Sam and Katie Go Head-To-Head: KOTWF’s London Marathon Preview

It is the penultimate week of April, which can only mean one thing: it’s time for the London Marathon. As one of the Abbott Majors and the British Championships, the event attracts tens of thousands of runners of all abilities from across the world. In fact, last year’s edition set a new world record of 56,640 finishers, making it the largest marathon ever. 

Between its stacked professional fields of Olympic and world champions, club championship runners, those supporting a good cause, and everyone else in between, there is never a shortage of amazing people and stories to follow. We thought we should pick two of our favourites out of the crowd: Sam and Katie. They are a team in every way, raising two children and running two businesses, KOTWF and Summat. This year, they are looking to raise £5,000 for Muscular Dystrophy (MD) and Children with Cancer (CwC) at London Marathon. These charities have been close to their heart for a very long time and, for Sam, it feels like a legacy he is picking up in memory of a close childhood friend. 

We sat down with Sam and Katie to ask them what their journey to the 2026 London Marathon has looked like, what their ambitions are, how they see it all to play out, and what their ideal after-party looks like. 

What led you to the iconic London Marathon?

Sam: “I’ve never actually run London before, so this will be a whole new experience for me. It’s one of those things I’ve always wanted to tick off the bucket list but never took the time for in between lots of triathlon training and other commitments. This Sunday, I am rolling back the years and running the marathon in support of MD and CwC, just like I did for my first ever marathon in 2009! I lost my childhood friend, Martin, to MD and cancer in 2003 at just 16. His mum had run marathons all over the world to raise funds for MD and his brothers recently did London to carry on the legacy. It’s time I picked up the baton myself as well! Getting to do it with Katie is especially cool, even though she doesn’t want to be anywhere near me!”

Katie: “Raising funds for two amazing charities is all the reason I needed to stand on the startline, but London Marathon is also just an incredible event with an atmosphere that is literally like nothing else out there. A big part of me was keen to come back for another crack at it because I feel like I have unfinished business. I actually set my PB of 2:48:17 there in 2024, but I went out too hard. I was on track to break that golden 2:45 mark but then really suffered in the final 10km. So, when my team, Unsactioned Athletics, offered me a chance at a rematch, I grabbed it with both hands! It also doesn’t hurt that we’re getting lots of support from New Balance and getting the full VIP treatment! I feel very fortunate to be in this position, and I just want to do justice to our charities and our support community by crossing the finish line in a time that I’m proud of.”

Between your two children and demanding jobs, you’re having to juggle a lot in your day-to-day life. How has your training gone? What do you find most challenging?

Sam: “We are very fortunate in that we have loads of amazing people in our community from Summat, KOTWF, and elsewhere, supporting us. When it comes to looking after the kids, Katie does all the hard work, really. On my end, I have quite a high-pressure job that involves lots of travel and long days, but I know it inside out. I know exactly when and where I can carve out time for myself. And sometimes you can use jet lag and time zones to your advantage: if you’re going to be up at 3am anyways, you might as well head out for a long run before the day starts!”

Katie: “I’m still on maternity leave at the moment but I’m managing Summat cafe in Bakewell while looking after two young kids. Raff is at nursery but Leo is with me the whole time, so it’s been about trying to fit things in when I can.You’ve got to stay relaxed, not overthink it and make the most out of the small windows you get! I’ve done a lot of my easy runs on the Monsal Trail with Leo in the buggy, for example. I’ve done most of my faster, shorter sessions on the treadmill in sync with her nap times, so she either sleeps while I run or she just stares at me. Friends and family have kindly helped out so that I can get my long runs in. The trick is managing your energy levels because you don’t want to be so exhausted that you can’t handle a crazy toddler and feed a little baby!”

What’s been the biggest ‘win’ of your build so far?

Sam: “The training has been really interesting. I’ve had Tim Don help me which has been amazing. We’ve barely done anything fast, it’s all been steady threshold stuff which has allowed my body to become super efficient and has allowed me to string days, weeks and months together without issues. It’s low-risk training, basically, but I think it could pay off in a big way. I also haven’t done any of the training in carbon shoes. That makes me sound like an old man… but I remember when running was done in essentially barefoot shoes, and it would just knacker us for weeks on end. So, I’m expecting an absolute boost when I slap the carbons on!” 

