The 2025 London Marathon did not quite go to plan for comedian Romesh Ranganathan as he toiled in the testing heat of the English capital over the weekend.
The 47-year-old had been eyeing a sub-five hour attempt for the 26.2-mile course, but the weather conditions on the day made that tough challenge even tougher.
Even so, the League Of Their Own star put in a gritty effort, battling the heat and his own ailments to complete the grueling race in a time of 6:02:28, beating his personal best (6:35:21) set a year earlier.
“I have been to the abyss”
It was certainly a tail of two halves for the comedian – he joked that he felt great during the opening 20km of the run.
“The first half was great and I thought, maybe I am an elite you know? I genuinely felt that in my heart,” he told the Runna Instagram account before reality set in.
“Then the second half happened, and at about kilometre 22 I started to really struggle, then I got this cramp in my calf. I didn’t think I was going to finish it, but I did.”
Ranganathan described the final stages of the marathon as ‘one of the worst things he had ever been through’.
“I have been in the abyss, I have been absolutely in the abyss. They need to do something about the weather, the second half was one of the worst things I have ever been through.”
Alex Yee calls for a rematch
Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee was quick to respond to the Runna post highlighting Romesh’s race. Having finished 14th in the elite category on his marathon debut, Yee requested a rematch at next’s year’s iconic race, having only beaten the comedian by 3:51:20.
Ranganathan, speaking later on his own Instagram account, reviewed his performance and admitted pre-race timing plans went out of the window due to the weather conditions:
“So I’m sorry to say I don’t make the sub 5 I was going for but early on it was clear the conditions weren’t ideal. Proper hot.
“Towards the end both my calves cramped up and I started to feel quite faint. But it’s done. Thank you to each and every one of you who shouted my name. I was too battered near the end to acknowledge everyone but I heard you. Thanks so much to @runna and @a.culling for the training programme.
“And of course thanks to my running partner today @smilingggman. He had to drag me out of a very dark place in the second half and if he wasn’t there I’m not sure I would have finished. What an incredible bloke.
“Thank you to everyone who’s donated to my @teenage_cancer just giving. We’re on £94000 and I can’t believe it. You can still donate if you like and if you can. Really tough day, but it’s done. Thank you to everyone.”
