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The London Marathon: Anything goesBy CNN's Don Riddell  Don Riddell at the end of the race in 2002. RELATEDRELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England (CNN) -- If you've ever wondered what it might be like to feature in a living creation of a Lewis Carroll story, then you might get some idea by competing in the annual Flora London Marathon. Unless you're leading from the front like the world record holder Paula Radcliffe, there's a fair chance you're going to be mixing with giant tea-pots, enormous millipedes and galloping clock-towers on the streets of England's capital. In the London marathon: Anything goes. I ran the 26.2 miles from Greenwich to Buckingham Palace in 2002, and it will forever rank among the top five experiences of my life. From start to finish, the course is an enormous, pulsating carnival of color and sound; a thronging community of more than 30,000 runners, cheered on by three-quarters-of-a-million spectators. The first London marathon was staged in 1981, organized by the former Olympic champion Chris Brasher, and inspired by the New York Marathon of 1979. In the 25 years since, London has grown in size and reputation. It now sets the world standard. For years, London's rivals have preferred to stage their marathons for serious runners only -- excluding the amateur or "fun-runner." According to the London Director Dave Bedford, this has been a mistake. "New York has been snotty in the past. But there is now a change. London was the first marathon to understand the benefits of integrating all kinds of runners. Other organizers come to London and are amazed by the color and the atmosphere and they return home and try to recreate it for themselves." It's hard to actually identify what one aspect makes the London experience so special. But Bedford believes the British approach to charity plays a big part. Last year, at least 750 charities benefited from the marathon to the tune of £35 million, ($62 million. It's the biggest guaranteed payday for UK charities every year, and Bedford believes there is no bigger one-day fundraiser anywhere else in the world. "Britain is probably the only country in the world that sees fundraising as something other than a tax. In other countries, money is often donated from a salary, but here it's common to raise money while doing something that gives you a great deal of personal joy and excitement." It's perhaps for this reason that people who would never have considered running six miles, never mind 26, enter into the spirit of the event. Their courage and determination is understood and appreciated by the thousands who line the streets. From personal experience, I can tell you that the support is needed too -- I tucked into a variety of energy-giving chocolate and fruit, all provided by complete strangers on the course. And it's almost impossible to stop; through total exhaustion I was reduced to a walk after 19 miles, and was practically bullied into running again by the cheers of encouragement from both sides of the road. Quite why anyone would dress up in order to make the difficult task of running four or five hours even harder is beyond me, but it seems quintessentially British to do so. On my run, I lined up next to a pantomime horse at the start, kept pace with a clown for a couple of miles, and was overtaken by a large mobile phone and a drag queen on The Mall. Bedford still chuckles when recalling his all-time favorite: A man who tackled the course dressed as Big Ben. He admirably lumbered the statuesque costume around the course, only to come unstuck at the finish line where runners pass under a gantry. The clock-tower was too high though, and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts to finish, "Big Ben" was forced to end the race on his hands and knees. The name most synonymous with fancy dress is Lloyd Scott, who took the hardship of dressing-up to new extremes by donning a rubber deep-sea diver's suit, complete with lead boots. The suit weighed 120 pounds. It took him six days. It's clear that for many, this kind of spirit has defined the London Marathon, but the event is still a serious race. And such is its reputation that the organizers claim to have the pick of virtually any top athlete. This year, the home favorite Paula Radcliffe will again be the women's star, and it's hoped she could break her own world record. The men's race is a who's who of top-class athletes, headed by the Olympic champion Stefano Baldini, the double world champion Jaouad Gharib, the world record holder Paul Tergat and the defending champion Martin Lel. When I ran in 2002, I didn't have a hope of catching these guys, and nor did I ever dream of it. But there is something to be said for running in the same race on the same day as World and Olympic champions, and I don't believe that any other event gives the 'lay-man' such an opportunity. Spectators at Wimbledon or the U.S. Masters can watch the action, but they can't compete against the stars. With the marathon -- any marathon -- you really can do that, and the emotions you feel when crossing the finish line are exactly the same as experienced by the stars. This year, I'm preparing to tackle the course again: Running in memory of a friend who recently passed away, fund-raising for the cancer hospice that cared for her. I'll have trained for a solid four months prior to the race, running four times every week in often freezing winter conditions ... it helps to have such a focus. I always knew that one day I would run again though. In 2002, I was seduced by the promotional slogan: "Marathon runners have one less thing to do in life" and the heroic tales of friends who'd gone the distance. It's Mount Everest for the layman .... minus the Sherpas and vistas, but I'm sure the challenges and the rewards are very similar. I can't wait to be apart of it again on April 23. 
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