Love is all you need to get over the line

The thought of loved ones who have inspired runners can be one of the biggest factors in putting one foot in front of the other.

For Emma Admans, she will think of her two grandads to spur her on at the London Marathon.

One of the support worker’s grandads suffers from Alzheimer’s. Her other grandad died from lung cancer.

Miss Admans, who works with homeless young people in hostels across Oxford, had never run a full marathon before but was determined to bag a place in the April 26 run.

The 23-year-old wants to raise a target of £500 for Alzheimer’s UK and the Roy Castle Lung Foundation.

Her grandad John Admans died of lung cancer in 1991, and grandad Bruce Balfour was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last year.

Mr Balfour, 95, moved to Oxford at the start of the Second World War from Canada, where he was an army engineer working on tanks with the 1st Canadian Division.

The Canadian met his wife Yvonne Balfour, now 93, through a chance encounter in Port Meadow in 1943. Both were out walking their dogs and simply struck up a conversation. The pair married at St John the Evangelist Church in New Hinksey, Oxford, on June 5, 1943.

According to Miss Admans, Mr Balfour was showing signs of Alzheimer’s before he was diagnosed following a hospital visit for a broken hip last year.

Miss Admans, of Freeland, said: “He broke his hip by trying to get out of his chair and he fell down. He went to the hospital and he was really confused. They diagnosed him then.

“It has been quite hard because we care for him and we take it in turns to look after him. It is really hard when you see someone who used to be so independent and now he needs our help.

“It is really difficult because he changed a lot and needed a lot of help. He went really quiet.”

Miss Admans, a former pupil at Bartholemew School in Eynsham, said grandad John Admans, who was married to 78-year-old Rosemary Admans in Watlington, used to work for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue at the Watlington station. He died of lung cancer when he was 51.

Miss Admans, who has been training for the event with gym sessions since October, added: “I will be thinking of my grandads when I run and they will both spur me on. I am determined to finish it.”

To donate visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/emmaadmans

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS

Running gear shops and personal trainers in Oxford are no strangers to first-time runners in need of advice.

From the London Marathon to local events like Town and Gown and the Oxford Half Marathon, seasoned experts are routinely approached by running "newbies" all year round.

Josh Spering, manager of the Up & Running shop in Headington, said: "We see a definite difference in terms of sales before the London Marathon. Nutrition massively goes up.

"Definitely follow a plan and stick to it. A lot of people think training is to do with miles but it's about knowing what you're going to take with you on the day, for instance if you'll be carrying a water bottle, and replicating it in training."

Personal trainer Darren Davies, from Headington, added: "For complete newbies it's about building up slowly and gradually. People are full of excitement and want to do everything quickly but that will lead to injuries. Build up a foundation first."

He agreed that runners should keep in mind their routine on running day: "It's not the time to do experiments. Keep your digestive system used to something and take your cereal or porridge with you to London for the morning. Don't buy a new pair of trainers three minutes before the run."

He added that the London Marathon was "125 per cent" accessible to new runners: "It's the only opportunity you will have in life to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with world-class athletes. If you take the right mentality and build up slowly, there's no reason why you can't achieve it.

"The human body is a wonderful bit of kit, as long as you look after it properly."

Incentive: Emma Admans with her grandfather Bruce Balfour

RACE ORIGINS

HUNDREDS of runners from Oxfordshire will pound the pavements alongside amateurs and professionals runners from across the globe in this year’s London Marathon.

The 26-mile run, this year being held on April 26 can trace its history back to the 1970s.

The idea came about when members of the Ranelagh Harriers running club in London took part in the New York Marathon in 1979.

One of them, Chris Brasher, then wrote a column for The Observer entitled “The World’s Most Human Race”.

It ended with the question of: “whether London could stage such a festival? We have the course, a magnificent course… but do we have the heart and hospitality to welcome the world?”

Finally, after much deliberation, planning and consultation with local police, the first race was run on March 29, 1981 with charitable status and sponsorship from Gillette.

Back then, there were 6,225 finishers.

Today the run typically attracts about 40,000 participants of all ages and experience levels.