Katie: “There have been a few big wins for me. The first would be successfully pivoting from my initial plans of doing Comrades in June. My run in Valencia 2025 qualified me and Carla Molinaro had kindly started me with my training so all was on track for a good run down in South Africa, but logistics got in the way… Comrades, I’ll see you next year! Thankfully, Carla was equally happy to help me prep for a marathon this spring, and the opportunity to do London presented itself, so here we are. In parallel, I’ve been doing a lot more strength than I usually would - I have to, post-partum - which I feel has stood me in good stead. I’ve not had any niggles or anything (touch wood!) so that’s definitely a win. Though, for me, the biggest win is definitely getting to fit in a 38km run including a solid 32km session, gels and nutrition. I felt really good throughout which was a big confidence boost, but it was especially great getting to do it with the support of two friends. Thanks, guys!”

What is your favourite pre-run fuel grub? What about the post-run refuel snack?

Sam: “I’m an absolute sucker for the trendy things. This week, I’ll probably be having the broccoli shots, the beetroot shots, bicarb, I’ll be taking hot baths and sodium citrate… I’ll be throwing everything at it, basically! Maybe they all do the same things and they’ll cancel each other out, but I’m keen to just have a bit of fun with it, really.”

Katie: “I have to keep it plain. I just have toast. It’s so boring… but some peanut butter and jam on toast is my go-to pre-run. Immediately after the run, I need to have chocolate milk. It’s just the perfect way to finish a big session. After that 38km run, we were talking about affogatos (for some reason) so we went to the shops to buy ice cream and made affogatos when we got back to Summat. So that was a really nice way to refuel!”

Is there anything on race day you are particularly nervous about?

Sam: “The one thing I’m conscious of is that we’ll have to lean on our family quite heavily to look after the kids on the day. But I’m not nervous at all, actually. I’ve done the training so there’s nothing to be nervous about. I’m just excited to have the opportunity to do this together.” 

Katie: “I find the start area at the big marathons super stressful. The waiting around and the stress of getting there… I just want to get started as soon as I get there! It’s always so busy and I’m not used to running in a crowd as I do 99% of my training alone. So, I’m just going to try and stay as calm as possible and not get stressed out by being amongst so many people.”

What’s the race plan?

Sam: “To be honest, I don’t want to embarrass myself and I don’t want to be hanging at the end. I want to enjoy the Embankment and finish holding hands with Katie. That will be the target. I’m too old to go off hard and hang on, I’m just not interested in that. So, my race plan is the same as it was in Valencia: I know what my threshold is and I’ll just sit at it for the duration of the run. Whatever that brings for me from a timing perspective is fine with me. The secondary goal is to be able to run a few yards behind Katie the whole way so that I can be within touching distance when we get to St James Park - but I know she really doesn’t want that to happen.”

Katie: “Sam really wants to run with me which I don’t like because I feel like I’ll get stressed out. I just want to get in my own zone and get on with it! Race plan is to start out slower than I want to because I have a tendency to go out hard, so I’m going to really restrain myself, go out steady and build into it. When I’ve managed to do that in Berlin and Valencia, I’ve had really strong races and finished really well, so if I can set the tone in that way and get a negative split, I think that’s the way to go. Sam will probably still be lurking behind me somewhere near the finish line so I’ll have to push hard to avoid crossing the line holding hands with him.”

You’ve just crossed the finish line. What does your perfect post-marathon afternoon look like?

Sam: “If the race goes my way and I do spend the whole time lingering around Katie, I’ll have some apologising to do. That could take some time… but it’s a very necessary first step! After that, I’m already looking forward to seeing the kids and our families to catch up over a BBQ and a beer (or four).”

Katie: “Honestly, I think I’ll just want to collapse in a heap! That’ll probably be me done with marathons for a very long time… But really, I think the perfect afternoon would be getting a nice picture with Sam and our medals - hopefully he survives - and then enjoying the amazing New Balance hospitality in the finisher area. I’d love a celebratory drink before heading back to my mum’s house in Wiltshire to party with her, Sam’s mum and the kids. It’s going to be especially nice to know I don’t have any real training to do that week and I get to just hang out with everyone!”

If you want to hear more from Sam and Katie, check out their guest appearance on Paula’s Run Club podcast! Please also consider a generous donation to their charities, if you can. No amount is too small and every little bit helps. 

We’ll be tracking them on the day to make sure Sam isn’t too close to Katie after halfway… but we wish them both the very best of luck! If you’re planning on being course-side to cheer on your favourite runners, give them a wave from us. 

If you’re running yourself, we wish you all the very best of luck, too! You’ve got this. If you’re not running on Sunday, have you got a marathon coming up? Are you eager to kick things up a notch and get that dream performance on the CV? Or do you just want to find out more training, nutrition and marathon running? Explore our set marathon plan below or reach out for a chat about bespoke coaching!