Priyanka completes London marathon
Most runners participate in this marathon for the fun of it, with many running in costumes, and more than 50 per cent of the entrants are first-time runners
Twenty-two-year-old Priyanka Moodley of the Panorama Running Club recently participated in the popular Virgin Money London Marathon.
The race started at 10am, which was unusual for a South African athlete, as all the races here at home start before the sun even comes up.
Priyanka said, “It has always been one of my goals to run an overseas marathon and what better way than to start with the London Marathon”.
The route of the marathon was relatively flat, crossed over the iconic Tower Bridge and finished in front of Buckingham Palace. The marathon enjoyed immense support along the entire route.
Most runners participate in this marathon for the fun of it, with many running in costumes, and more than 50 per cent of the entrants are first-time runners.
Over 40 000 people participated in this year’s marathon. Runners had a total of 10 hours to finish the marathon; however, those who wanted to qualify for a medal had a shorter time allocation of only eight hours.
Priyanka finished the race in a time of four hours and 31 minutes. Her training, which consisted of a combination of long runs, speed work, hill repeats as well as strength training, clearly paid off.
“It was an incredible experience being able to represent South Africa.It felt like London came to a standstill to be part of this amazing day. As an international runner, I received an abundance of support from the London crowd. The streets were filled with the beautiful sounds of different genres of music from Indian to Jamaican which kept me going,” said Priyanka.
Priyanka ran the 56km Two Oceans Ultra-marathon, which helped her prepare for what was to come, just a weekend before the London race.
“This spectacular experience has motivated me to complete all six major world marathons – Boston, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Berlin, and London,” said Priyanka.
