Paula is also my inspiration, she’s a hero and if anyone can make the Olympic Marathon against all the odds, she can. I hope that her commitment is rewarded and that she goes to Beijing and shows all her doubters what’s what. On saying that, I hope her judgement isn’t clouded by wanting to lay her Athens ghosts and that she really is fully fit and healthy on the start line. Paula, if injury-free and fully fit, is one of our best medal hopes for the Games and I hope she gets her chance of Gold.

I felt exactly like you once and thought I could never run the London Marathon but have now run 8 - slowly but I’ve got the medals to prove it. I know it’s a cliche but really “if I can, anyone can”. So … don’t give up if it’s your dream. Get into training, adding a little bit of mileage at a time, walking if you need to and before you know it the miles will build up and so will your confidence. Go for it …. have faith ….. and good luck to both you and Paula. x

Yes, I know I am a 300 lb lard bucket but I also dream of running the London Marathon — probably 2 or 3 times slower than Paula, but it’s still my dream!