London Marathon Weekend
Released On 22nd Apr 2024
London Marathon
So the weekend finally came, four of us went up to the Expo on Thursday to collect Numbers and your Kit bag, after the expo we took in the sites of the Tube by going to various locations on the way back to Hammersmith.
From Melanie: Well my first ever Marathon and finished 5:33:45 official time. I just want to say a massive thank you to all the support I've had from the club. You are all absolutely amazing and got me to a stage to be able to run this. Tuesday runs with Alison Griffiths and Taryn Monks groups, Track on a Friday with advice from Graham Still and Tim Hawkins (thank you both). What a fabulous club xx Ran the Marathon for Ataxia UK, with support from family and friends (about 20 rocked up). Great atmosphere in pens, started steady and managed to run all the way Even had a spurt on from mile 20 !!
From Taryn: DONE the reverse route from birdcage walk to Blackheath Not my fastest but has to be the coldest AND sleep deprived starting at 2am! Great group support and thanks to family always but to Paul Summerhill who stayed with me from mile 12, I have warmed through, eaten and recovering well Money raised for Heartbeats’s Yeovil with every step- Thankyou for all donations- all manner of ways to support still open. Have great events out there those running and to the supporters out on the course and tracking from home too THANKYOU X
From Graham: London marathon done 3hrs 13mins 46sec. Not my best, but everyone’s a winner that cross’s the finish line.
It’s official Jac and I have retired from competitive marathons. We’re now concentrating on shorter distances!! Huge congrats to Jac on an amazing time today
From Demi: Soooo happy. Just a quick thank you to this running club because this wouldn’t have been achievable for me before I joined. Thanks to my coach Graham Still you really don’t understand how much your generosity helps me and others, also to my little group of pacers through this training block - sub 4 was scary but you helped me so thank you. Well done everyone today! Now for my first wine since Christmas (I’ll be asleep in 5)
From Gareth: TCS London Marathon finished in a time of 3:27:30 which is 12 minutes off my PB. Getting serious cramp late on in the race and being a painful last few miles wasn’t the greatest finish. I’m happy to have raised £2035 for Calvert Lakes.
Everyone that donated prizes and came to the quiz night, as well as everyone that has donated to my Just Giving page. I would like to thank you all. Special thanks to Rachael Jones if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have raised anywhere near that amount of money. And also for supporting me not only today but always. Special thanks to Andy Farrant for running all the road miles with me and Graham Still for coaching me.
I’ve had a great weekend with some of the running family.
Pre loading on Saturday Night
From Mags: Today marks my 28th marathon and 3rd London. It might not be my quickest time around the course, but it must be my greatest achievement. After only being able to do painful 5k end of January, there wasn't really much hope for me completing or even taking part. What I've managed to achieve in the last 2.5 months allowed me to have a little faith that with a bit of luck, I might get around. And I was quietly hoping to get under 4hrs. My body once again proved it can deliver even if it gets very hard. They say a marathon starts after first 20miles, and that's where my started today. As always, the emotions that race brings is something else. And crossing that finish line means so much more than just another bling. Amazing atmosphere all the way, support from the spectators is one of a kind. London will always have that special place in my heart. It was my very first marathon back in 2019, it gave me a massive PB last year, and today... it showed me that an injury doesn't mean an end to running the way you used to run. If you really want it and you put some effort in, you can get it back. My journey isn't complete, but it will continue.
From Me: Another great weekend, a lovely meal on Saturday evening looking over the Thames and then the Race on Sunday, the Starts were really cold even when the Sun came out so I was glad to get into the Pen at Red and get running, it was very well organised with them starting the waves off a couple of minutes apart so it gave a clear space to run in for a while. I was on for a sub 4 but cramp kicked in down Bird Gage Walk and came in 04:01:43. After the Race I went to The Admiralty to help my thirst and it was packed with Marathon Runners after a couple of hours the Rhino came it with his costume on and the whole pub cheered, it was his 100th Marathon dressed as a Rhino an amazing feat.
Schools Cross Country
From Adam: Primary Schools Inter-area cross country - this Wednesday 24th -Yeovil Rec. Any help any time between 3.00 and 6.00pm very welcome.
Steaming to the Coast
From Angela: Steaming to the coast done. I have to say this is by far the best run I have done ever, poor Louisa Irvine must have heard me say this is bloody lush about 100 times today We started off at Minehead then got a 'bloody lush' steam train off to the various start points depending on whether you were doing the marathon, 11 miles or 11k. The views were 'bloody lush' Medal collected I'm now sat on my second train of the day heading up to London to stay in a boat ahead of watching some other run that happens to be taking place tomorrow, not sure what that's all about but good luck to all club runners taking on the marathon tomorrow. Not quite sure how but somehow I've ended up in first class and I'm enjoying my prosecco that I bought in Starbucks whilst waiting for the train. Well done to Claire Shucksmith and Claire Church today as well.
Park Runs
From Adam: Zegerplas Park Run done. Beautiful flat course alongside a lake with lovely people. 24 in the run! Followed by a very large Dutch pancake.
From Simon: Hove Promenade Parkrun: Flat, fast and busy - 728 runners. Great coffee afterwards.
From Linda: Linda does Bolberry Down Parkrun! Even though this is a flatish ( a bit like Dorchester) I struggled a bit. Must be all the walking we have done and the raging toothache at 1.30 this morning! Don't let the blue sky and that big yellow thing in the sky fool you. It was bloody freezing! Meet someone from Crewkerne. Always someone you bump into that comes from the same area. This course was a 3 lapper. I would do this one again. The views were glorious. We had a stern word with little Triss as he decided to wee against the Parkrun sign.
PUB RUN – GALHAMPTON – (18 TH APRIL 2024)
From Mark: There were six of us in the not so fast group tonight (Louise, Kirsty, JC, Trevor, Matt, and myself), and Phil running alone. We ran the usual route in the anti clockwise direction. Conditions were dry, cool, and overcast as we left the pub. We ran south along sandbrook lane (passing tiny barking dogs) to North Cadbury. After stopping at the pub for photos, we turned left and continued along woolston road. At Woolston we turned left, and headed towards Yarlington. The pace was not really “not so fast”. We turned left and ran down to yarlington mill farm, which has now been demolished. Turning right we headed along the winding, undulating lane back to Galhampton. We passed the manor house, large stone balls on a grass triangle, and made our way back to the pub. Some of the views tonight across fields towards a setting sun we quite atmospheric.
For the meal afterwards we sat round one table in the conservatory area out the back. Thanks Phil for organising.
