Marathon 27: St Albans Smiles & Miles

After a couple of weekends without the whole family on the road, it was brilliant to have everyone back together again for our Hertfordshire marathon. Even better, I was joined by Nellie, who I know through my best mate Charlie (you might remember him from our London Marathon leg). Running with someone familiar, surrounded by family and friends, always makes for a special day.

Nellie had also pulled together an incredible support crew. Charlie and Alice were there with the family, alongside friends from university, relatives and plenty of enthusiastic supporters who popped up throughout the route. We knew from the forecast that we'd have our work cut out, with temperatures heading towards 30°C, so the plan was simple: start as early as possible. With two small children to get organised, "early" ended up being 8am, but it still gave us the best chance of staying ahead of the worst of the heat.

We set off from Verulamium Park in St Albans, joined by Andy and Lizzie, friends of Nellie's from university. The opening 10K passed comfortably before we looped back into town for the St Albans parkrun.

Dropping a parkrun into the middle of a marathon was a first for me, but psychologically it worked brilliantly. We'd already banked the first 10K, then had another milestone to focus on before we'd even started thinking about halfway. Once the parkrun began, you almost forgot how many miles were already in the legs, and before we knew it we'd covered nearly half the marathon.

The parkrun itself was fantastic. A brilliantly organised event with a lovely grassy course and a great atmosphere. A special mention has to go to Andy, who casually disappeared off the front of our steady jog... only to go and win the parkrun before rejoining us afterwards. Not a bad morning's work.

As we left St Albans, even more support arrived, including Nellie's brother-in-law Sam and my good friend Alice. The route followed beautiful riverside paths before opening out towards Redbourn Common and the rolling Hertfordshire countryside. It was one of those routes that constantly surprised you; scenic without being overly challenging, gently undulating and, thankfully on a day like this, offering plenty of welcome stretches beneath the trees.

The heat was always going to dictate the day. Rather than fighting it, we accepted it. We took our time, stopped whenever we needed to, drank plenty of water and made the most of every patch of shade we could find. There was no point chasing a pace that the conditions simply weren't going to allow.

What impressed me most all day, though, was Nellie.

Just over a year after giving birth, she'd worked incredibly hard to get herself back to marathon fitness. Then, only a couple of months ago, a hip injury disrupted her training and left the marathon in doubt. Simply making it to the start line was an achievement. Completing the marathon in those temperatures, with such a positive attitude throughout, made it even more remarkable.

Whenever we were moving, we stayed consistent. Whenever we stopped, it was exactly as long as we needed before getting going again. There were difficult moments, as you'd expect in that kind of heat, but nobody panicked. We just kept putting one foot in front of the other, supported every step of the way by Nellie's brilliant team of family and friends.

It was another reminder that you don't need hundreds of people lining the streets to make these marathons special. A handful of people who genuinely care, turning up with encouragement, water and smiles at exactly the right moments, can make all the difference.

We eventually rolled into Nellie's family farm to a fantastic finish, greeted by food, cold drinks and plenty of proud faces. It was the perfect way to round off another memorable county.

An even bigger achievement came away from the running itself. Nellie has now raised over £2,000 for Tommy's, an incredible contribution to the challenge and a reflection of how many people have got behind her story and this cause.

Huge thanks to Nellie for taking on the marathon, to everyone who came out to support us throughout the day, and to everyone who has donated. What could have been an incredibly difficult day in the heat turned into another unforgettable chapter of Marathons for Miracles.