L’Kel @ the London Marathon

What was the best part of your race experience?
This race was my 6th World Major Marathon and the weather was perfect and the spectators were electric but my favorite part of the entire race was knowing that my family was spread out on the course, waiting for me and cheering me on the entire time. It felt great to celebrate this accomplishment with them there in this international setting.

How was this race different than other races?
This is the first time I've ever run two marathons within a week -- I ran Boston 6 days prior, which is not the easiest course on the mind or body. So this race required a whole lot of listening to my body and while I did that, there's just something so liberating in knowing that you can leave everything out there, give it your entire effort, no holding back, because this is the victory lap of the overall journey of running all of the 6 World Majors.

Did you have a mantra, goal, or "why" for this race?
My goal for this race was to just enjoy every minute of the experience as much as possible. Typically I'm laser-focused on strategy during these races. But for this race, I smiled the entire time (even when it got gritty), hugged and kissed my supporters when I spotted them on the course, interacted with the crowds, and really didn't look at my watch at all. It honestly felt like such a fast 26.2 because I was locked in with gratitude for the entire experience.