The cold weather has arrived and with it sees the start of Autumn marathon season.

For runners embarking on their six-star journey, or athletes who dream of running through the UK’s beautiful capital, the London Marathon is set to be an incredible event.

With a vast set of talent in the world of running here in our own borough, a multitude of athletes are preparing to step on that start line.

Katie Kay

Excited to take on her fourth marathon in the city, Katie Kay has been following a 14-week training plan, aiming to smash her personal records.

Recently welcomed to the East Cheshire Harriers family, Katie has begun to incorporate some speed sessions into her training, an idea which she believes has boosted her fitness.

“Working with the team at the Local Runners Podcast I’ve realised that I can run faster than I think.

“In previous marathon plans I’ve only ever done one pace for all of my runs, whereas this time I’ve been doing different sessions and I’ve really enjoyed pushing myself,” she said.

Setting her PB in 2019 on the same course with 3:35, Katie is hoping to knock 5 minutes off her time and come home with 3:30. This amazing time would potentially see her qualify for more prestigious marathon events.

Achieving a ‘Good for Age’ place at the UK’s biggest marathon, Katie had automatically been entered into the Age Group World Championships, meaning she will compete against some of the fastest in the world and receive another shiny medal.

Battling illness during her plan and fearing she’d lost her fitness, Katie is excited and proud to be heading to the start line on Sunday (2 October).

She plans to sport her Local Runners Podcast vest, as well as her speedy Alphafly shoes.

Mark Collier

Also going for his fourth London Marathon is Salford Harriers athlete Mark Collier. Impressing in various races across 2022, Mark is eager to show what he’s made of over the 26.2 distance.

Similar to Katie, Mark also followed a 14-week training plan and despite interruptions with races, his plan has gone extremely well. Practicing fuelling over the course of his training has helped Mark to feel confident ahead of the event.

“I can’t wait to get on the start line now and I’m hoping for a sub 2:40 time,” he said.

Laura Coucill

Salford Harriers’ lightning-fast Laura Coucill is also ready to reach the start line.

Achieving astonishing times over the course of 2022, Laura impressed in the Media City 5k, finishing as 1st female, and completing the course in 19.35.

Completing the London Marathon in 2021, Laura accomplished a time of 3:09. Now, she plans to amaze fellow runners once again by travelling to the capital.

Callum Parkinson

East Cheshire athlete and Local Runners Podcast host Callum Parkinson will be marking a special run this weekend as he completes his debut London Marathon.

Combining running and cycling to get himself race ready, Callum has battled injuries to ensure his fitness levels remain high.

Aiming for a sub 3-hour time, Callum will be sporting his racing shorts and socks, as well as his green and gold East Cheshire vest.

“I’m really nervous ahead of Sunday and I still can’t believe that I’m going.

“Me and my wife are going down on Friday and staying the weekend so we’re looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere,” Callum said.

After completing the momentous race, he will be gearing up to take on the cross country season before potentially looking for more races.

Mark Bousie

Local runner Mark Bousie will also take on the London Marathon, using his father-in-law for motivation.

When Mike Sadler, a fit and healthy 63-year-old, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2020, his family was taken aback by the news.

Then, just six weeks after his diagnosis, Mike passed away.

Striving to ensure that no other family is forced to suffer this ordeal, Mike’s family set up a trust fund in his name, raising as much money as possible for The Brain Tumour Charity.

As a keen runner, Mark Bousie knew he wanted to set himself an immense challenge to support his father-in-law.

Applying for London through the ballot for years but never receiving a place, Mark applied through his charity and was selected to represent them on the London stage.

He has been set the challenge of raising £2700 for the charity as per the terms of his race place, but is ultimately looking to raise as much awareness as possible.

If you’d like to donate and help Mark on his journey, you can do so here.

Elizabeth Mason

A loveable lady in the world of local runners, Elizabeth Mason, will also be smiling her way to the start line.

Heading to her 5th London Marathon, Liz is extremely excited to feel the atmosphere of the crowd. Her aim is to enjoy her run, take in every sight and smile through the 26.2 miles.

“I don’t think London is a race to aim for a personal best, you really don’t want to miss anything and it’s so amazing to take everything in.

“London was the first marathon I ever did, and it remains my favourite, the crowd is incredible, and I love to wave at everybody who comes out to support,” she said.

Liz says it is important to wave as much as possible, hi-five the children who stand on the course and take the sweets offered to you.

An Ultra-runner, Liz is completing London off the back of her last ultra-marathon and is always on the lookout for more to complete.

As per her routine, she plans to buy herself a new pair of race socks for London.

Nicola Lloyd

Heading to complete her 9th marathon and fourth in the big city, Nicola Lloyd has flown through her training regime coupled with her Saucony Endorphin Pros.

Nicola is aiming to beat her personal best time set in 2021, 3:40. Training with the Hanson plan, she finds this has worked brilliantly for her.

Committing to six days of running a week for four months, Nicola is hoping her hard work will lift the pressures on race day.

Continuing with the excitement around Autumn marathon season, Berlin marathon has proved to be an incredible experience for some of our local runners.

Andy Sykes

East Cheshire Harriers’ Andy Sykes has recently returned from the German city after completing the tough distance.

Unsure if he would even be able to attend the race, Andy had to withdraw his training regime earlier this year after learning he had developed a hernia. Left with thoughts of not running at all, Andy decided he would trial a few runs the week before the race.

Feeling that these went well, he chose to complete Berlin, no matter how long it took him.

Despite his setbacks, Andy crossed the line in an amazing time of 3:44, feeling immensely proud that he had finished.

“The number of local children at the side of the road shouting my name was incredible and it really did make all the difference.

“Any moment of struggle there was always some encouragement from the side of the road. As hard a race as it had turned out to be I will be taking nothing but great memories and happiness from it.

“After the race had finished it was great to receive so many nice messages from my club mates at East Cheshire Harriers and the local running community back in Tameside.

“Once the dust had settled, I met up with a couple of other local runners, Sean Warburton of Salford Harriers and Tommy Bancroft of Stockport Harriers to celebrate the event,” Andy said.

Sean Warburton

Achieving his own personal best on the same day Kiphchoge secured a new world record, Salford Harriers athlete Sean Warburton was over the moon with his Berlin performance.

Crossing the finish line in a remarkable 2:39, Sean was overwhelmed with the floods of kind messages he received from local runners back home in the UK.

He says the atmosphere in Berlin was astonishing, hearing the roar of the crowds and feeling motivated with the support.

A figure within the local running community, many athletes will know just how hard Sean has worked for this moment, committing to an intense training regime.

The array of cultures at the race was an amazing sight for Sean, who believes that running really brings people together.

With marathons being his favourite distance to race, Sean has completed the famous London race previously, but says Berlin is comparable for the atmosphere.

Going forward, he plans to complete even more marathons, with New York being on his bucket list. Aiming to complete all six of the World Majors, Sean is looking forward to crossing the rest off his list.

Using mental strategies to get through the distance, Sean says he likes to break down the race into smaller pockets. This tip is something that many runners back, looking at the last 6 miles as just two ParkRuns.

Sean plans to spend a short period of time recovering, before searching and committing to his next marathon challenge.

Our Tameside athletes have worked incredibly hard in order to prepare for the 2022 Autumn marathon season. If you'd like to follow their journey at the London Marathon, make sure to tune in to the coverage via BBC. 

You can hear more from our athletes on Tameside Radio's SportsTalk from 7pm on Friday. 

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