The weather was far from perfect, and a suspected gas leak caused some runners to be diverted, but there was no stopping London Wildlife Trust member Eivind Hegelstad yesterday. After six months of training he was finally at the start line, ready to compete in his first London marathon.

Eivind is an experienced runner and has competed in several marathons before but, after moving to London four years ago, he was keen to add the world famous route to his marathon collection. Running in London has given him a special appreciation of the capital’s green spaces which is why he decided to raise money for London Wildlife Trust.

The day after

Catching up with us the day after, Eivind enthused “I feel great, though my leg muscles are a little stiff! The London marathon was fantastic, easily on a par with New York where I’ve competed before. The crowd was really vibrant, cheering us all on. That really helps carry you through.

“There were some great outfits. I liked the herd of rhinos best, and for a long time I was running alongside Father Christmas. I lost him at the end. Yes, I was beaten by Santa!

Tough conditions

It was a classic April day with regular heavy showers, which made conditions difficult for the runners.  “The weather on the day was brutal. At about the 15 mile point there was a torrential downpour and strong wind which was really uncomfortable.”

But Eivind ploughed ahead and came a very impressive 4,111th out of over 35,000 competitors.  “My final time was three hours and 27 minutes which is slower than the 3 hours 15 minutes I was hoping for, but I’m still really happy and absolutely want to run the London Marathon again.”

So is Eivind going to take it easy for a while?  “I’m taking a little break now but plan on competing in a 30km run in Stockholm in December.”

Many thanks to Eivind for running for London Wildlife Trust and raising money to protect the capital’s wildlife and wild spaces.  Thanks to the generosity of his sponsors Eivind has raised a whopping £1,948 for the Trust so far.

Inspired?

If all this talk of running is giving you itchy feet, why not join London Wildlife Trust’s running team and help us raise funds by competing in the British 10km London Run on Sunday 6th July? Whether you are as speedy as a peregrine falcon or take life at more of a snail’s pace, we’d love you to take part. Email running@wildlondon.org.uk today and find out more. Or call us on 020 7803 4274.