London Marathon 2025: Romesh Ranganathan reveals his motivation for one epic ‘last dance’

British comedian Romesh Ranganathan wants to be an ambassador for “runners who thought they’d never be runners” as he attempts Sunday’s London Marathon for a second time in 2025.

The 47-year-old, who ran the iconic 26.2-mile distance between Greenwich and The Mall in aid of CALM – a mental health charity – in 2024, returns for a second time just 12 months later, this time supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust.

A self-proclaimed “non-sporty kid” in his youth, Ranganathan discussed various topics in an interview with Runners World, including training for the marathon, mistakes he corrected from last year and the support he has received.

Running community

“It has surprised me how the supportive the running community is,” he proclaimed as he discussed his venture into running.

“Sometimes, when you get into something that people are experts on, you think that they might be a bit exclusive and be, like, “Why have you suddenly started running?” But the number of tips I’ve been given is amazing. People have even emailed long, detailed lists about how to avoid chafing.”

The comedian has been keen to spread that welcoming aspect of the sport by setting up an online group for London Marathon first-timers to aid them through the trials and tribulations of training.

“People keep telling me, “It’s amazing that you’re running”. And what they really mean by that is, “You’re so not the sort of person we’d imagine running. So, I’m trying to set up a little online group, getting together people training for the London Marathon. This club won’t be about performance.

“When I do my training, I’ll share my worst experiences: slowest runs, running disasters, unplanned toilet stops. Basically, I want to be an ambassador for runners who thought they’d never be runners.”

How Romesh trains for a marathon

The comedian admitted his preparation for last year’s jaunt around London did not go swimmingly and he underestimated the task at hand, evidenced by a 16km training run in Ipswich while on tour.

“I didn’t know anything about fuelling – I’d only ever run 10K, and you can run 10K on nothing,” he told the publication, “which is what I was doing.

“On this 16km run in Ipswich, I hit the wall. I was in the middle of nowhere, on the outskirts of Ipswich and I couldn’t run any further. I had to get an Uber back to the hotel!

“It gave me the fear so badly that, by the time I did the London Marathon, I was so scared of hitting the wall again that I ran really within myself. I was fuelling as much as I could, drinking at every water station.

“I did it in six-and-a-half hours, which is pretty much walking pace. But in my defence, I was doing lots of selfies and didn’t realise how long the queues for the toilets were. This year, I’m aiming for sub-five, which feels within the realms of possibility.’

One last time

Following the conclusion of his six-and-a-half hour trek in 2024, it took some convincing for Romesh to return to the start line, but he insists his 2025 effort will be his final venture around the iconic twists and turns of the race in the English capital.

“When I finished the London Marathon last year, I felt very much like I was never ever going to do it again. So I did take some convincing. But now, I’m all in. I’m going to do it every year. No, I’m joking. This will be my last one,” he said.

He also confirmed mistakes in his nutritional support to training, suggesting he was the only competitor who gained weight while training for the London Marathon.

“When you read about the benefits of running, one of them that caught my eye is that you can eat whatever you want. You can’t, I’m telling you. I was eating so much bread and pasta. So, I’ve been a bit more restrained this year.’