The Green Man 5k 2015

Gun Time: 25:34  Position: 06/31

When you're fundraising for a charity, no matter how many or how extreme the challenges you are undertaking are, there are only so many sponsorship requests that you can make before you feel as though you are becoming a pariah to your family, friends and work colleagues. To survive this depressing hiatus you have to become more creative! Last year I found my way around this by holding a charity breakfast at work. My colleagues were very supportive, offering to cook, wash dishes, put up posters and obviously eat their fair share of bacon and egg rolls! So much so, that with only a modicum of "managerial input", I found that it almost ran itself and boosted my sponsorship total by a couple of hundred pounds. Thanks guys!

In 2015, I wanted to try a different approach and came up with the idea of organising a race of my own. I thought this was a great way to raise funds whilst also getting people enthused about my own obsession.. running (well actually medal collecting!) In order to get people to sign up I approached a talented sculptor friend, Ellie, who attended Glasgow School of Art with my partner Clare. Ellie owns the website, Pretender to the Throne along with her Etsy store from which she sells some of her amazing creations. Knowing she was the right person for the job, I commissioned her to design thirty original medals based on the Green Man. I chose the Green Man as he is a symbol of rebirth and a representation of the cycle of growth in Spring, which ties in with all those people looking to get fit in the New Year. As I expected, Ellie came up trumps and produced a fantastic batch of medals which really helped sell the race! It's amazing how easy it is to get people to part with their hard earned money for the privilege of enduring physical punishment in severe weather conditions, with the promise of a nicely designed medal at the end. Trust me, I should know!

Medals and medal photos courtesy of Ellie Tarratt.

In order to maximise the field of competitors, I made the race both physical and virtual. In that, as well as being able to turn up on race day at a specified location and time, it could in theory also be run from anywhere in the world, at anytime, a day or two around race day itself. By submitting their results via Garmin, Runkeeper, Strava, Endomondo, etc.. it allowed friends and colleagues in different parts of the country and others who were unavailable on race day, to take part. The thirty places soon filled up. Ellie had kindly included a few extra medals, which she had made as spares in case some didn't survive the firing process. This allowed me to extend entry to a total of 32 runners.

The race itself, took place in the grounds and farm tracks around Battleby House. Under duress and with the rare promise of a post-race Happy Meal, my two year old son, Jack, had come along to spectate and help distribute the medals. The weather was abysmal and I didn't envy anyone for having to run on a day like that. I had ran my own 5k a few days prior to race day, as I needed to be available on the day to do the timing. Despite the weather, ten hardy humans and one faithful canine competitor lined up on the start line, transforming the race into an impromptu canicross event.

Since I'm not in possession of a firearm (legal or otherwise) and improvised explosives are quite rightly frowned upon in this day and age, I used the following starting pistol to kick off the race. With a shout of "BANG!" they were off! As the runners headed out of sight, Jack and I retired into the warmth of Battleby House with our clipboard and stopwatch, to await their return.

The Starting Pistol.

After many requests from Jack of "I want my mummy!" and "I want my eggy!" (don't ask!), the first of the runners began to return. George, Philippa and Andrew were first home, crossing the finish line together in a time of 24:01. Considering the extreme weather and the conditions underfoot, this was a great time. Over the next 15 minutes, in short intervals, the others began to cross the finish line. In no particular order, other than alphabetically; Alex (and her dog Rissa), Gill, Jess, Morag, Sharon, Stewart and Suzanne. Everyone of them a winner! Jack and I ventured out to distribute their well deserved medals, but it was far too cold for us to hang around for long. Besides, Jack was getting impatient for his lunch!

Alex & Rissa both sporting their hard earned medals.

Meanwhile other groups had chosen to run in other parts of the country, with Craig, Jeremy and Sarah running in Kinross..

Sarah & Jeremy aka "The Kinross Contingent"

Maz and Malcolm enjoyed running what was their first 5k race from Fife..

Malcolm & Maz proudly displaying their new medals.

Whilst Ruaraidh, Odette and Lousie had run their race a few days beforehand in Inverness.

Ruaraidh, Odette & Louise post-race selfie.

