The View from My Study 1 May 2026
Last Sunday’s London Marathon was, once again, a triumph of human spirit. Apart from the spectacle of thousands running out of their comfort zones (among them BG’s very own Mrs Murray from Year 3), spurred on by thousands spectating, the history-making feat of Sebastian Sawe, winner of the Elite Men’s Race, will be an inspiration for years to come.
By finishing the marathon in under 2 hours, Sawe did something that no human has done before. For sporting geeks like me, the stats on his achievement are incredible. For instance, he averaged 4 mins 33 secs per mile and, incredibly, he ran the 24th mile in 4 mins 12.
Just as amazing, the second placed runner, Yomif Kejelcha, also finished inside the two-hour barrier and this was his first marathon. Ever. Incredible, but will history remember his name? (Not for this but I suspect it will for other things he will go on to achieve in the athletics world).
The wonderful extremes of human endeavour and ability were on show in both Sawe and Kejelcha and they each had to dig deep to achieve what they did. They were running on their own but neither would say that they achieved this alone. Like Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka or any sports man or woman who is an ‘individual’, they have teams around them – coaches, physios, logistics managers, dieticians – who all play an important part in contributing to the individual’s success.
On Tuesday this week I attended an education conference entitled ‘Raising the Future’ and the broad theme focused on the skills that children will need in the future world of work. The World Economic Forum suggests that 40% of job skills will change by 2030 and by 2033 AI agents will be dominant in the workplace. Speakers from different sectors spoke about the impact of AI and how this could and should affect the curriculum and young people as they develop.
In one sense, the message was gloomy. Job prospects for graduates are lower than ever and young people are in danger of not experiencing life any more – they are watching others living instead. But in another sense, the very fact that we are cognisant of these dangers means we have a good chance of countering them and preparing our children for a successful future.
The uniting sentiment from the experts in the room was that the human edge will make the difference – the skills of adaptability, creativity, judgement and reason. At BG we’re in the business of creating humans and one of the most significant ways in which we do this is through situations that require teamwork. Of course, we focus on developing the individual but the development is stronger from the experiences of collaboration and service to others – teamwork.
The School’s motto is Iron Sharpeneth Iron (Proverbs 7:17) and that essentially means that the high standards of one leads to the higher standards of another. Sawe and Kejelcha demonstrated this in a record-breaking marathon and BG pupils demonstrate this on a daily basis too. Long may it continue!
The sun is shining and we have a highlight of the annual calendar – the BG Summer Fair. I hope everyone has a great time followed by a lovely exeat weekend!
