'It's really normal to feel weird': Bryony Gordon talks mental health with Prince Harry

When training to run 26.2 miles around London, the thing you hear from well-intentioned souls time and time again is: “remember: it’s a marathon, not a sprint”.

Except on Sunday, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it was most definitely a sprint, and not a marathon. Specifically, a sprint against Paula Radcliffe and Iwan Thomas. In the Duke of Cambridge’s relay team. 

I felt that poor Prince William had rather pulled the short straw. In the lane to my left, Paula Radcliffe limbered up, ready to high five her captain, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Directly to my right, Iwan Thomas promised that he would “just be doing a jog” and that he would run at my pace, but I didn’t believe him for a minute and anyway, the cheeky glint in Prince Harry’s eyes told me that the Olympic relay runner wouldn’t be able to get away with letting down his team leader even if he tried.

Then there was me: first-time marathon runner, part-time couch potato, full-time journalist, one-time party girl, currently managing a snail-like personal best of 6 minutes 53 seconds per kilometre in training.

I had come to the Olympic park not just for the chance of humiliating myself in front of the world’s press, but also for the announcement that this year’s Virgin London Marathon hopes to become the world’s first ever ‘Mental Health Marathon’, with all 38,000 runners being provided with a blue Heads Together head band that the young royals hope everyone will don whatever cause they happen to running for.  But first, we had some serious - or mildly amusing - running to do.

At school I was always picked last for the relay team: on Sunday, I was amazed to have been picked at all. Amazed, and a little bit humbled. There were five of us on each team - Their Royal Highnesses included - an unlikely bunch of breakfast TV presenters and every day people who have all experienced first hand the miseries that mental health issues can bring.

Come April 23rd - bodies willing - we will all be running the Virgin London Marathon for Heads Together, the charity campaign set up by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to help change the national conversation about mental health. But for now we had to get through the training day, including this surprise - and rather surreal - race. It’s a Royal Relay, if you will.

Also on my team is Sian Williams, the spirited BBC News presenter who battled breast cancer, Sean Fletcher, Good Morning Britain’s sports correspondent who has a child battling OCD, and Will Creasy, whose father committed suicide. His sister and mother will be running on Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge’s teams respectively.

There is laughing and lightness in the air, but these people are all reminders of the serious message at the very heart of Heads Together: the battle that needs to be fought to end the stigma surrounding mental illnesses.

The Royals arrive and... what is this? While the Duchess of Cambridge has made a considerable effort to wear the correct running attire - proper training shoes, for example - the same cannot be said for Princes William and Harry.

They are both wearing jeans and casual trainers. “Oh goodness, you’ve all got serious kit on,” says Prince William, but really, it is me who needs to apologise. “I am afraid that you have got me lining up against Paula and Iwan,” I say. “No, no,” His Royal Highness replies, all polite encouragement.

“I have big hopes for you Bryony”. I smile meekly. The Duke reveals that he has a ham string injury but - on the plus side - a long stride. And yet it doesn’t really matter how fast the future King of England ends up being, given that he is handing over to me and any speed work he has put in will immediately evaporate in to thin air.

We take our positions. We only have to run 50 metres but as I stare down the lane at Prince William, who is gently ribbing his wife by pretending to push her out of the way, I realise that the entire distance is lined on one side by cameras, all ready to capture the moment the young Royals reach their team mates. I gulp hard.

Comparison may be the enemy of joy but it is hard not to feel slightly woozy when you are having to run alongside - or rather a long way behind - Paula Radcliffe. The crowds start to count down. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

And suddenly, the three young royals are running towards me - have I ever had a stranger Sunday morning? - Prince Harry speeding ahead of his brother who, were I a stickler for accuracy, I would point out had veered slightly out of his lane. But given my running form, who am I to criticise?

Before I know it, the Duke is racing towards me and accidentally slamming in to the side of my body, as I watch the Duchess gracefully high fiving  Paula Radcliffe. Who, I quickly realise, (it’s the only thing I am doing at any speed), is well out in front of me. And as for Iwan Thomas... well I don’t see him for dust.

The last leg of the relay is taken by the Creasy family, who touchingly go at the same speed so they cross the finishing line as one. And as we laughed through team photos, I knew that was what I would take away from yesterday: that slow or fast, elite athlete or out-of-breath hack, come the day of the world’s first ever Mental Health Marathon, we will all be in it together.