Nina and Steven also ran their race in Inverness through horizontal sleet, wind, ice, slush and snow.

Nina & Steven never took a photo on the day but sent one of  their new trainers.

Aga had ran the race in Perth as part of her 40ᵗʰ birthday celebrations along with her husband Arek and a couple of their friends; Alicja and Wojtek.

Alicja, Arek, Aga & Wojtek. Happy 40th Birthday to Aga too!

Other competitors who equally deserve a mention are Carmen, Geoff, Lachlan, Margo and my daughter Sophie, who ran the race at different times, but also did very well!

The prizes for fastest male and female runners.

With all results combined, the first female home was Philippa in 24:01 and first male Craig in 23:25. Well done to both of them! They both received a £10 gift voucher, redeemable online at Ellie's Etsy store.

The race was such a success that I'm considering running it annually with a different themed medal each year. Perhaps increasing the length to a 10k and upping the number of places available to maximise charity profits. So, if you would like to take part in the "Demon 10k" (my current idea for 2016) please get in touch, you have a full year to train for it!

Possible medal design for "The Demon 10k" 2016.

A huge thank you and well done to everyone who took part. After medals and prizes were paid for, together we raised over £200 for War Child, which takes the current total to around £1150.

Hardmoors 30 2015

Gun Time: 06:49:58
Position: 144/194

I first heard about the Hardmoors 30 race on John Kynaston's excellent ultra-running blog. Since there appear to be no marathons or ultras in Scotland in the months of January and February, I decided I would need to travel further afield to allow me to complete my charity fundraising challenge of at least 20 marathons in 2015. With this in mind, I booked the Hardmoors 30 for January and the Northumberland Coastal Marathon for the end of February.

The Hardmoors 30 race takes place in and around Fylingdales (near Whitby) on New Year's Day. This is a day I usually wake up on a floor somewhere, wondering not just where I am but who I am. This year would be different, I would wake up, put on my running gear and set out to complete my second ultra-marathon; a tough 30(ish) miler over some very challenging terrain in some very harsh conditions.

For accommodation we booked a Gypsy Cabin for three nights at Middlewood Farm Holiday Park in Fylingthorpe. We use wigwam style accommodation quite a lot when I'm running races further afield. As well as being economical and relatively comfortable, the children find it much more of an adventure than staying in the usual hotel or B&B.

Sophie being her usual helpful self, busily unpacking our bags.

After a 4½ hour drive, we were relieved to arrive at Middlewood Farm. Clare checked us in and settled the children into the cabin whilst I headed back to Whitby to get some of their famous fish and chips for our supper. After washing that down with a couple of beers, we all cosied up in our sleeping bags and drifted off to sleep, whilst listening to the rain and wind lash the outside of the cabin.

Hoping to emerge from my cocoon in the morning with the ability to run 30 miles.

Registration took place between 8-9am in the Fylingdales Village Hall, in Robin Hood's Bay. As this was only one mile from our accommodation, I didn't have to get up until around 7:30am. After a quick shower and change into my running gear, I leisurely sat outside the cabin and enjoyed a few cups of coffee and a couple of croissants with cheese. I was relieved to see that the storm had abated and although still very cold, it looked like it could be a promising morning. I thought it best to err on the side of caution and had chosen to wear two base layers, a technical t-shirt, a waterproof jacket and a pair of running trousers under my shorts. 

Determined? Serious? Nervous? Worried?
All of the above ✓

The race rules require that you carry the following items of compulsory kit (I now completely understand why!):

• Hat and Gloves
• Waterproof Jacket
• Minimum of 500 ml water/sports drink
• Headtorch/Torch
• Whistle
• Emergency food supply (chocolate/energy bar)

I arrived at the hall at about 8:30am and after getting my kit thoroughly inspected and my hand stamped to say everything was present and correct, I joined the registration queue. I was surprised to see a familiar face in the form of Zoe from my work in Scotland, helping behind the registration desk. She explained she had also signed up for the race but had to pull out due to an injury so was instead assisting with the race organisation.

At 9:15am we were all called into the main body of the hall to receive the race briefing from the race director, John Steele. After receiving our instructions and a bit of impromptu pantomime from the stage, we headed outside to the start line.

