London Marathon 26th April 2009

As the alarm sounded in the darkness my pal Bryan & I stumbled round his house simultaneously trying to wake up & eat breakfast at the same time. We somehow managed to join 80 or so Milton Keynes AC members and others on the double-decker bus to Blackheath Common. Along the way the worrying clear blue skies allowed us a great view of the part-constructed 2012 Olympic Stadium in the Lea Valley even if Bryan neglected to waken me as we drove right past it.

Frustratingly stuck at a roundabout only a few hundred yards from the Blue start we had the dubious delight of watching the elite athletes zoom past on their official transport, police motor cycle outriders & all. I suppose I should have been pleased to see them at all as I usually have to wait to watch the TV highlights.

On arrival we were a bit miffed to find ourselves in pen 8 (second-last pen yet a predicted time of 4:30? I don’t think so) not far in front of the silly-costume runners. Throughout the day we were to see, in no particular order, Elvis, a giant nurse, two Baywatch babes (both male, sadly) Wonderwoman, Supermen, a Smurf, two Santas, rabbits, Tarzan & Jane, a canoeist! an elephant, a real-life bride & groom who were married during the race, in a church on Fleet Street, six (?) Beatles carrying a yellow submarine, soldiers with tackety boots and 40lb. backpacks, a giraffe, a tree, her Majesty the Queen in gown & crown and, amazingly, only one rhino. What is it about marathon running that brings out the latent cross-dresser in so many men? NB In case anyone is in any doubt I was in shorts and vest as usual.

I ran the whole way with my first-timer friend Bryan, who was running for HelpforHeroes. After starting steadily we managed to continue that way, partly thanks to encouragment and jelly babies from our wives at mile 14. However the last six miles, as usual, seemed like a marathon in themselves - we both struggled badly to the extent that I had to stop and stretch to avoid my calves cramping up completely between miles 22 and 23. There were only 441 dnf’s, surprisingly few given the temperature & the many people we saw walking, in total there were 35,306 finishers.

We crossed the line together in 4:31:47 and managed to stay upright long enough to pose together with our medals, who knows, I may change the habit of a lifetime and actually buy that photograph.

To quote coach “ the first Harrier at the UK’s biggest race” although those of you in the know will be aware I was also the only Harrier as Ian Hughes sadly had to defer due to knee problems.

We did at least beat Katie Price & Peter Andre who finished in 7:11 although I’m so out of touch Bryan had to tell me who they were to stop me from growling at some of the kids who were dashing in & around us to take photos as we went past them.

Bryan has already uttered that well-kent runner’s phrase - never again. I’m saying nothing, which makes a change.

Your roving reporter
Davie S

PS If anyone is thinking of entering the ballot for next year’s first Virgin London Marathon a club or charity entry is the best you can hope for as the maximum number of ballot entrants, an amazing 120,000, was reached by Tuesday only three days after the website opened.

PPS I must also mention Major Phil Packer who, covering his medically recommended maximum of two miles per day due to injuries sustained in Basra, isn’t expected to finish until a week on Saturday. Beside his commitment and effort I feel hopelessly inadequate.
Anyone wanting to keep an eye on his progress or donate to HelpforHeroes should log on to http://www.philpacker.com/