The start was a moment to savour for the following reason, but first a little explanation. For those that haven't done a run like this, the real pro's start on the first gun and shoot off into the distance at the speed of a dragster. Then, people who aren't kidding about fitness and who can truly do a thousand one armed press-ups and that sort of thing get to go..people who can prove they run the marathon in less than 4 hours etc etc...then, when they have dispersed some half hour later they get to those affectionately known as 'the back of the pack' i.e. the triple cheese hamburger brigade aka the seriously underprepared. I think i tagged on the back of that lot...anyhoo the point is that as the third gun fired that announced we should get underway, the tannoy piped up loud and proud to tell us that the winner had already finished and was getting his medal. Now there's a way to motivate!
I just took the opportunity to get across Sydney in a manner I couldn't normally, and well look at some of the fantastic scenery on the way. I walked the whole thing, deciding that a steady pace was better than a run/stop/collapse/run/collapse/stop/collapse/coronary kind of approach, and indeed the tortoise approach paid off for me. Left behind at the start and on the downhill stretches by the keen amateurs, I soon caught them on the flat and on Heartbreak Hill and passed by their sweaty, exhausted stricken forms as I swept past with all the grace that my lumbering form can muster.
Bondi was a great sight if only because i was getting tired and pretty footsore - you could hardly see the beach for all the tents and bars that were set up and no word of a lie it was packed to the rafters by the time I got there. With 70,000 runners/walkers/stumblers and all their families at the finish line Bondi was far too busy to do much seeing of the sights but I think that I've probably seen what I need to of Bondi.
Anyway, according to the Sydney Telegraph I was 50011st in a time of 156:09. I'd rather have been 50,011th in a time of 2:36.09 but there you go, I was still pleased to appear in the daily national as a grammatical/numerical inaccuracy. LMAO! Good stuff indeed. And they gave me a medal. I can't remember the last time that happened...
6 mumbles or rants about it:
Mabelthorpey is sadly not yours to claim - it was invented in 1873 by Wilfred G Mumblingscutter when he famously said "Bridlington's not a bad spot - but it's definately more Mabelthorpey than Skegnesian...Milleniumhandandshrimpbuggrit" - thereby answering the age old question.
Fnarp! Well done me old creaking mucker.
Well you've got the medal. Now all you need is a chest to pin it on!!! :)
Seriously though, well done mate.
Hey pretty good time, though I thought for a minute it read 1:56:09; but at least you enjoyed it = great.
I must take issue with all this sounding out on Mablethorpe, which happens to have one of the nicest sandy sunny beaches you will find - all right it is usually cold and windy as well, but what better to build up the British character, I say...
Aha! Proof from the Ericle that Brid and Mablethorpe are indeed twins!
You can tell them apart though as Bridlington has the slightly higher cliffs.
Good job, mate
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