Marathon Man

Rex Willoughby is living life to the full.

Hats off to Rex Willoughby!  He successfully completed the London Marathon on 18th April and raised around £2,000 for Prostate Research Campaign UK a charity in whose aims he passionately believes.  Our thanks too to those who sponsored this fit 55 year old.

The London Marathon brings together the world's top runners and many, many others like Rex seeking merely to complete the course and finish wearing a Prostate Research Campaign UK T-shirt.

We asked Rex just how hard he had to train in the 26 weeks preparation.  The statistics make your eyes water.  600 miles covered in training.  75 days when he went running and 26 when he trained in the gym.  An estimated 380 training hours in total.

Rex Willoughby is a New Zealander living and working in England, who had a radical prostatectomy in March 1995 after early diagnosis.  For three weeks over Christmas he returned to his roots and was able to train in New Zealand sunshine rather than English damp and cold.

Rex takes up the story: "On the big day, it was up at 5.30am to have an early breakfast and allow myself plenty of time to get to Greenwich.  My plan was to run 12 minute miles and so achieve a time of around five hours.  As the start gets closer, the incredible atmosphere of 32,000 runners assembling makes you anxious and eager to get under way.  At 9.30am the race started but it was 14 minutes later before I crossed the line.  The first few miles are downhill and I cover the first six miles in the first hour.  Too fast I tell myself but one gets carried along by all the people around you and the cheering crowds."

Half Way and muscle trouble

"Past The Cutty Sark and on towards Tower Bridge.  The crowds around and on Tower Bridge are incredible as indeed they are all along the 26.2 miles.  A mile after the Bridge you see the half way sign.  2 hours 18 minutes! Better than I had planned. Some people have already finished!  The pace slows dramatically.  The right adductor muscle on the inside of my thigh feels as if it is going to ping and I try to massage it as I shuffle along.  Passing the Tower of London I get a new lease of life."

Now the other muscle

The excitement mounts.  "Just three miles to go along the Embankment. I am nearly there!"  Then the left adductor goes.  Horrors! I must finish the course as all those people have pledged money.  As I round the corner into Parliament Square I realise it is almost over.  Along Birdcage Walk I spot my youngest daughter in the crowd which gives me the final impetus to cover the last half mile.  Can I raise my pace for that last 100 metres?  No. But who cares?  I cross the finish line in 5 hours 28.  It has taken almost an hour longer to do the second half"

After meeting up with his family and friends he was asked would he run another one?  His answer was emphatic "never, never, never.."  48 hours later when the pain had mostly worn off, he was already changing his mind.  "Anyway" says Rex, "whether I run another or not, the sense of achievement and the memory will be with me for ever".

And so say all of us.