I was very fortunate to get my place through TCS, the chief sponsor of the Marathon, and the stories of other runners, especially teachers, they have on their team are inspiring and instructive. There’s Tanzeela Khalid who teaches in Birmingham and explains: “As a hijabi and a woman of colour, I rarely see myself represented in running groups. I work as a teacher at an inner-city primary school in Birmingham, where a large portion of the students come from Arab, Black, and South Asian backgrounds. Many of these children do not see themselves reflected in sports... it’s a powerful way to demonstrate that running is inclusive and accessible to everyone, regardless of background.” This also speaks to the awkward fact that endurance running is so often a very white, middle-class activity in Britain — there are barriers that need to be broken down.