199 runners lined up on the start line. Not all will finish. (Photo courtesy of Ann Brown.)

The race commenced at 9:30am. I remember seeing one guy in the above photo sprint off as if he was running the 100 meters. I'm not sure how he fared for the rest of the race, but it seemed unsustainable for over 30 miles, even for Superman.

The course takes the form of a figure of eight which uses the Fylingdales Village Hall as a start, middle and finish point. The first six miles of the route heads North along old railway line and cinder track from Robin Hood's Bay to Whitby. With a tailwind I found this leg of the race fairly easy going and settled into a steady pace covering the first six miles in around 55 minutes.

Chewing Jelly Babies at Checkpoint 1: Whitby (OS 890 107). (Photo courtesy of Ann Brown.)

After checking in at the first checkpoint, I downed a couple of cups of water and some jelly babies and preceded down through the town of Whitby, onto a cobbled street and then up the 199 steps to the ruins of Whitby Abbey on top of the East Cliff. The steps are over two-hundred years old and have "landings" on them to assist the coffin bearers on their journey to the graveyard at the top.

The famous 199 steps up to Whitby Abbey. A challenge in itself!

At the top of the steps the route heads back South along the coastal paths of the Cleveland Way to Robin Hood's Bay. The going got much harder here, starting out through fields and then along very slippy, muddy paths which dozens of runners had already churned up before me. There were also quite strong headwinds for much of this stretch which made the going even tougher. Due to erosion, the cliffs were treacherous in parts and I spotted a couple of bunches of flowers along route where I can only presume, people must have sadly lost their lives by one means or another.

The view heading South along the Cleveland Way.

Unusually for me I ran the whole race without any music. I did have my MP3 player in my backpack, but instead just enjoyed the scenery and chat with other runners I met along the route.

The view back to Whitby along the cliffs.

Things got a lot muddier before I arrived back at Checkpoint 2 in Robin Hood's Bay. In some places it was a challenge just to walk never mind run.

Mud.. mud and more mud!

What's worse than steps? Mud AND steps!

Thirteen miles done, I arrived back in Robin Hood's Bay. I checked in with Zoe and then began to eat my own body weight in watermelon. There was a fantastic spread of food, but slices of melon were the only thing I craved. In retrospect I think I must have been quite dehydrated by this point.

Reverse psychology and food at Checkpoint 2: Robin Hood's Bay (OS 952 055)

After a couple of minutes I headed back out to face leg three; the route to Ravenscar. A few miles further in my legs were getting quite weary and I struggled to maintain a steady pace along the incline of cinder track, instead deciding to alternate between running and power walking every few 100 meters, to conserve energy for later on.

I began to hate cinder paths!

Arriving at checkpoint 3 at Ravenscar, I met a group of runners, some of whom I'd been loosely running with over the past few miles. After a handful of jelly babies and with a new lease of life I set off toward Hayburn Wyck. Unfortunately, a few people up front had missed a turn off, which led to around twenty of us following them down a dead end and adding at least another half mile onto our journey. My only consolation is that I was able to snap this picture of some llamas up to no good.

What did the llama say when it took a wrong turn? Alpaca my bags and turn around.

Once back on course I soldiered on to checkpoint 4 at Hayburn Wyck. Just after this, at around the 22 mile mark, I resisted the temptation of an extremely inviting pub by persuading myself it was probably just a mirage.

Not just the jokes!
More de-motivational signage at Checkpoint 4: Hayburn Wyke (OS 0086 9678)

From here I carried on to join another rather challenging section of the Cleveland Way which took us back to Ravenscar and checkpoint 5 via lots of steps and wind beaten coastline. The weather began to deteriorate at this point. Most people around me seemed to be struggling including myself. I remembered I had a Cliff Bar in my backpack. I'm not even all that keen on raisins and walnuts but at the time it seemed like the most delicious thing I had ever eaten.

Arrgh.. more steps!

26 miles in and feeling broken I set about the final leg back to Robin Hood's Bay. This involved a lot more muddy coastline, many more punishing steps both up and down and a switch back to tarmac which was a killer on the knees. Arriving in Robin Hood's Bay, even the thought of the extremely steep hill back up to the village hall couldn't dampen my spirits and I managed to complete the race with a sprint finish to find Clare, Sophie and Jack waiting for me at the end.

