Belgrave Harriers ripped through the windy streets of London in its latest edition of the marathon, marking a proud day for the club.

Every year, tens of thousands of runners - drawn from the ballot, the championship entry, and all corners of the world - descend onto Greenwich to take part in the greatest race of them all.

Fifty-thousand runners made it to the Mall this time round, 46 of whom did it under our banner. Most Belgrave Harriers finished this year’s London Marathon under the fabled three hour mark. Whether they finished or not, every runner in claret and gold had our hearts and our admiration from the moment their races started.

Wedding Bels

James Nipperess was the first Belgrave Harrier home in the mass event, placing in an extraordinary sixth position. The Australian Commonwealth Games steeplechaser was followed home by London Marathon stalwart Ollie Garrod, the second male crossing the line days ahead of marrying Belgrave’s second female finisher Naomi Lenane. We congratulate them both.

Three more Bels - Joseph Hunt, James Local and Eoin Molloy - finished the race in blistering sub 2:30 fashion. We reserve special praise for Eoin whose metronomic pacing was scarcely believable to those following his progress, the Irishman running a dream marathon to sneak inside his target.

Jingle Bels

Further back, Scottish international Henry Hart showed little sign of fatigue from recent ultramarathon excursions, while Hugo Fry landed a Guinness World Record dressed as Father Christmas, having raised over £3,500 for the British Heart Foundation along the way. Helen Reid and Hanna Hauschild finished either side of Naomi to make up our first three female finishers.

This is a brutal race that will bite your head off if you disrespect it. It’s even harsher to those who put in the miles and make the necessary sacrifices, only to either fall short of their goals or drop out of the race altogether. Such is the level and ambition of our athletes that this fate will always fall upon some of them, but we know that those who toiled out there will soon be back for more. 

Our attention turns to this Friday’s Comeback 5000, where you can expect to see more of the love and adoration of our athletes that was on display in London. We salute every Belgravian who raced and thank those that turned out to support their teammates on Sunday.

All photos by Jerry Sun