MARK Wright has revealed he has struggled with his marathon training as he prepares to take on the historic London event for the first time.
The former Towie star turned telly host was forced to pull out last year because of a calf tear and is now counting down the hours until he gets to the starting line.
Mark, who has teamed up with FLORA for their Get Towns Active campaign, has been training for almost two years for the historic marathon.
But in an exclusive interview ahead of the race he admitted it has not been plain sailing.
Mark, 35, said: “I am so happy to be back.
“It was horrible having to pull out last year after so much training. But in a way I'm looking at as a plus now, because it means I’ve now been preparing for two years.
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“I think I will get emotional.
“Even now I get emotional thinking about it.
“I did a training run the other day – I got to around 18.5 miles and I ended up getting really emotional and crying.
“When you’re training like that the body goes through something that it's never done before and you can't quite describe the pain and sheer exhaustion you feel. Everything about it is just so mentally and physically tough. So it will definitely be emotional.
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“And my family will be there, you know, leading me on so I know that that will make me upset – but in a good way.”
Mark has been helped along the way by FLORA ambassador and three-time London Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe.
He added: “Paula has been incredible at giving me all sorts of advice, including everything from how to run, how many times a week to run.
“After the advice she gave me last year I’ve really taken it all on board, even including what to eat.
“She’s just actually told me now to make sure that I eat carbs over the next few days and to drink lots of water in the run up to Sunday. She’s basically given me the whole package on how to train for a marathon.”
While mentally the run is taking its toll on Mark, physically he says he has watched his body change.
The former reality star, who is married to actress Michelle Keegan, said: “I have lost weight.
“I've lost fat of course because of doing so much running.
“But also, I've not really been doing a lot of weight training, which I normally do, because I've tried to shake off a bit of weight so it makes it easier to run.
“I'm feeling anxious about getting to the 14/15-mile mark of the run. I’m not too sure which part of the course that is but that’s where my legs really seize up so I’m a bit nervous.
“But I'm also very excited.”
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Coverage of the London Marathon starts on BBC One on Sunday at 08:30am.
For more information on how to join in the Get Towns Active movement, visit flora.com and follow along with Mark Wright, Paula Radcliffe and the rest of the FLORA community on social channels using #TeamFlora #GetTownsActive.
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