Another t-shirt for the collection.

I really enjoyed this race, it was impeccably organised and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a serious challenge and an alternative to the traditional forms of New Year's Day over indulgence. I'm also hoping that it has been a great training run for the 53 mile HOKA Highland Fling which I have booked for April.

Sophie and Jack enjoying the water at Scarborough beach.

We spent the rest of our time exploring Robin Hood's Bay, Scarborough and Whitby with a few stops at Marske, Sunderland and North Shields on our route back up to Scotland. I hope to return next year to improve my time. Happy New Year everyone!

Perth Kilt Run 2014

Sophie: Chip Time: 0:42:07  Chip Position: 623
Daddy: Chip Time: 0:42:08  Chip Position: 625

This post is a bit more different than usual, as today I have a special guest blogger. Her name is Sophie and she is just five years old. Sophie has entered several races in the past and has now earned the respectable total of four medals. I have recently been in correspondence with Santa and I'm led to believe that she may even receive her own pink medal rack as one of her Christmas presents. When I asked her if she would like to take part in the Perth Kilt Run, she was really excited, I think this was more due to getting to wear a pink kilt and the promise of an ice cream afterwards, rather than the running itself. However, true to her word, when the day arrived we got dressed, dropped off my two year old son, Jack, with his grandparents and set off to the North Inch. My partner Clare was coincidentally face painting at the same event, so we helped her set up her stall. Much to Sophie's delight it was in-between a magician and a juggling workshop.

Sophie psyching herself up for the run.

After a quick trip back to the car to fetch some water, we attached the timing chips to our trainers, our numbered bibs to our tshirts and then headed back to the North Inch to join the awaiting crowds. Last year I had run this fun run dressed as a Golden Eagle, along with four other 'animals', to help promote Scotland's Big5. Sophie was too young to join me as the minimum age limit is five years old. So instead, she adorned her pink cowgirl hat and pom-poms and came along to cheer me on. I was pleased that this year was the first year she could actually take part.

The Golden Eagle with his chick.

"Fly Eagle, Fly!"

Sophie was excited to see Hairy McKilty and all the other mascots and also really enjoyed listening to the bongo drum band. She had asked to borrow my mp3 player to help with her running, I don't normally allow her do this in case it were to damage her fragile little ears, but on this occasion, as an incentive I agreed and locked it on a low volume. The furthest she had ever previously run without stopping was just over one mile, so the step up to a 5k was a bit of a challenge. This didn't bother either of us as we both knew that if she got tired daddy would pick her up and carry her for as long as necessary.

"Faster Dad, Faster!"

After not too long, we were off. I felt really proud and emotional running alongside my little girl. For the first mile she managed a solid run, but then she spoke the sentence I always knew would come but was dreading: "Daddy, are we nearly finished?". "Eh, em, yes Sophie, nearly. Well kind of.", I replied. I'm not sure she believed me! Anyway, after another half mile of run/walking, I asked if she would like me to carry her, at which she gleefully nodded. Carrying a five year old on your shoulders whilst running can be quite challenging. I'd previously run the Kelty Coal Race, which involved carrying almost eight stone of coal on your back over the course of a kilometer. Whilst Sophie only weighed 3½ stone and was a lot softer than coal, I still found this tough going. If I was asked which is easier, running with a sack of coal or Sophie on my back, my response would be, Sophie, but sacks of coal are a lot less bossy.

A very proud dad crossing the finish line with his daughter.

As we approached the last 300m, after some mild encouragement, Sophie asked that I put her down as she wanted to run the last section and cross the finish line herself. I eagerly obliged and together we ran down the home straight and crossed the finish line with cheers from the spectators. After collecting our medals and goodie bags we headed off to meet Clare to tell her all about our adventure.

From there, I then headed straight over to Giffordtown in Fife to run the 6k road race that afternoon, the penultimate race of the 2014 Tour of Fife.

Another reason I love running, is that I think it sets a great example to my children. Playing video games and watching films have their place, but I want to bring my children up to know that this should always be balanced with regular exercise. They should never be afraid to expand their boundaries either physically or mentally. Running requires both. Something I think Sophie is already beginning to understand.

