Ant has invited his team of first-time marathon runners to a muddy assault-course on a freezing cold January morning. This is no warm-up. Ant meets his runners and puts them through a tough day of obstacles, designed to assess their attitude and application. Who will rise to the challenge, and who will fall face-down in the wet mud?

The runners came through their obstacle course initiation well, so Ant’s got an even bigger challenge that will push them to their limits. Plus elite marathon runner Mara explains to Ant what drove her to compete over 26.2 miles.

As the runners’ training begins to get tougher, psychologist Josie heads to the Midlands to visit Kelly, and check whether she has what it takes to keep going. Back in the studio Ant sits down to talk to 28 year-old Victoria, who’s running for the charity that saved her life when her mental health took a sudden dive.

It’s been a difficult week for our debut London Marathon runners since they received news of the event’s postponement. Dr Josie Perry finds out how they’re coping with the disappointment and looks for positives from their past two months of training. Meanwhile Ant asks the runners to be honest about how much they’ve committed to their training in the most difficult challenge yet.

As the runners adjust to life indoors, and the sudden loss of their training schedules Ant asks experts Mara Yamauchi, a former Team GB marathon runner, and sports psychologist Dr Josie Perry to respond to the team’s questions and concerns. But positivity is still the key to success... so what successes can our debut London Marathon runners take from their training to date?

We each have our own definition of success; our runners’ London Marathon goals are as individual as they are. So with their original objectives postponed, Ant helps them refocus on what’s really important, giving them a win ahead of their unplanned summer break.

The 2020 London Marathon has certainly not gone to plan, but will any of our five first-time marathon runners reach the virtual finish line? They each share their top tips and training techniques.