there was nothing in it. It wouldn't have been much. But yeah, and in hospital from, I think it was about 5 p.m. I mean, I must have looked like such a knob. I was just had aluminium sheets and a gold medal around my neck. I had it still on. I was like, yeah, I'm not taking that off., I mean I must have looked like such a knob. I was just had aluminium sheets and a gold medal around my neck. I had it still on, I was like, yeah I'm not taking that off. No, you shouldn't have taken it off. But yeah, and then was in there and literally just fluids. They put a drip in, didn't they?

Yeah, so a drip in and just yeah, I mean I had about six or seven bags of fluids. They wouldn't let me home till about 3, 3.30am in the morning. I popped down with a McDonald's for you. You popped down with nine chicken nuggets and a Big Mac, which went down surprisingly well, actually. But also I was annoyed because I just couldn't believe you'd not eaten anything. I know you felt sick early in the day, but to do that amount of exercise, and it was 20 to 10 when I text you.

Yeah. And you'd not eaten. No, I think I'd have only felt... You had some crisps, didn't you? Yeah, and I had a banana in the morning about half, six, seven. That is mad. I know. Is that all you had in the morning as well?

Yeah, and half a protein bar. I felt sick, I didn't feel, I felt it's hard. You just, and you, but I looked like, well, I said to you, you don't want to start doing loads of different things and eating pasta in the morning, all this stuff, when you don't know what it's going to be like. So, but yeah, in hindsight, probably should have. But then I think with every experience, whatever we do, it doesn't matter what we're talking

about. If you're doing something for the first time, it is your first. You don't know. Yeah. So you should just, to do what you did, you are amazing. Joe Wicks did it just under six hours and he's our body coach and PE guy. You had Joel Domet collapse and I think he finished amazing. He got up and finished it but he did it in six. Jenny Faulkner who does it all the time and she's got an amazing podcast that she called Run Pod. You should start listening to that. It's all running. She's amazing. I think she vomited twice around there. Anyone who's run a lot of marathons found Sunday extremely tough. So for you to

do what you did and unfortunately end up where you did, it doesn't surprise me because you really did amazingly well. Yeah. No, I think on reflection, I've seen John Terry do it in five and a half and it only made me think, why did I try and do it in sub four? And you know, delighted I achieved it just there's a lady, there's a video on iPlayer and there's a lady that helped me over the line. I've actually found, well, I think Maria found her today. And I've actually found her on LinkedIn. She's a Brazilian lady.

I think she said it's her second marathon this week. So I'm ridiculous. And I've probably fucked up her time and she was probably going for a PB, but hopefully she connects with me and I'll get to message her. Cause I would not be able to thank her enough for, yeah, for doing that.

But yeah, just wish I didn't push myself. But I done it and I've done it sub four somehow. It's amazing. And I think for Ells, Gianluca, Amy, your mum, you know, everyone being up there ready to see you. Yeah. I think that was quite a difficult thing as well, you know, for them, because they wanted to see you after, you ran for shelter, amazing, you reached your target and some, you went way over, like 150%.

Yeah, and that's where you don't want to forget what this is obviously all about. And yeah, I mean, the support I've had through family, friends, and in my, you know, I've got quite a big work group in terms of clients, people in the office, and just other people that I've met through working in the industry I'm at. And yeah, the support I've had, yeah, I mean, I think my target was £2,000 and I think I raised about three, I'm about three and a half at the moment.

I was just about to tell you your total, so proud of you. 172% funded, you've raised £3,432 so far. Yeah, no, it's been ridiculous. I mean, even some people I don't know that are your listeners that have, I mean, there was one lady that got me up to my target. I think it was like 57 pounds exactly. That's another thing. I do some charity work through work, but never really, you know, sort of that.

And you get sort of addicted to the charity bit. So every time I'd get a donation, I'd get an email and see who it is. And you get addicted to that. It's like, yeah. And you're so thankful. And I think people are so kind. And I don't know about you, but what I find about Marathon Day, it's all a bit boring and a bit cliched,

but the hard work is the training that you put in on your own. When you're lonely on your own, I know you've pushed yourself, so it's a bit different. But the day is easier and you're with everybody. For me, it was always those tough runs out on my own. Yeah, 100%. Waking up really early or doing them at night.

And yeah, that's definitely the harder stuff than the day is the enjoyable bit, or should be the enjoyable bit. It should be the enjoyable bit. Should be, and it would have been. It would have been. And obviously, yeah, cause I had all the family there, I had some friends through work there

that I was so looking forward to seeing and having a beer with. And Shelter had an area in all bar one that was free food and drink that you'd go to. So that bit is the only cloud over the whole thing. But I think, like I say, it's only been a couple of days. So I think I'm still in that mindset of, I wish I wouldn't have mind doing it in four and a half

and just got to have a beer and enjoyed it. But I think on reflection and probably by next week, I'll be like, you know what, I'm glad. You just need to be very, very proud. You've got a medal. Something to always remember, approximately 0.01% of the world's population has completed a marathon.

