Five years ago I crossed the finish line of the 1997 London Marathon with the often-used words “Never Again!!” Later Sir Steve Redgrave was to say something similar – “Boats, gun, shoot!” Well like Sir Steve I found that time is a wonderful healer and some four years after my last marathon the pain and vows made on finishing had faded and I was filling in THAT entry form again. Of cause, as every London marathon entrant will tell you, it’s great to be able to say “I’ve applied for the London Marathon” but an entirely different thing to get the OK and realise that you actually have to do it!
The Charity Clearing House did me proud, and within a couple of hours of identifying CRY as a suitable charity to support (who also had a Divisional Representative close to where I live in North Wales) plus being a Lecturer in Higher Education I work with young people, I was told that I was in!
Doreen Harley my Local Representative arranged Press coverage, my wife Sue was elected fund raising manager and I emailed every one in the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education where I work to gather sponsorship. All that meant that 5 months later I am arriving in Bromley on Friday evening to set up “base camp” and discuss tactics with my son Ross and his partner Kathrine who had, once again, bravely agreed to be my support team. Sue was staying at home in North Wales to take care of the dogs and keep the home fires burning. Saturday was spent picking up my number and “timing chip” – very high tech – and doing a recce of the journey from Bromley to Greenwich.
8.00am and we are standing in Greenwich Park thinking that maybe, just maybe, we over estimated the time it would take us to get from Bromley to Greenwich!! It all went wrong when the taxi arrived early! Who ever heard of a taxi arriving early for heaven’s sake! Apparently the driver had heard he was picking up a London marathon runner and accordingly saw it as his civic duty to make sure that the poor deluded soul was not late. Anyway the trickle of people who arrived with us at 8.00am soon grew to a steady stream and the full scale of the event begins to dawn on you as you see all the various countries teams plus the runners representing all the different causes. Before long it is 9.30am, my bag is stowed in the baggage wagon and I am saying goodbye to Kathrine and Ross, see them about 2.00pm in Horseguards!! That’s when it really hits you as to the magnitude as to what you about to attempt, I am nearly 55 and should know better. What was that I said five years ago? “Never again”, and guess what!
The fireworks go off, we shuffle forward down towards the famous park gates and 10 minutes later you are officially starting the 26+ miles! I suppose the highlights of the run were passing the Cutty Sark at 6 miles, crossing Tower Bridge at nearly 13 miles, hearing Paula Radcliffe had “done the business” in the ladies race and seeing Kathrine and Ross at 18 and 21 miles in the “wasteland” of Dockland when I was seriously in need of a boost. Low spots? Not too many, probably the cobbles at 22 miles by the Tower – they really do hit the legs; and the last 4 miles which were really just hanging in to finish. Like many people I summoned a “sprint” to finish in 4hrs 24mins, a little longer that I had hoped, but not too bad.
The first thing after getting the medal and eating the free cheese and tomato sandwich (why cheese and tomato? – it really gets stuck to the roof of your mouth after 26miles of dehydration) was to ring the “ranch” and reassure Sue that the old man had finished safely and was feeling OK.
Monday saw me back home in North Wales really overwhelmed by the support and interest of family, friends and people in the village who had so generously sponsored me and Tuesday saw me back at college similarly overwhelmed by students and colleagues. Together we raised £1560.20, far in excess of what I had originally expected. Would I do it again? Probably, but not for another five years!
