I’ve never been an athlete, but memories of marathons run through my mind
LAST weekend was dedicated to the 2021 London Marathon after the race last year had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. It was impossible to miss the build-up to this event despite the deferral from April to the autumn. Thankfully the weather on the day was better than expected and most accommodating to the more than 40,000 participants. As always for the marathon I switched on the television to pick up the coverage of the races which were organised somewhat differently this year.
As usual I enjoyed the day, but found myself thinking back to the inaugural event way back in 1981.
My check back says there were 7,747 who got a place from the 20,000 who applied. I was surprised to find that only 7,055 made the start and just 6,255 made it to the finish.
In the elite races my keen interest was in the women’s event. A local lass called Joyce Smith from Watford Harriers was the one I watched as she worked at the Barclays Branch that I regularly visited.
She won the elite ladies race, but next day was in her place as a bank teller. The prize money – if indeed any – was clearly not making her rich!
Athletics in any form is not a sport that I have ever enjoyed, and running 26.2 miles holds no attraction for me at all. But my son was motivated to run by this very
first marathon he saw. He was in his final year at junior school and that September his new secondary school was able to offer some sports choices for his consideration.
Initially he had to attempt rugby with all the first years which he very clearly did not enjoy and certainly had no skills for that sport. He liked it even less when having to attend hospital after a game to have an eyelid stitched up!
That was when he first took an option to start running – a sport he has continued to enjoy for 40 years ever since. Not a sprinter, he quickly opted for distance running and at school this meant cross country.
Even then he craved a chance to enter the local Mayday 10k road race, but had to wait until after his 16th birthday to participate. He finished in the top half of the race and gained with his friend the junior prize for the highest finishers in their age group. Since that first medal he has collected a few more for his cabinet, but all for competing rather than making a winners podium. Since this first success, he has enjoyed a lot of running on the road.
Whist at University in Bristol he entered both the Bath and Bristol half marathons. In both he ended the courses in the top half of the participants and did pretty good times. He has since run a number of half marathons and has a PB (personal best time) of 1 hour 32 minutes that he achieved in 1997. (He is now 51)
Quite early after university he applied for, and got, his first opportunity to run the London Marathon. This was to be the first of four runs in this race and he duly finished them all. He always wanted to complete the course in under four hours. He got close more than once but never beat that time. He does still have the medals for completing the course having run 25 miles more each time than I could ever have run!
He is now classed as a veteran runner and weekly takes in the amazing Park Runs that feature all over the UK and other cites too on Saturday mornings. His personal best time in this event is 24 minutes 58 seconds that he ran three years ago. He runs a Park Run every week, so maybe he yet has the time to improve this PB.
Athletics in any form is not a sport that I have ever enjoyed, and running 26.2 miles holds no attraction for me at all.