LONDON MARATHON 2013

Photograph Quiz:

Photo no. 145:- Which team is this? What athletic event did they compete in? When? What was the result? And who is the marathon runner? In which games did he compete? What was his time and placing?

Dear Blog,

    As I mentioned to you yesterday Blog, the  London obsession is upon us once again … with that horrible expression ‘Are you doing London’. And I suppose at the Expo where you sign in, sorry, at the market stalls where the traders will be flogging all kind of wondrous merchandise to the gullible joggers, there will be other horrible expressions like ‘These shoes are on offer’ or ‘This year’s Specials’. I suppose the really enterprising Rodney will have ‘Special offer’ indeed, all terms which make the hairs on the back of my neck rise uncomfortably. Are you with me on this Blog or are you not. I think the oldest hair raising expression has to be ‘for free’. What is wrong with the good old fashioned ‘free’. And thankyou to the USA.

    It is interesting, is it not, to contrast a couple of marathons which had small starts (clever that Blog?) and contrasting finishes (even cleverer that Blog?). The London Marathon has grown into a mega money making monolith for companies and individuals …. No more need to be said. You are either on the band wagon banging the drum or you are not.

  On the other hand you have probably the first acknowledged ‘People’s marathon’ in this country doing much to herald in the jogging boom. The organiser, John Walker, ploughed his faith and his own quids into a project which at best was a curiosity for most local athletes and at worst, a financial disaster for Walker. A large field and a well organised race radically changed attitudes, some seeing the seed of a huge commercial killing not far over the horizon. Walker continued to work for the next thirty odd years at grass roots. On one occasion, a relay was held in Sutton Park for youngsters. In those days not many teams entered and was very low key compared to today’s relay championships held here, there and everywhere. The kids relay race was held on a Saturday morning but for some reason, there was a breakdown in communications and a couple of clubs turned up in the afternoon as Walker was dismantling the minimal start / finish area. Despite the few numbers involved, Walker arranged for a relay to take place to save disappointing the kids and then went to the trouble of finding some unused race t-shirts from several past running events and gave each participant, a t-shirt each. This was nearly thirty years ago but it is still remembered with affection by at least one of the girls who talks about winning her first ever t-shirt which she wore with pride for months afterwards! John Walker made her day / month / year!!! Can you imagine the London organisers making an equivalent gesture without mega publicity???? John Walker still is instrumental in helping the athletics grass roots with the winter monthly Centurion 5 mile races (eight kilometres to you Blog) and the 2 kilomtres Fun Run (one and a half miles to you Colin) at Chelmsley Wood. So remember Blog, on Sunday morning as you scream around the streets of London thinking what a wonderful job the organisers have done again, try to think about the many quids they are making and contrast that to the grass roots club races and the many quids those volunteer helpers are not making. All good fun????

       As you wander round the mega money making monolith Expo for companies and individuals before you collect your number Blog, play the popular game of ‘Spot the Next Con’; what is the product which will revolutionise your performance by this time tomorrow? Or you could play ‘Listen out for the Next Scientific Breakthrough’ which will enhance the efficiency of your training and transform you from a lowly club scrubber to a highly effective athletic superstar by this time tomorrow. Am I correct in believing that H.I.T. emerged at this time last year as the new training panacea??? All these fads are cyclical, so the third game to play as you wander around the market stalls at Excel, is to guess how long each of the items you spotted in the first two games, will last the longest!!!

                               Colin