The Garden Marathon — Ben Aldridge

Every year thousands of runners come together to participate in one of the most iconic races on the planet - The London Marathon. This year things were slightly different though… the original date of April 26th 2020 was postponed due to the entire UK being in lockdown as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic. This left a massive gap in a lot of charities revenue and the vital support that this mammoth event can bring was lost. To try and encourage people to still take part in fundraising events, charities asked fundraisers to get out there and be creative. The garden marathon was born.

All around the UK on April 26th 2020 runners decided to complete the distance of a marathon in their gardens. For some people with massive gardens, this looked lovely. My garden is nine meters long. It was not lovely. I also have three steps in the middle of the garden as there are two levels. It’s filled with wonky slabs and is uneven. In the first part of the garden you have four meters of uninterrupted “running”. You then get about a meter of steps and then another three meters of “running”. I calculated that I needed to complete 4802 lengths of my garden to cover the distance of a marathon. Yes, it was a ridiculous challenge.

I woke up early on April 26th and set up a drinks station and check point. Every ten lengths of the garden would get recorded at the station in permanent marker. It started well and my energy was good but it was impossible to get any pace at all. The steps in the middle of the garden and the constant turning were exhausting and there was very little rhythm to the whole thing.

After I had completed the first mile, I came to a realisation… this was not just going to be a few hours added onto my marathon time. This was going to be nearly double my normal time! It was so hard to get any form of momentum and the idea of relaxing in the afternoon was shattered by the cold, hard reality that this was going to take a while.

I would describe the race in detail for you but as you can imagine, there is only so much I can say about running 4802 lengths of my garden. However, at one point the neighbours children held signs over the fence telling me to “keep going”. That was a nice moment. It’s hardly the thousands of cheers from an official race crowd, but I was grateful for anything at that point!

Monotony was the enemy and the “run” became a very mental challenge. I listened to a lot of music and podcasts to keep me entertained. This worked. Well, a bit. Being so close to my house also meant that I could stop for a snack whenever I wanted, which was actually one massive benefit of the garden marathon. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much during a run before!

At one point, I hit a physical “wall” and felt absolutely exhausted. I needed to use the bathroom but didn’t want to take off my shoes (too much effort), so I put carrier bags over each foot. I do care about my carpets, you know! As I stood at the top of my stairs with plastic bags on both feet, dog-tired from running thousands of lengths of my garden, I had a moment where I couldn’t stop hysterically laughing at how ridiculous the situation was. Maybe it was endorphins. Maybe it was exhaustion. Either way, I won’t forget that moment. Ever.

After approximately 8 hours, I finally finished the marathon. Because of the steps in the middle of my garden, I had managed to ascend and descend over 1000 meters - the height of Mount Snowdon (Wales’ tallest mountain). My legs were certainly feeling it! This was, without a doubt, the weirdest marathon I’ve ever completed. Whenever I’m in my garden now I can’t believe what I’ve done. It was a completely ridiculous challenge, but an experience that will stay with me a long time. Have I convinced you to try one yet?

“Get going... walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.”

— Ron Hill