Absolutely not, my friend. Those who know me know that I am more inclined to cosy up on the sofa and watch the London Marathon rather than break a sweat participating in it. However, one year I did find myself in London during the marathon, completely oblivious to the event until I stumbled upon it.

I decided to venture into the city centre and found myself caught up in the infectious energy of the race. I cheered on countless runners as they zoomed past, and there was something about the whole experience that touched my soul (although not enough to make me start running). In fact, I make it a point to attend the Lake Garda Marathon as well, just to witness the raw emotions on the faces of the finishers as they near the end.

Last year, I even found myself serving pizzas for a friend who had a pizza stand near the finishing line. It was fun to chat with the families of the runners and hear their inspiring stories. (Yes, I did start feeling pathetic for just watching and not joining in.) These experiences did make me want to capture the essence of Marathon Day in my book, hoping to evoke the same emotions in my readers and then I got carried away with my plot twist. So, here’s to the thrill of the race and the joy of crossing that finish line! Cheers!