The Race Day RUNDOWN

My thoughts and experiences of the Flora London Marathon 2000

Part One It's Not THAT Windy

I arrived at Blackheath at about 07:45 on a beautiful crisp morning. The sky was clear blue and there had been a frost last night so it was a little chilly. I indulged in some idle chit chat with the cab driver on the way up to the Park. He was telling me about the sponsored walks that he had done.

I had arrived quite early compared to everyone else it seemed however that did mean that I could savour the atmosphere (which, as I said before was f*****g cold). I walked around the main pre-race area sipping my Liquid Power (high energy drink) and then had a nice cup of PG (the tent in which the said PG was brewing smelt truly wonderful).

As the area filled up it was obvious that there was a whole spectrum of abilities present. For a start there was me! I was at the Blue start which was for the Elite and Championship runners and also part of the Mass start of runners. The majority of the Mass start actually begin their run through the gates of Greenwich Park which is the Red Start.

Groups of people were gathering. It does intrigue me as to how these groups get their places because it is very difficult to get an entry via the ballot in the first place. There is supposed to be a one in four chance of getting in - does this mean that a group of 5 initially numbered 20? I do not think so some how. The majority of people in this area where in fact on their own like myself. Whereas I wandered about listening to the announcements, CapitalFM, people chatting or watching the Hot Air balloons having problems keeping upright, others just sat down and appeared to contemplate the forthcoming event. I have never seen so many toilets! Even when I went to see Queen at Knebworth Park in the 80's they did not have nearly this many Portaloos.

By 09:00 I had finished my stretching and was making my way to the baggage lorries. On the way I noticed that the hot air balloons were still having problems keeping upright. I do not recall it being very windy at all that day. On the way from baggage to start I called home to speak to Tasha and the children.

Now, I recall putting my estimated finish time as 4hrs 45 mins on the finish line. For some reason the organizers must have had a sixth sense because they put me right at the back of the field. Behind the elite runners, the field is divided into zones numbered 1 - 9. They put me in number 9! Once there I called my mum and dad who I knew would be watching to see if they could spot me - among 32,620 runners! For anyone who saw the start on the TV, think back to the aerial shot just before the start where they showed Blackheath (not the picture through the gates of Greenwich Park). You could clearly see the 3 hot air balloons on the middle to left hand side of the screen and going from top right down the screen was a column of runners. Now if you then trace with your finger 6 inches below the actual TV screen you will get an idea of where I was starting from.

RIGHT - we're off - well some of us are anyway. I can see the stream of runners beginning to work there way up Shooters Hill but we are not moving. I have time to watch the hundreds of green and yellow balloons, that were released at the start, disappear into the beautiful pale blue morning sky and yes I think I just moved two steps. Eventually we at the back start a slow jog and then speed up to a better pace. Moments later I cross the START line a full 17 minutes and 29 seconds after the gun had gone. I start my stopwatch as we go over.......

Part Two They're Off....(The First 3 Miles)

It's funny really. However much you prepare yourself for this moment, it cannot prepare you for the rush that you get when you first see some of the thousands of people who line the streets on a Sunday morning to watch lots of mad people putting their bodies through utter hell. This is also the moment when you think - BUGGER - I wish I had queued for half an hour for the toilet before the start. We are encouraged to take on lots of fluid before the start so that we do not get too dehydrated. That is fine but a fair amount will come straight back out again before we start sweating (although that is only 100 yards up the road).

I get off to an easy start. For most of the mass start the tidal follow of runners just takes you along at a fairly good pace. For those of us at the back you have to be careful to stay at the right pace because there are not too many people around. I see a friend that I met through Internet Saints and feel already boosted by his presence near the start. For the moment the three starts run separately until about a mile when the Green Start runners (celebs and Football race) join up with the Blue Start runners.

We work our way in the general direction of Woolwich and by about 2 miles I feel the need to have a pee. Gosh that feels better!! There are no queues at these toilets so it is a quick in and out and back to the running.

A big debate that I had with myself was whether I should run say for a mile or so at a time then walk for a minute the run again and continue that. An article in the Sunday Times magazine (Style) suggested that this was a good idea to ensure the you get around in a good time. This is also what the Runners World pacing team seemed to be doing. I tend to overtake the occasional runner and vice versa as I try to keep to a nice even pace. As we approach Woolwich we meet up with the Red Start runners. They are kept to the other side of the road because we have a few extra metres to go. This is evened out near the Woolwich Ferry terminal where we go round the roundabout to do those extra metres and converge coming off the roundabout. We are now at 3 miles and well on our way to the Cutty Sark .