Bye, bye!

Postscript: Many details for this blog entry came directly from Sophie's memory of the event, she also typed it up, whilst I was made to meticulously point at every key. The joys of fatherhood, I wouldn't change it for the world.

Dunblane Hydro 7.5 Mile Road Race 2014

Chip Time: 01:00:58

Having originally planned to run the all new Sunderland City Half Marathon on this day, I changed my mind last month when I noticed this little race only 36 Miles from my doorstep.

I was born in the City of Sunderland so was initially very keen to sign up for the half there, but with family life, work commitments and all the other races I had lined up for this year, I felt that I really couldn't justify that length of trip. (I definetly intend to add it to my 2015 list though.)

I'd planned on running the Dunblane Hydro Road Race last year, but unfortuantely the race didn't go ahead in 2013, so was pleased to be able to sign up this time around. My very kind and supportive fiance Clare (a running widow before we're even married) and our two children, came along for the ride to offer their support. The race didn't start until 1pm, with registration open until 12:30pm, so we set off at 11:30am for a leisurely drive down the A9.

There was no race parking availble at the hotel so after dropping off Clare, the children and all the other child related paraphenalia (prams, changing bags, harnesses etc.), I parked the car in a residential area in Dunblane and walked back up to the hotel to register. This was when I noticed the really nasty hill that would be the last leg of the race!

My legs were still recovering from the Kinross 10k, Pencaitland 10k and Balmoral 15 Mile Trail Race which I had completed over four days the previous week. I'd also been out for a longish walk with my 1 year old son Jack the day before (which involved carrying him for most of it!) However, even though every joint and muscle in my legs seemed to be complaining, I didn't let the horrible thought of running up the hill take root and phase me.

Accompanying Jack on his Saturday morning constitutional.

I met back up with Clare and the children outside the Dunblane Hydro and registered. As usual Sophie my eldest was complaining she was hungry. (My children are always hungry! They take after their parents in that respect.) So I said my farewells before Clare took them off to forage for plates of chips inside the hotel, to prevent their hunger turning to hanger!

The sky was overcast when all the runners gathered outside the hotel for the race briefing. I briefly removed my earphones to hear the organiser declare that it was extremely unadvisable to wear earphones on some sections of the course, I quickly put them back in at this point as I find it very difficult to run without music. La la la.. I didn't hear you!

We were piped down to the start line on Perth Rd. near the entrance to the hotel grounds. The police and marshalls had held up the traffic so that we could all line up on the road. Although the race had a chipped finish, it was a gun start (air horn actually). So after a minute or two.. and a loud honk.. we were off!

The race heads along the Perth Rd. out of Dunblane, across the roundabout and on to a country road (the B8033) through to the hamlet of Kinbuck. I know this road well. When I was a student in Glasgow, I often hitch-hiked it and sometimes even walked it, when I was visiting my parents some weekends. (Dunblane being the closest train station to where my parents lived at the time.)

From Kinbuck the route crosses an old stone bridge and takes a sharp left at the other side, then meanders along more country road before reaching a hill at mile four. I always find breaking the half way point of any distance a psychological boost, so at this point I mustered up the mental strength to power up the hill and collect a bottle of water off a cub scout at the waterstation at the top. I poured most of this over my head to cool myself down, so between that and the drizzle my clothes were soaked through.

It usually takes me about 5 miles to warm up in a race, find my stride and for my breathing to get into a good rythym. So by this point I was feeling quite strong. After another couple of miles of country road, the route re-entered Dunblane passing the Tesco store and headed across the roundabout and back towards the Dunblane Hydro. All of the marshalls and spectators along the route were exceptionally friendly and supportive, shouting words of encouragement as we ran by. I especially remember them cheering me on in the last mile and this spurred me on a lot.

Doubletree by Hilton, Dunblane-Hydro

The final hill was a bit of a struggle as I had expected, but the thought of my family waiting at the top kept me going and I powered up it, completing the race in 01:00:58. (I initially thought I had managed a sub one hour time, so was slightly disappointed to miss this by 58 seconds.)

