Virgin Money London Marathon – New book tells 26 enthralling tales of the London Marathon

Michael McEwan has been captivated by the London Marathon for as long as he can remember.

Every year come marathon day, Michael (pictured) and his family would gather around the family television to marvel at the heroic exploits of the runners.

So it was no surprise that a lifelong ambition of Michael’s was to be one of those heroes himself – to have a go at running the London Marathon.

What he could not have guessed was that the experience would be so overwhelming that it would lead to him fulfilling another lifelong ambition – to write a book.

'Running the Smoke: 26 First-Hand Accounts of Tackling the London Marathon' is the end product of a seed first sown as he stood on the Start Line of the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon.

“It was the most brilliant, emotional, inspirational day of my life,” said the 32-year-old sports journalist from Glasgow.

“And it began on the Start Line when I stopped to take a look around me and I couldn’t help but be struck by the fact that everyone here was doing it for a reason. Whether it was for a sense of accomplishment – which was what I was doing it for – to prove that they were still here or doing it for a loved one, everyone had a reason. Instantly, I thought it would be great to tell some of these tales and combine my love for writing with my love for the marathon.”

Running the Smoke is an incredibly moving, life-affirming book which, as the author says, “shows the London Marathon as the force for good it is”.

It is split into 26 chapters – one for every mile of the marathon – with each section devoted to a runner’s tale.

The stories are told first-person and really do cover the whole spectrum of marathon runners.

From the elites like (joint) first winner Dick Beardsley and 1996 women’s winner Liz McColgan-Nuttall to celebrities like Sir Steve Redgrave and Michael Lynagh and to a raft of stories from the mass runners, the book has all bases covered.

“I wanted to tell three types of stories,” Michael said. “Firstly the elites because I wanted to give people an indication of what it is like to actually win the marathon or to be fighting to win the marathon.

“Secondly I wanted to tell the tales of celebrities because I think sometimes their involvement is a bit misunderstood. Celebrities more often than not don’t run to promote the race or themselves, they are doing it for a reason. Take Michael Lynagh, one of the greatest rugby players of all time, and he ran in 2013 almost a year after nearly being killed by a stroke. And he ran to prove something to himself – that he could do it.

“Finally, and most importantly of all, I wanted to cover the masses, the ordinary runners and those stories were not too hard to find because there are so many of them.

“Despite the differences though, there are many common threads that run through all the stories. One of the great things about the London Marathon is that it is a very unifying event. I don’t think there are many other events like it and whether you run it in close to two hours or six hours, you share the same experiences. Everyone is cheered on by hundreds and thousands of well-wishers. You run along this amazing course, past all the landmarks and it is special. It is an event that is pure and good.”

Michael finds it difficult to pick a favourite of his 26 chapters but admits the final one is particularly special.

“They are all special and I did not expect to be so emotionally invested in them,” he said. “I would come back to my wife having conducting an interview and she would say ‘how did it go?’ and I would either be laughing hysterically or in floods of tears. They are all amazing stories and I am so thankful to each and every one of them for telling me their stories. They have really exposed themselves which is a really brave thing to do.

“But if I was pushed I would have to say Jill Tyrell’s story is particularly powerful and I deliberately put it as the final chapter in the book.

“Jill survived the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London – she was on the same carriage as one of the suicide bombers – and she ran the marathon in 2006 just 290 days after the attack.

“Her story is very important. It shows the incredible things you can achieve if you are determined and it shows the London Marathon’s ability to unify.

“It also highlights the indefatigable spirit of London as a city and its people and that is something the marathon shows every year. It is an event where the whole city comes together in pursuit of something pure, good and genuine.”

In keeping with the Virgin Money London Marathon’s commitment to charity, McEwan has pledged to donate all the royalties made from the book’s sales to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

“The London Marathon does so much for charity that this felt a good way to add to that philanthropic work,” he said.

“Also, these stories are not mine for profit. The diamonds belong to each of the runners whose stories I have told, I have just polished them up a bit.”

Running the Smoke: 26 First-Hand Accounts of Tackling the London Marathon is available now to buy from online and retail stockists. RRP £14.99

Virgin Money London Marathon