Race Date: Sunday 27th April 2025

Jemma Anderson hits the mark with this report from the view of a first time pacer.

Where do I start? From the first time I ran a marathon I was intrigued by the runners with the flags on their backs. The way they put people at ease, inspired people to run their best race and I guess I saw them as super human. I wanted to be one!

Fast forward 10 years… I took part in the London marathon in 2024, achieved my goal and thought what’s next? After having paced many half marathons and other distances, I knew this was my time to step up and if not now then when? I always say where there’s a will there’s a way, time to put this into practice! I navigated my way to find the pace team organiser for Manchester, provided some of my credentials and asked for the opportunity to pace my first marathon. I’m not sure if my email convinced or if it was a potential shortage with several other marathons (including London) being on the same day, but I was in! Both terrified and excited I had a new goal to work towards!

Jemma meets the team

Fast forward the usual training block and the big day arrived on 27th April. It was an early start, meeting the pacing team at 7:30, with a start time of 11:10. It was like my first day at school again, but I was soon put at ease with some amazing and inspirational runners in the team. The chap I was paired up with was running his 499th marathon and I was in awe! After the team photo, we started saying good luck to each pacer team as they left for their allotted start. At 10:30 it was my time to make the walk, with a start time of 11:10.

Heading towards the start. Remember, pacers have to do the training too.

Getting to the start line I felt like a celebrity. Lots of people wanted to engage and understand our pacing strategy. It was great to hear so many stories and see so many people attempting the distance for the first time. A truly humbling experience. I can honestly say I was more excited than nervous at this stage and meeting the runners only added to this.

The organisation was fantastic and at 11:10 our wave set off. I’m forever grateful to my pacing partner who had arranged a playlist to take us through the next 4 hours 30 minutes, with an eclectic range of songs. Not only were we singing along, but those around us were chipping in for the odd line. This broke down barriers for those more nervous runners and brought runners to us the whole way around, to engage in a quick chat and thanking us for the role we played.

Along the route many different villages, Timperley, Altrincham and Sale, really showed up with music, hose pipes, sweets and impromptu water stations along the way. This was very much welcomed given the temperatures hit 24 degrees throughout the marathon. In addition there was organised entertainment for most of the route, making the time fly by… although I’m not sure it rivalled our singing?

The route was mainly flat with a few “bumps” and one “hill” around the Altrincham area. We’re not talking Sheffield half territory, more of a quarter of a mile or so kick up, but nevertheless a noticeable incline.

In the last few miles it was clear the heat had taken its toll. This is where as a pacer I was able to motivate and encourage people to join our pacing “bus” or just dig deep and stick in there until the end. Again a very humbling experience. This is something if I’m honest I was nervous about, what if I succumbed to the heat and “let down” the runners around me?  Because of this I’d given more thought than ever to my nutrition and hydration in the week leading up to the big day. I followed my own advice to always respect the distance and thankfully it paid off.

Coming into the finish line felt very emotional, both for those who had stayed with us for the duration and also on a personal note, having achieved a dream and made a success of my pacing debut coming in at 4:29:04. I’ve been asked back next year and I didn’t need to think about my response. It’s a resounding yes! The spirit of Manchester, the residents and the people who dared to dream and take on the marathon distance made the whole day a memorable experience for me, one I’ll never forget!

Job well done. Must have been warm with that t-shirt.

Editor: Jemma ran at London last year is 3:53:36 so that’s a 35 minute buffer on her target time. Quite an achievement given the unfavourable conditions.