After collecting my medal, bottle of water, funsize Mars bar and banana, I found my family, who had been awaiting my finish. Unfortunately Clare just missed a photo opportunity due to Jack falling and scratching his face on his pram at exactly the same moment I crossed the finish line. 

Exhausted, I collapsed into a chair whilst the children helped me demolish the banana and Mars bar and Sophie proudly displayed the medal around her neck.

All in all, this was an excellent local race. Very well organised, with exceptional marshalls, great support and a nice route. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to increase their distance from 10k without yet comitting to the half marathon distance.

After the car trip home, it was nice to relax with a few beers, play with the children and contemplate the other five races I had booked for that week. Those being:

06th May - 60th Anniversary Sub4 Mile Markinch 1 Mile Road Race

07th May - Self-Transcendence 5K, Silverknowes

10th May - Loch Leven Half Marathon

11th May - Monikie 5k & Monikie 10k

I think I might have lost my mind, but along with that my fear too, so it's not all bad.

Marathon de Paris 2014

Chip Time: 04:24:13  Position: 24194  Proposal Result: She said "Yes".

The keen eyed reader may notice that the usual medal photo in this race report contains not one, but two pieces of bling! If you carry on reading I'll explain why.

I'm aware that I haven't been very good at keeping my running blog up to date, there is however a reason for that. I have been out running LOTS! As of writing this I have completed 74 races so far in 2014. Combine that with a family, a full-time job and all the other demands and pressures that go with being an irresponsible adult in the 21st century and it really doesn't leave me much time for blogging. However this post is quite a significant one, so although it's taken several months to get around to it, I always knew that I would write it up eventually.

The reason I started blogging about races was not to give a technically accurate report of each course, detail my splits, talk about nutrition or discuss the physiology of running. There are plenty of other blogs that do those things much better than I ever could. (I don't even own a watch never mind a Garmin!) One of the main reasons I write about the races I run, is to document this stage in my life to my young children. So that one day they can look back and say this is what my dad did and this is how he felt and what he thought whilst doing it. So if the future Sophie and Jack are reading this, I'll start by saying I love you both very much and please continue reading to discover an important chapter in your family history as you would probably be too young to remember it. Especially little Jack.

After receiving a rejection letter from the 2014 Virgin London Marathon ballot, I decided to cheer myself and my family up by booking a short five day city break in Paris, which, ahem.. coincidentally happened to include the 6th April. What was significant about this date you may ask? It was the date of the 38th Marathon de Paris. Exactly one week before the London marathon. Running however, wasn't the only plan I had in mind. Clare and I have been a couple for two whole decades and although we've often talked about it we still haven't tied the knot. So what better place to propose than the most romantic city in the world.

We hadn't been to Paris in about nine years and that was way before we had children, so we didn't really know what to expect. It was both Sophie and Jack's first flight and much to our relief they took to it very well. Meanwhile, I had my own concerns on how I would get the ring and it's box through customs without arousing any suspicion from Clare. Thankfully everything went to plan; the children were angelic on the plane, the ring went through the x-ray scanner undetected by Clare and we caught an adjoining train and metro to the hotel without a hitch! (Excuse the pun.)

We'd booked a four night stay in a Novotel in Bercy, in the East of Paris. This was very convenient for us as a family, as it was situated in a pleasant suburban area but had a metro station only 200m from the hotel.

The next day we attended the Marathon Expo, where as a compulsory part of the registration process I handed over a signed medical certificate from my doctor to say that in his opinion I was healthy enough to run a marathon. Thankfully he seemed to have more faith in my current ability than I did. Afterwards, I collected my running number and goodie bag and we all had a wander around the Expo looking at all the fascinating but very expensive innovations available to the modern runner.

It took three hundred men two years to build this iron beast, all I had to do was
run a marathon in the morning.

The rest of the day was spent visiting some Parisian landmarks, followed by a stroll along the Seine and a picnic in the Champ de Mars. It was there, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, that I proposed to Clare and she accepted. Clare, Sophie and I were all over-joyed, Jack was just happy that he was getting to play with his ball in a park. That evening we all went out for a nice meal, at which I ate everything you shouldn't eat before running a marathon the next day and nothing you should. C'est la vie!