Part Three Halfway already? - not bad!!

From Woolwich we run up through Charlton, across the Blackwall Tunnel Approach road and on to Cutty Sark. This is a fairly easy part of the race but certainly the most crowded for those of us who started at the back. It takes you through 4 and 5 miles so we should be running at a fairly comfortable pace now. This part is probably the hardest part to remember because until you arrive in Greenwich it is quite boring (sorry to those who live there). There is plenty of support along this part but the only thing that really stands out in my mind is seeing loads of people disappearing into bushes to have a pee. Some just stopped at the side of the road and went there!!

Cutty Sark is just a wonderful sight to behold when you get there. You know that you are approaching it because you firstly run past the Naval colleges and museums and then the crowd swells enormously. The constant cheering as you go round this beautiful ship is utterly amazing. I notice here that I am running with Floella Benjamin (of Play School fame) who was obviously getting lots of support. After Cutty Sark we go on to Surrey Quays. It is here that I see the first of the National Asthma Campaign teams with the Purple and gold balloons showing their support for all the purple vested runners going through. I picked up a couple of balloons here and tied them to my vest (I wasn't really trying to get myself noticed on TV ;-) ). I am on for 5 hour pace still at this point however I am feeling a few aches already in my shins. This is now 9 miles and although I am resting every little while but my legs are beginning to hurt. This is unusual because my training runs have been fine over this distance. It may be the realization that I still have over 15 miles still to go and am subconsciously wondering if I am going to make it in one piece.

Very soon I find that I am running up Jamaica Road through Bermondsey. Strangely I find myself shaking hands with Simon somebodyorother the Lib Dem Member of Parliament for that area. As we come up to the end of Jamaica Road a nice lady steps out in the road and hands out hot cross buns on a plate. I take one because I am very hungry. I nibble it slowly but make sure that that I have finished it before I start on the bridge cos they take your piccie there.. This is now just after the 12 mile marker and at the 20KM one.

Just a quick word about the water stations. They are every mile after about 3 miles and give us a constant stream of water. I took a bottle several times which was lovely and cool. My main gripe is with the Liquid Power which is the sports drink of the London Marathon. These stalls were supposed to be every 5 mile with plenty to go round however by the time we got there they were all out of the stuff. Fortunately I had decided to carry around my own bottle of the stuff.

Going over Tower Bridge was quite emotional with the throngs of people lining the route. This was even more apparent when I saw some more National Asthma Campaign supporters including the organizer whom I met last year who was cheering madly. After Tower Bridge we go right down The Highway and past the Halfway marker. I am 10 minutes slower than 5 hour pace here so I am not doing too bad. The only depressing part about this part is the fact that the faster runners are now streaming past on the other side of the road having already been round the Isle of Dogs. I quickly get an email off to the Internet Saints from my phone to let them know of my progress (they have sponsored me quite a lot between a few of them).

Part Four Isle of Dogs

This next bit is probably the hardest. You've got through the half way mark and as you come down the Highway you can see Canary Wharf Tower looming up to your right. You realize here that you still have to go around the gigantic structure. It is also starting to hurt badly here especially my shins and ankles. I did not get these problems in training and I do not understand why I am getting them now. I have a longer walk here as we get to the 15 mile mark. I take this moment to give my mum a quick call.

I remember last year this was where I started having thoughts of giving up. Then I was in probably the same amount of pain but it was in a different place. That time it was more debilitating as it was in my hips such that I hardly lift my legs to take a step. I knew then that this time this would be my greatest barrier to finishing the race. A vivid memory last year was the bleakness as we approached mile 16 which is the closest mile marker to Canary Wharf. There is a slight gradient and I remember that there was not very many of us. I very nearly gave up here last year.

This year however there had been some building work so it was not so bleak, there were more runners around and I was in a much more buoyant mood. There was also more people around cheering us on. We rounded the Tower and travel down onto the Isle of Dogs proper. The numbers of people cheering here was incredible. It was definitely a good idea to get my name put on my vest because the crowd call out to you by name to urge you on. It makes such a difference.

