The cancellation of the 2020 London Marathon may have stopped thousands of avid runners in their tracks, but one from Radnorshire is determined to complete the gruelling 26-mile race – on the roads of her native Mid Wales.

Personal trainer Sian Samuel is one of the myriad runners around the UK who will be competing in the virtual running of the renowned race on October 4 – a novel idea conjured by marathon organisers to provide participants with a unique and unusual sense of completing one of the world’s most famous races.

Mid Wales’ undulating roads, pathways and back tracks provide a far more torturous route than the relative ease offered by the normally teaming streets tucked away beside the Thames, but Sian can’t wait for the gruelling challenge.

“It’s the 40th year of the London Marathon so I’m determined to do it,” said the 37-year-old Newbridge-on-Wye native.

The virtual marathon means participants can complete their race any way they see fit, and as slowly as they like. It just has to involve a route comprising 26.2 miles and be completed within 24 hours.

Sian aims to start her race at the Elan Valley near Rhayader and will make her way to Builth along the back roads and via Newbridge. She’ll then head from Builth to the finish line at Aberedw, where she now lives, and where she’s hoping a hoard of friends and family will be waiting to welcome her home.

Sian added: “You can do the race where however you want, they have a tracker app that will go live on October 4 and you have a 24-hour window to complete it.

“Some people are doing it via four separate 10k runs. I want to do the actual distance all in one, I get to go through Newbridge which is my home town and hopefully then I’ll finish in Aberedw.

“I like the idea of finishing at home with family and friends there – some have even said they’ll join me for parts of the route.”

It originally looked like it would be 13th time lucky for Sian after finally securing a London Marathon spot for the April race in October last year – she had unsuccessfully applied for entry for 12 previous races. Then the Covid-19 bombshell dropped and put back the event until October. It soon became clear the pandemic was not going away any time soon though, so the race was pushed further back – like so many sporting events – to 2021.

But the virtual marathon provides an opportunity for entrants to still get out and pound the pavements, roads, lanes, treadmills or any other method they choose to complete the distance. And Sian is determined to finish what she started.

“I’ve been running for forever and started doing long distances about 10 years ago,” she said.

“I did the Cardiff Half Marathon in 2012, raising money for the Braken Trust with a friend. That was it as far as she was concerned but I really got the bug and then did the Edinburgh Marathon on my own in 2013.

“I’d always wanted to do London and had entered the ballot for 12 years but always got rejected.

“After entering the one in April I had almost lost my running mojo when I had a letter to say I got in – it was exactly what I needed.

“Training had been going well since, even when it was postponed in April I just transferred to October as I thought it would have blown over by then. It’s not exactly the way anyone would have wanted to do it, but I’m really looking forward to it.”