We'd agreed that Clare and the children should stay away from the marathon on race day. With 46,000 runners and many more spectators lining the streets, it would be a much safer (and less boring) option for the children. Besides the event of them actually glimpsing me running was very slim, especially as the finishers' area is securely cordoned off with large steel fences.

After an early start and a cooked breakfast, dressed in my running gear including a Union Jack vest I had been gifted for the occasion, I caught the Metro from Bercy to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. I found the pen for my expected finish time and joined the tens of thousands of runners waiting for the 08:45am start. It was interesting to see so many different nationalities listed on all the running bibs.

A few of the runners..

A few more of the runners..

The atmosphere was electric. A huge cry went up when the first wave set off and after I fought past mountains of discarded clothing, it didn't seem long until it was my turn to join them. With only a few seconds to go, a guy beside me tightened his running belt with too much force, which caused about half a dozen gels to explode on myself and several other people in close proximity. My hands, arms and part of my face were covered in a thick lemon flavored goo. What a great way to start a marathon, especially on what was promising to be such a hot day. Before we had time to lynch him or even pass a menacing stare or growl, we were off running down the Champs-Élysées.

As I ran, I used the water from the first water station to wash off as much of the citrus gel as I could before it got too sticky. The start of the race sets off downhill, circles around Paris' largest square, the Place de la Concorde, before turning right onto the Rue de Rivoli. The route then takes you past the Louvre, round the Place de la Bastille and then down the Boulevard Soult to the largest public park in the city, the Bois de Vincennes. After a loop around the park you head back toward the centre of Paris, reaching the halfway mark at the Rue de Charenton. I remember the cheering crowds at this point, lining the tightly packed streets. They provided much needed encouragement to keep me soldiering on in the morning heat. From here, the course then follows the Seine, passing under the oldest remaining bridge across the river, the Pont Neuf, then through a series of tunnels. 

The live music around the course was a fantastic idea. There were apparently a total of ninety different live bands and orchestras playing along the route; everything from jazz and rock through to traditional West Indian music. I seem to remember even passing an oompah band at one point. At mile 17 the course takes you through the longest car tunnel in Paris which had been turned into a full on rave with pumping techno, glitter balls and disco lighting. It was an amazing yet highly surreal experience. Even stranger, I found out sometime later that this was the very same tunnel in which Diana, Princess of Wales had tragically lost her life.

I was running quite strongly until around mile twenty-one when I got caught behind a pack of runners who had stopped for oranges at a water station in Bois de Boulogne park, this broke my stride and caused me to have to slow to a walking pace for a few hundred metres. I struggled to get started again, but with encouragement from the crowd and shouts of "Allez Daniel!" (after some eagle eyed spectators read the name on my bib), I set off on the final 5 miles of the course. I remember the last cobbled section on Avenue Foch being particularly painful on my ankles. For the final mile, I seemed to be running behind some French celebrity who was getting some major applause from the crowd. I never did find out who he was. After crossing the finish line I was handed my medal, which is a very impressive heavy, gold coloured "ribbon". I picked up my finishers t-shirt and limped off to the metro, eager to get back to the hotel to see my family. 

Meanwhile in civilisation..

My family and other animals.

After congratulations from Clare and the kids, a well needed shower, a couple of really strong French beers and a nap I began to feel almost human again, so we all headed out for dinner.

3 Monts Flanders Golden Ale 8.5% Vol Pffffft!!!!

Our final full day was spent chilling out at the Louvre and checking out some interesting antique and curiosity shops off the beaten track.

Chilling outside the Musée du Louvre.

Théodore Géricault - The Raft of the Medusa (1818-1819)

Getting "Hangry" in the Louvre!

I could have easily spent a full day in this shop.

On the flight home we met a group of ladies from Edinburgh, who were still on a high after completing the marathon. They struck up conversation with Clare about how well behaved Sophie and Jack were on the plane. When Clare explained how many races I was doing this year, one of them remarked that it was not me, but Clare, who deserved a medal for being so understanding. I couldn't agree more.

I can conquer the whole world with one hand behind my back,
 as long as the other one is holding yours.