Mr Toal has travelled from Ireland to Guernsey for the first time to run the marathon tomorrow.
He arrived yesterday afternoon.
‘I am really looking forward to it, although I hear it is quite a challenging start with the hill, but we’re very fortunate weather-wise this year,’ he said.
‘There are 56 designated country flags for marathons and I think Guernsey is 50, so I only have a few more to do. Some of them are out of my control, like Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, but there are a few more I can do.’
For the Guernsey Marathon Mr Toal said he had not set any targets in terms of finishing time.
‘I haven’t set a time target for this one, my aim is just to start the legs and get loosened up for the marathon season. We are in Toronto next,’ he said.
He completed his first marathon in London in 2011 and recently completed is 100th in Abu Dhabi.
‘I started fairly late in life, when I was 48, and I’m 62 now,’ he said.
‘I had never really been into it before, I always watched the London Marathon because it’s iconic, but I was four-and-a-half stone heavier when I started so it was a total transformation.
‘In the last two years I have done 35 marathons, 17 last year and 18 the year before. I did three in seven days last year.’
Mr Toal has been all around the world for marathons, with 70 of them being overseas. He has covered all corners of the globe, including Antarctica.
‘That one was tough, but it was also the most amazing journey,’ he said.
‘I have a tendency not to go somewhere more than once so have done them all over.’
London 2011 and the Boston Marathon were two that Mr Toal said were his favourites.
‘Probably for atmosphere London was my favourite, but Boston is also a really special one as you have to qualify. It’s the oldest marathon in the world, but I did it in 2013, which is the year the bombings happened, and I was just beyond the finish line when the bombs went off, so that one always sticks with me.’
It is not just marathons that Mr Toal competes in, he does anything from Parkrun to ultra marathons. Before Sunday’s marathon he will be running the Guernsey Parkrun this morning.
The marathon starts at 9am tomorrow on South Esplanade, with the relay race starting at 9.30am. The route goes clockwise around the coast. Not all roads on the route are closed. Runners will run on the left-hand side of the road, with police and marshals working to control traffic.
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