04-05-2025
Southampton man completes London Marathon after son secretly entered him into race
A Southampton man has achieved his goal of completing the London Marathon after his teenage son secretly entered him into the race.
Nikhil Agrawala, a 45-year-old father of two from Southampton, received confirmation he had been accepted into the 2025 London Marathon last year after his 13-year-old son Ansh, entered his dad into the ballot.
Not wanting to back down from a challenge, Nikhil underwent six months of training – despite having never run a marathon before – which included park runs at Southampton Common and a successful finish at the Southampton Half Marathon.
Completing the 26.2-mile London Marathon course in five hours and 59 minutes, Nikhil said the experience had been 'amazing.'
Speaking to the Echo, he said: 'My start time was 10.30am and I was excited but also nervous.
'We started in Greenwich Park, and I happened to meet another man, Chris, who was from Southampton and dressed as a rhino.
'The course took me to Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, and finished going past Buckingham Palace.
'It's something I could never have imagined before, but it was brilliant, and the crowds were amazing, we all had name badges so they would cheer your name, it was fantastic.'
As well as picking up a medal for completing the marathon, Nikhil was also part of the 56,640 participants who took part in the event, which was later confirmed as a Guinness World Record for the largest number of finishers in marathon history.
Last weekend's event beat the attendance set at 2024's New York City Marathon, which saw 55,646 take part.
By taking part in the London Marathon, Nikhil raised his target of £2,500 which will go towards renovating his son's scout hut in Shirley.
Ansh suffers with cerebral palsy and is unable to walk unaided. A keen member of the 2nd Southampton Scouts, he needs to be carried in and out of the building that dates back to the 1950s.
Nikhil said: 'The building isn't very accessible for people who need wheelchair access, so hopefully we can extend the kitchen and the entrance to the building, making it more available to people of all abilities.'
Asked whether he would take part in next year's London Marathon, Nikhil said: 'Once I crossed the finish line and reunited with my family, Ansh told me he'd entered me into the ballot again for next year but I'm hoping someone else might get my spot next year, but I'll definitely continue to park run.'
