please empty your brain below

Years ago when the London Marathon first started I watched it, again the second year. Now I totally ignore it.
I do not think it sensible to run 26 miles on tarmac. In my opinion running or jogging such a distance should be done on a softer surface and not in polluted city air.
Funnily enough I was at Embankment all day. Generally a good description of exactly what it was like. You were probably too polite to mention how many of the really late runners (the ones competing with the rubbish removal vehicles) were seriously overweight and look as if they had done no training.

The band played quite a few tunes - not just the one mentioned. Chariots of Fire was really evocative but they didn't seem to play that later on. I think when the crowds were really busy and noisy you wouldn't have been able to hear the relatively its quiet bits and it would have seemed a bit naff. It would probably have not seemed appropriate for the stragglers.

The acoustics were really good - at least before the crowds arrived. I couldn't help thinking how strange it was that the ugly underside of Thames Bridge actually produced acoustics of concert hall quality whereas a a traditional bandstand often only provides mediocre acoustics.
I think they should scrap the marathon. It goes right past my house, which wakes me up at 0930 (far too early on a Sunday) when I could be sleeping.
What a pleasantly evocative piece of writing, DG. Speaking as the Fishpig you mention (yes, I'm egotistical enough to Google myself), I would like to say a hearty thank you to you and all the other people who were still around to cheer on us stragglers, you should know that it gave us such a lift, even if we didn't always acknowledge it!
Pedantic; while such honesty in choosing a name is admirable, perhaps you could learn some of DG's politeness. I don't see what you're adding to the discussion by pointing out how fat and unfit some of us stragglers were.
It's worth bearing in mind that a lot of the slower runners aren't looking to beat their personal best, they are raising thousands of pounds for a charity dear to their hearts and achieving something for themselves. A lot of them have the very problem that their chosen charity supports.
Personally, I had been training since October and, while I could have done more, I worked damned hard. Having spoken to some of the others I would suggest this was true in most cases.
Still, I apologise if my slow, unseemly bulk spoiled your aesthetic enjoyment of the day, and I thank you for being around to cheer us on anyway!
Fishpig,

I can assure you I was not there for my own personal enjoyment. I got up at three a.m. to perform my own unpaid contribution to make the day a success. I was on duty for 14 hours in total. I am more than happy to do this because of what people like you do.

I saw more of the stragglers because it wasn't until around 5 p.m. that things had quietened down enough to get a chance to actually see the runners other than when they collapse and need help. Embankment seems to be a particularly bad (or good depending on how you look at it) place to be for that.

I have nothing against overweight people as such and cannot claim to be a svelte figure myself. It did seem to be noticeable to me and my colleagues however that some people looked as if they would have struggled to walk 26 miles. I am sure that advice on preparation from the organisers would have emphasised the need to do some training even if ones only objective was to complete the course rather than run it in an impressive time. I cannot believe that some of the later participates followed this. Whilst not questioning their motives and admiring their determination we found it concerning that people for whom this was obviously a challenge just to complete this either substantially over-estimated their ability (and perhaps should not have entered - the event is always oversubscribed) or failed to appreciate just how important it was to do some basic training. This is especially true if you are overweight.

The people my heart really went out to were the ones who clearly had some earlier injury, got it patched up and clearly went through incredibly pain in their determination to finish.
I did the London Marathon for the first time yesterday, having previously run five marathons in other cities while waiting for my name to be pulled out of the ballot. I've also managed to raise nearly £6000 for Leukaemia Research - a charity very close to my heart.

I must say it was the best one I've ever run in; the crowd from Blackheath, through Deptford, Greenwich and into Rotherhithe, Bermondsey and all the way through, right up to the finish line was unbelievable - so many thoughts passed through my head yesterday but the overriding one was how unbelievably privileged I was to be running this while literally thousands of people screamed my name.

Although it was hotter than I'd have liked I still came in with a respectable time at 4h 17. I probably speeded up as I could see a giant furry panda in front of me by quite a distance. In the end I managed to overhaul him, probably just to avoid the embarrassment of anyone that might have known me seeing a bamboo-loving animal beat me :)
To be fair to those at the back, it can take over an hour for everyone to get through the start gate at Greenwich Park, so 7 hours after the start, they have may have been running/walking for about 6.
I watch the marathon go by in Charlton Village so Darwinian weeding out has not really had a chance to have an impact!
Afraid I can't say I saw you Fishpig, but well done anyway. I also hope that the Andy with an artifical leg made it. Onya mate!










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