We run down past the Docklands Arena and up to the 18 mile mark at Mudchute. I go past the toilets and I am pleasantly surprised that I do not need to go to the loo. I am probably doing a slow jog rather than running. All the same, for the most part I am not walking. Just before the 19 mile marker I get a call from my sister, Maxine. She, Tasha (my wife) and my children are coming up to see me on route. We arrange that they will see me between 22 and 23 miles. I run up to the 20 mile mark past further celebrations. Mentally the 20 mile marker is very important. It marks leaving the Isle of Dogs and the mileage is now in the 20's.

Part Five Familiar Faces

As we run on up towards the Highway, passing mile 21, you realize that there is not that far to go. Once on the Highway there is no-one running the other way by this time. The road is being cleaned of the thousands of discarded water bottles and other rubbish.

Eventually we get to 22 miles. This takes us round to the Tower of London and the dreaded cobbles. Somewhere along this part my family are waiting for me. I am still running at this point however this is very difficult on the cobbles especially seeing that the organizers have had the forethought to take up the mats. You basically have to keep your eyes on the path to ensure that you get a good footing. Last year, by the time I got to this part, the public had already been allowed back in this area. This time the band was still playing to encourage runners on their way. I come up off the cobbles and start down Lower Thames Street. Just before the 23 mile marker, I meet my family. Tom and Oliver are holding up a placard to encourage me to carry on. They also give me a couple of bananas to give me some badly needed energy. I said my goodbyes and restarted on my way. I devoured my newly acquired bananas very quickly and realized at this point that I was going to be hard pushed to reach the finish line in under 6 hours. I had 35 - 40 minutes to run the last 3.2 miles.

Part Six The Final Sprint

I figure that I could run that last little stretch of 3 mile no sweat. Once running the pain seemed to go. The problem is that I cannot actually keep this up for the 3 miles. As we run up towards the tunnel that leads to the embankment, I am passed by Mr. Beano (or what ever his name is). He is a chap who sits in a bath full of baked beans during the exhibition that precedes the London Marathon. I cannot remember which charity he does this for but he is dressed in orange running gear and is painted orange. He also appears slightly mad!

I am definitely feeling thirsty now which is not a good sign. It means that I am probably very dehydrated. I certainly have not needed to go to the toilet since two miles. It is probably one of the reasons that I am finding it so difficult. The hardest part is actually starting to run again after walking for a minute or so. You become very stiff and it is extremely painful

As I reach the 40KM mark which is just before the 25 mile marker, I look at my watch. I now have 16 minutes to get to the finish line if I want to come in under 6 hours. This means that I have to pick up the pace big time. I start to run at a pace with is about a minute a mile faster than the pace I trained at and that I was doing at the beginning of the race. There are a few more people around now also and I am getting a tremendous cheer from spectators as I cut through the hoards of people who are walking (I wish!!). There are quite a few walking as I begin down Birdcage Walk. Maxine, Tasha and the kids were aiming to get to the end to see me. I have now got the "800m to go" sign in my sights and who should ring but Maxine. "Where are you?" is the question that I am faced with. My breathing is barely able to keep up with the rest of my body and she wants me to tell her where I am. I am just spluttering tsome words out when she shouts down the phone that she is at the 800m marker and that she can see me. I look to my left and see the group of them waving.

I certainly do not remember Birdcage Walk beginning this long last year but seeing my family gives me the extra boost that I need. I move up a gear when I look at my watch and see the seconds ticking away. I reach the 26 mile marker at what I call full pelt. The crowd are amazing and seem to respond to my turn of speed. I can hear them cheer my name as I turn into the Mall. I can see the finishing line. Worst of all, I see the clock ticking over to 6 hrs 17 mins (Official timing - take off 17mins 29 seconds). I have to get over the line within the next 29 seconds so I am now running as fast as my legs will take me. Everything is blurring as I run this last bit. I cannot look at the clock. As I cross the finish line I stop my watch - I cannot look at it. I receive my medal and stagger to the ramp to have my chip removed. I now look at my watch an see that I was 4 seconds less that 6 hours - 5hrs 59mins 56secs - I have done it!

Following this I make my way to the Institute Of Directors for the National Asthma Campaign Post race Pasta Party. I have a very welcome drink and meal and make my way to the restaurant in St James' Park to meet up with the family.

May I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped, to the National Asthma Campaign and most of all those who have sponsored me!

Tuesday 2nd May 2000

I have just received an acceptance Email for the Great North Run which is in October. So.....

where did I put my running shoes????