Joel Dommett shares new London Marathon clip and jokes that he was 'the first person in the ambulance' as star reveals he had 'a bit of a breakdown' during training

Daily Mail​

29-04-2025

Joel Dommett has shared a new clip of himself running the London Marathon and joked that he was 'the first person in the ambulance'.
It comes after the comedian, 39, revealed he woke up in an ambulance after fainting at mile 17 on Sunday and took to Instagram with snaps of alongside paramedics.
Despite the scare he was able to finish the 26.2 mile race after being forced to wait a few hours u nder medical supervision for his pulse to return to normal.
Now, the star has shared another glimpse into his marathon experience as he cracked a joke by posting a video where he was struggling and compared it to what he 'thought he would look like'.
He quipped: 'I was the first person in the ambulance tho. That's a win.'
The comedian's celeb pals rushed to the comments, with Cat Deeley writing: 'Still our hero' and Melvin Odoom adding: 'Well done man!! Still a massive achievement'.
Shane McGuigan gushed: 'BUT you got back out there & completed it after fainting. Unbelievable that, even better than achieving a goal time when you face those obstacles.'
Joel wrote on Sunday: 'Not the race I expected! I fainted at mile 17 - don't really remember much but I woke up in an ambulance! Thanks to Frankie and Barry for being amazing'.
'I really wanted to finish it. After a few hours my pulse was back and I got going again at a very different pace but really got to soak it all in. Proud of myself for finishing'.
Joel shared shared a snap of himself with his medal as well as a cute snap of baby son Wilder, who's babygrow had to be updated after the star failed in his hopes of crossing the finish line in three hours.
Appearing on Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell podcast ahead of the race, Joel revealed he 'had a bit of a breakdown while training'.
He explained: 'I'm sleeping badly at the moment because I'm running the marathon and so basically every night I go to bed my legs really hurt. I'm just sleeping awfully at the moment.'
Commenting on the fact he was attempting the huge challenge of finishing the run in under three hours, he admitted: 'It's really hard. I kind of regret it'.
He added: 'What I say to myself in my head the entire time is the quicker you run it, the faster it's over. Do you know what I mean?
'Oh my God, it's so hard. When I started I was like, this is great, this is a really cool thing to do. And then it's just now every day, it's horrible every day.'
The comedian's celeb pals rushed to the comments, with Cat Deeley writing: 'Still our hero' and Melvin Odoom adding: 'Well done man!! Still a massive achievement'
Explaining how he balances work, time with his wife Hannah and his family and the intense training, Joel said 'it's bad'.
He recalled: 'I genuinely had a bit of a breakdown because I was trying to do all these long runs, trying to fit them all in and I was really busy.
'And you guys will know writing a tour is for me harder than then doing the tour. Two months before it I was out every night trying new bits like weird little gigs.'
Joel went on to reveal the extreme lengths he was going to to squeeze the marathon training into his hectic schedule.
He said: 'I was getting up early because of Wilder and so I was never really catching up on that sleep and then I'd just be like, I'd be going for a meeting into town.
'And then so I could fit in my runs instead of getting an uber home, I just leave my stuff in a bush get changed and then just run like 26k home. There is a bush somewhere in Acton where I've got some of my clothing.'
It comes after Joel had left supporters floored as he revealed his exhausting schedule and his journey to the finish line actually began 24-hours earlier when he set off from his house in South West London.
He proceeded to travel to Leeds for a comedy show before driving two and a half hours to Cambridge for the night.
Joel had a brief six and a half hours sleep - with the assumption that he slept straight away on arriving in Cambridge - before getting up again at 6:30am on Sunday and leaving his hotel at 6:45 to travel to Greenwich roundabout.
His schedule, written out precisely on a white board and shared on Instagram, doesn't end there as he then undertook a half an hour warmup run as he made his way to the starting line ahead of the marathon.
He explained he needed to stick to his three hour time in order for son baby Wilde to be able to get an afternoon nap in the car ride home.
Once home, if all goes to plan, Joel then has an ice bath and a meal scheduled before being picked up at 4:45pm to head to filming.
Joel captioned the eye-popping post: 'Swipe for some terrible planning and excellent carb loading.'
The schedule was one of several pictures relating to the event, including a snap of Joel's running gear, which revealed that he is completing the marathon in aid of Brain Tumour Support.
Fans and celebrity friends were quick to flood the post with supportive comments.
Brain Tumour Support wrote: 'That is one bonkers schedule Joel, thank you so much for your support in wearing our best with pride as you take on your challenge.
'We are all cheering you on and will be tracking you from afar.'
A fan wrote: 'For a person who has had major surgery this year to remove parts of her brain tumour thank you Joel behind you all the way!'
Referencing Joel's aim of completing the marathon in under three hours, Ben Sheppard added: 'Go smash the hell out of it Joel. Sub 3 Baby!!!!'
Meanwhile, fellow marathon runner Bryony Gordon said she would be keeping Joel's schedule in mind when she begins to complain on her own run.
She joked: 'Lol i'm saving this for when i start complaining at mile 14.'
This is not Joel's first London Marathon and he actually took on the challenge last year while dressed as a piranha.
He told TCS London Marathon: 'It was definitely the hardest marathon I've done.
'Really had to dig deep. Lots of shouting to myself. It probably weighs, I reckon, probably about 8kg, something like that.
'The hard thing was it [the costume] was just banging against my head the entire time.'
Joel took to Instagram ahead of this year's race to admit that he's glad he will not be weighed down by a costume again.