Chicken Skin Handbags

London Marathon 2007

As they say this was the hottest London Marathon ever. And you could tell. The heat was strength sapping in the final stages.

The start wasn’t as organised as well as previous starts had been described. The queues for the toilets were phenomenal. The pens were allowed to join just before the race began letting everyone bunch for a mass start. These meant runners were rushing around and after a quarter mile of running you were grounded to a halt and had to walk for a quarter of a mile. It was very frustrating.

However the atmosphere on the whole day was fantastic. The crowds couldn’t do enough for all the runners. There was music, food and plenty of encouragement. If you had your name on your shirt then you were guaranteed a shout.

The course was the same set up as last year with plenty of water stations all the way. This was essential to stop runners from dehydrating. But many still struggled and it seems that times were a lot slower than normal. The pundits claimed it wasn’t a day to get a personal best. Even Gordon Ramsay had to stop.

The usual amount of celebs entered. There were Eastenders and Emmerdale stars. Matt Dawson and Sally Gunnell from the world of sport. Nell McAndrew and even Michelle Dewsbury (Apprentice) made an appearance. They all found it tough with the majority confirming it would be their first and last marathon.

The end of the run was the usual stagger around Buckingham Palace and up to the park. Barrel like signs from 600m, 400m to 200m mark the way in. As a runner those markers are the longest 200m apart in the world. Once you reach the 200m marker the finish becomes in sight. A relief to all competitors.

The carnage at the finish said it all. People were staggering all over the place and into the first aid tents. A great event but too hot on the day.