‘IT’LL BE EMOTIONAL TO RE-RUN LONDON’
T HE last time Swansea runners Matthew Rees and David Wyeth were captured on video together at the London Marathon, the Welshman’s selflessness in sacrificing a personal best to help a struggling fellow runner inspired people across the UK.
This year the pair will be getting together again in very different circumstances – they’re planning to start the race together.
The two have become firm friends since that moment in April last year and will be alongside each other for the start of the race – although they’re running their own races this time.
Swansea Harrier Matthew, from Uplands, had never met Chorlton runner David, from Manchester, when he helped him over the last 200 metres of the 2017 race after his legs gave way due to exhaustion.
At the time, 36-year-old David’s muscles had completely shut down – leaving him with limited movement and unable to properly co-ordinate himself. Their moment of comradeship was broadcast on national TV and was shared widely on the internet, with people hailing Matthew for capturing the spirit of the marathon.
Since then, the pair have become good friends and completed a half marathon together.
“We’re just good mates now. You don’t expect to make a friend when you are going to race,” Matthew told the Press Association.
“Since then, it was very similar to if we had met in a pub or any other scenario, we compare training and we have been running today. We have done other events together, our partners get on as well.”
During the marathon, David suffered from a phenomenon known as the Foster collapse, where muscles begin to shut down and severely limit movement.
He spent two hours in the medical tent recovering after being helped across the line.
“That was quite a bad experience for my family because they didn’t have any information and everyone was just sending pictures of what happened,” he said.
The pair have since run together in the annual JCP Swansea Half Marathon. Matthew finished in one hour and 14 minutes, with David finishing in one hour and 17 minutes.
David said: “What I think has worked is that we have had a very similar perspective of what happened – neither of us have egos about the situation and we are both a bit perplexed by the attention, particularly that next day.
“The fact the cameras were rolling – we filled that void between the elite runners finishing and the coverage switching to talk about the wonderful charity causes – we were part of that anonymous club runner population.” Matthew said: “I think it is always emotional running the London Marathon, but especially this year after all that happened last year and the year we have had, coming back I think it will be emotional at the start, the finish and most of the way round.” David added: “It is trying to keep that in check, you can’t really be spending too much energy on emotion – we need to enjoy it, the goal has to be quite fluid this year.”