Ore Oduba: ‘I’m running the London Marathon – I will never do it again’

As Ore Oduba bursts into tears in this interview, I also struggle to keep it together. It becomes abundantly clear in that moment that the London Marathon is about so much more than running for him.

Still, he has no plans for it to become an annual occurrence.

Today, after months of gruelling training and a complete lifestyle overhaul, the broadcaster will join thousands of runners of all abilities for the TCS London Marathon.

Ore is running for a charity close to his heart, Smartphone Free Childhood, and is proud to be one of the first to take on the 26.2-mile challenge to ‘fight against big tech’.

But behind the fundraising, his journey to the finish line holds a much deeper significance – and he’s using that as the ‘wind beneath [his] wings’ to reach the end.

Last April, Ore’s family was shattered by the death of his sister, Lola, who took their own life.

Ore has since spoken publicly about his grief and vowed to ‘make the most of every single second [he] has left’ in their honour.

So, what better tribute than to pick up the torch of something they loved and to do it to the extreme?

Speaking exclusively to Metro ahead of the big day, overwhelmed with emotion, Ore, 40, says: ‘Oh, my sister’s so proud of me. It was amazing hearing stories about them from their friends; it’s so lovely when you hear someone talk about you through other people.

‘Our family lost them almost exactly a year ago. My sister really found a love for running in lockdown; it was just something that gave them a lot of life and escape.

‘I remember opening a particular envelope they had sent for my children before they died, bursting into tears, then looking up and going, “I’m gonna have to run the bloody marathon for you, aren’t I?”’

Ore adds that running the London Marathon is ‘the one thing that [he] knew [he] would never have the strength to do’ until he found it through his sister.

‘That was the point that changed everything.’

Since childhood, in fact, the concept of running without a finish in sight has ‘triggered’ Ore, as he admits it almost brought out a ‘sickness’ in him at school.

So it’s no surprise he once declared the London Marathon ‘a completely impossible task’ and ‘something [he] would never do’.

Fast forward to 2025, however, and the spirit of his late sister completely shifted his perspective.

Throughout his training – which Ore confesses he’s told everyone about, having essentially made the marathon his personality – Lola has been by his side. Their number (123) appeared as the time on his watch before the Hampton Court half-marathon, which he inadvertently signed up to complete on a poignant date.

‘I knew I’d lined it up on Mother’s Day, I knew my children would be with their mum. What I hadn’t realised until the morning of the run was that Mother’s Day last year was the last time I saw my sister.

‘My sister is, and always will be, my daughter’s godparent. And I remember sending my sister a text that morning, saying, “Happy Mother’s Day,” and that was the last one I ever sent.’

Of his training regime, he says it’s ‘mad how someone could not be more present than [his] sister without actually being physically there’.

‘They have been with me on a daily basis.’

But that’s not to say it’s been smooth sailing. Whether it be exhaustion, illness, anxiety, or a popped Achilles tendon, there have been challenges around every corner – not to mention the stress of not being sure where he’ll be able to poo on the day.

‘No one talks about it!’

Ore knows there are ‘no excuses’ now, though, as the main event has arrived.

‘I don’t know that I’ve ever done anything harder,’ he confesses. ‘It’s not like you can step out of the house, run for two hours, then be straight back on your laptop. I come in dishevelled.

‘Making breakfast is too much of a task, let alone getting in the shower. If I go for a run at 6:30am, get back around 9am, I’m not actually providing anything to society until about lunchtime.

‘It’s really taxing on the body – and I must be boring so many people with it!’

The bigger picture is spurring him on, as the message of Smartphone Free Childhood, a movement of families campaigning to ‘turn the tide’ by delaying smartphone access, resonates, due to Ore previously revealing his porn addiction.

Feeling passionate about protecting young people from the ‘tsunami’ of harmful content that’s frighteningly accessible online, he tells me: ‘I don’t think there is anybody connected to a device right now who can deny the danger kids are in if we don’t raise the alarm.’

He adds: ’10 or 15 years ago, there was a promise that devices and social media were only going to help us. We know that’s a lie now.

‘Through smartphones and social media, they are upping depression and bullying and exposing young people to things their brains just are not ready for.

‘If we don’t protect our kids and educate ourselves to prevent them from falling into this vortex, we won’t have done our job.’

So when Ore steps up to that starting line this weekend, there’ll be a weight of responsibility on his back for a multitude of reasons.

But with the roaring crowd cheering him on and armed with the knowledge that he’s helping change lives for the better, there’s no doubt that he’ll push through – he isn’t giving himself a choice.

‘My family will be at the end waiting for me, so get the mops out, guys. The river of emotion will be unstoppable,’ he smiles.

‘I won’t put the pressure on myself as to how long it will take, as long as I get there.

‘It’s going to be something that I know I will never, ever forget. I’ll never do it again. But I also will never forget it.’

The TCS London Marathon takes place on Sunday, April 26. You can find out more here.

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