“They run the world. There are more than 50,000 men and women
running the NYC Marathon, over 30,000 who dare to traverse
Beantown by foot, 57,000 hommes and femmes competing in
Paris, 40,000 Manner and Frauen at the Berlin race and still
thousands more in Chicago, Moscow and London. They pass
famous landmarks, pass by hundreds of thousand people
cheering on the side-lines and surpass their own limits.
They train all year long, each time running faster, feeling
stronger and turning the pain of training into complete
euphoria. They run for the feeling of their shoes on the
pavement, their hearts beating in perfect harmony, the music
blasting through headphones. Every mile, every step, every
second of every breath is a challenge, but every run, no matter
how fast or how long, is a reward. TAG Heuer assures the
accurate measurement of this reward with the most precise
calculations of Marathon times for those who always go the
extra mile and never stop until they cross the finish line.”
We are delighted to be supporting our goldsmith Matthew as he runs the London Marathon this year with TAG Heuer.
Sitting down with a limping Matthew just 3 ½ weeks from marathon day, we chat about the upcoming event and how his marathon training is going. “I’m never doing another one” he jokes, wincing as he rubs his knees – apparently a common feeling at this point in the training when the accumulated fatigue of longer and longer training runs comes to a head. Thankfully the training is beginning to taper and his runs are easing off to shorter distances and times to let his poor body repair and heal so that on the day he is ready and feels better than ever!
Despite the niggling knees, Matt is thrilled to be taking part in the event in partnership with TAG Heuer and was delighted to be asked knowing how hard it is to get a place in the prestigious sporting event. Our dear colleague Jill who lost her battle with a long-term illness only last year was a keen runner and ran the London marathon herself years ago, Matthew spoke to her about the event and is honoured to run in her footsteps along with many great runners before him.
First and foremost, Matt is a cyclist and rides his bike to work and back every day as well as taking part in many events, time trials and mountain biking holidays. Running was initially a secondary sport that he took up to help him train for his cycling events. Swimming was a natural third sport which led Matt to competing in many triathlons including a half iron man. It wasn’t long before running became a passion though and last year Matt became the county champion for his age group in the half marathon distance.
Matt tells me about how he used to watch the London marathon on television year after year and how nice it would be to take part. Luckily for him, one of our most prestigious watch brands TAG Heuer are the official timekeepers of the event and a space on their team was offered. Now, as the event gets closer, his kit has arrived, his family are practicing their cheering and his training is coming to a close, is he excited? Well, he’s not sure! Apprehensive maybe, but looking forward to the day and to what will be an experience of a lifetime. Matthew and Michael Jones Jeweller would like to thank TAG Heuer for the wonderful opportunity and for enabling Matt to cross off a bucket list event. We will be cheering Matthew from the side-lines and watching out for him on television. Good luck Matt!
