The New York City marathon! It is a surprisingly sunny and hot weekend in early November in New York city. There are 37,000 runners all there for one reason - to run and finish one of the greatest marathons in the world. They are dressed in bright, colourful bibs, their numbers proudly pinned to their chests; their well-worn trainers are battered after many hours and miles of pre-training, and they now anxiously await the cannon bang! These 37,000 runners have 40,000 reasons for running. Each one is facing a great personal challenge, all driven by something stronger than them.

Some enter and run a marathon because they want to win; some seek a challenge in their lives; some run because it is something they have always wanted to do; some run for the memory of a lost loved one; some run just because they want to better their lives and some take part because of drinking bets in pubs. Their stories are all amazing.

From the moment I waded through UK customs with a giant pair of testicles, I listened avidly to my competitors and their stories. All were inspiring, some were incredibly humbling, some were extraordinarily touching and several were very funny. When I arrived in New York, there were hundreds more stories each one explaining why someone would choose to give up time to run a gruelling 26.2 miles, and why they would push themselves to their limits. I was truly inspired.

I stood waiting in a crowded paddock at the start of the race with men and women of all different ages, races, nationalities and religions. All their hard work, training and preparation was about to pay off. The military precision of the event organisers was totally impressive. To ferry 37,000 adrenaline-filled runners by bus to the magnificent start line was an incredible achievement. The warm November early morning sun was beating down on our backs; the air was filled with excitement and nervousness. I was proud to be surrounded by some amazing people who had travelled from near and far to realise their personal goals. There I was, with 37,000 people all running for different reasons - and one runner, Mr Testicles, stood there more nervous than most.

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