People worldwide have heard about the London marathon, but have they heard of the London mini marathon?
The London mini marathon is the last 2.65 miles of the London marathon run by children aged 11-17 from 33 London boroughs.
This race has taken place since 1986 and started off with a few competitors running yearly, but now when you look at it, it has improved a lot. Over 2000 people attend the annually run mini marathon, which is a huge success.
The Mini Marathon involves children and young people from all over the UK - from Scotland to Ireland, London to Manchester every participating child experiences the true meaning of fun.
I've participated in the Mini Marathon for three years now and I would recommend it to family and friends. If you haven't run it yet, you're missing out on a lot of great fun.
I've been involved in distance running since I was chosen from my school to run a cross-country. I was recommended to run the mini marathon by my mum and it's now helped me improve my stamina.
Now, following my competing in the 2007 mini marathon I can run 2.65 miles in 00:19:08, which is a huge improvement because when I first ran it I finished in 00:20:29 so I feel proud of myself and I know every child would if they ran the Mini Marathon.
A runner's view
12-year-old Musset competed in the mini marathon for the second year. Like me, he was recommended to the event by his mum. Although he’s a keen long-distance runner, Musset says he probably won't keep participating in the mini marathon until he's 17 (the final year for young people to compete), as it is "too hard for me".
Musset agrees that keeping up with the other runners is not easy. "It is hard but I try my best to keep up," he says.
Despite the strenuous regime required to run, he still thinks it's a great experience and gives the event a very positive 8 out of 10 marks.
An organiser's view
Before the 2007 Flora London Marathon began, I spoke to Jack, one of the organisers of the mini-marathon.
How did the mini-marathon first start?
Well, the kids in the borough wanted to do something physical, so did the kids in all the other boroughs and by watching the adults run the marathon they also wanted to run some kind of marathon, and so they organised the mini-marathon.
How long have you been organising the mini-marathon?
I've been organising it for about 12 years.
How long does it take to organise it?
About three months, to get it done on time. But the work starts earlier so really I would work on it for a year by looking for good athletes in the borough. I would love to do this for the rest of my life but I've got to stop eventually.
How many organisers are on the team?
There are about five or six staff members, plus maybe the same in volunteers.
How did you get this job?
Well I've been involved with sports all my life. I'm also a physical trainer and I was spotted and chosen by Islington.
Thank you for your time. Hope to see you soon.
About this article
This article was written by Simon Rosum, a member of Headliners' outreach programme Project Subway.