Yeah. And we're in there, boy. That's pretty good. Yeah, you'll take that. Yeah, it's definitely up there with one of the best things I've done. And I'd 100% recommend it to anyone. It's good.

It makes you feel good. It's good, exercise is you feel good. It's good. Exercise is good anyway. Mentally, physically. Don't get obsessed with any time. Enjoy it. You're doing it for amazing causes. Loads of people have had things probably where people have been ill or lost people and you can do it for a great cause. So I just think it has so many positives. So many positives. So when I did mine, the first one I did in 2019 with Scott. You've done two? I've done two. 2019, 2021. Scott Mitchell was having a little chat, my agent and dear friend,

obviously. And Barbara was still with us and she was suffering with dementia, Alzheimer's. And he said, we're going to run, you know, we're going to get a little group together, Babs Army. So a few of us did it all together and it was amazing. And I ran that in, I think it was 526. I bet it was a very, you know, just a jog at a comfortable pace. But for me, I said it to you the other day, going under the tunnel on both times, that was it for me.

As soon as I did that tunnel, I really, really struggled mentally with it really badly. Not having the crowd, just that darkness. And I couldn't get out of that. Were you always with each other when you run it all over? I had a wonderful man called Johnny Johnlegs. He's a friend from work.

He's an extra, a supporting artist at work, but he runs for fun. He's amazing. I did a lot of training with him and he could probably do sub four very, very easily. But he stuck with me for both my marathons, which is amazing. Because he just wanted to be with me.

So I owe him everything. Cause I would not have, I would have walked a lot of it if he wasn't like, come on now, come on now. I think it is all about the mental capacity that it gives you. I think having someone is really important. But I think if you're there. You did do that on your own as well. I think we've all about the mental capacity that it gives you. Yeah. Yeah. I think having someone is really important, but I think if you're there, you- You did do that on your own as well.

I think we've got to remember that. You didn't have a group of people with you. Yeah, I think there was people there. If I was to say to someone or talk to them, they would talk to you. And there's more people on their own than in groups. There are some people in groups, and a lot of people are on your own,

just because it's hard to get in anyway and stuff. I think it's so friendly there, because everyone's just arriving on their own, everyone's sort of in the same position. So you're just, I like, honestly, the amount of people I met in the space from that morning to the end. Yes, you know was was crazy I just feel that the emotional side of it. I cried loads on the way round. Did you cry at all? No, I didn't to be fair. No, did you not? Just collapse. No, just collapse. No crying needed a wee at about half ten in the morning I went out at 9.45.

I didn't go for a wee until I think about nine o'clock at night. Right. So yeah, that was good. I have to say on a personal level, I know you aren't in that. Never did I do a wee. Everyone spoke about toilet stops. Yeah, you don't.

Even if you have the thing, you don't. I did not. I have no feeling. Both are mine. No. And I did 5.26 and 5.27 on my second. Did you ask? So obviously that's my pace. So obviously that's my pace.

I think it was about, I can't remember now, 1140 or something a mile. Slow but slow and steady. It doesn't matter. I mean, you see some of the times that people are doing three hours, but for me, it doesn't matter what time you do. If you complete that, you are,

because it's mentally that difficult, just enjoy it. That is my biggest tip. Just enjoy it. Do whatever helps you, but don't get obsessed with a time like me because that just tarnished what I wanted to achieve. But look. But you actually did do what you wanted.

Luckily, I've done what I wanted. I crossed the line and I've done it in 356 or something. Incredible. So it was good. It's amazing. It's a great thing to do. Great thing to do. Does Amelia like holding the medal?

She does. Does she put the medal? She does. Does she put it on? She does, she does. We had some pictures yesterday. Oh, did you? Oh, you need to send some. I'm going to, and once I'm more fit and healthy, I'm going to get some proper ones and post them about, yeah.

Yeah, make sure you do. Yeah. I'm very proud of you. Thank you. Really am. Love you loads, and maybe the next time you come on, it doesn't- Do I need to do another marathon or?

Possibly, or maybe just some sort of another injury of some kind and then you'll be able to get on that'll probably be coming yeah but uh no 07788 2019 it's a little special a little bit different but I had to celebrate Dom and what he's done and also what he's been through because he's sat here he's smiling he may have black toes but he's a legend. Have a fantastic weekend and I'll speak to you on Monday. Dom thanks for joining me. Thank you for having me. Thanks for everyone that donated. Cheers. Thank you. See ya.