In the long run

Well, I did it. My time was 05:02:14 and, despite my finishing a little later than my goal of 04:30, I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment in the tremendous hot weather we have enjoyed. I owe a lot to SJ for her help and support, for my friends and family for their thoughts and generosity and to the memory of my mum. Macmillan looked after her and it's for them that I decided to opt when choosing a charity.

I have mixed feelings - I'm heartened by the tremendous feelings that a marathon engenders. I made a couple of good friends who also ran for this charity. One of them, Stu, was a real rock who propelled me forward to the end, after I'd flagged. The organisation of the course was a little lacking - there were no less than three stations where water was not available to runners. I read in the press, two days after the event, that supplies had been stolen from the course and that this had been reported to police. I am interested to note that the police report was made the same day that I saw the story on the BBC website and that the supplies were left in such a position that they could have been stolen or even tampered with.

All things considered, Edinburgh was a fantastic place to run. The city is beautiful and the surrounding countryside, indeed the coast road, was idyllic. The camaraderie among the runners was palpable - everyone was supporting others. I encountered a 98-year-old Sikh gentleman and his supporting runners (who were all older than I, incidentally) on the way, cheering him on, only to hear him exhort me too, quite effortlessly, as I went past. A troop of 5 runners in parachute regiment t-shirts, carrying bergens, soldiered on, giving me a thumbs up when I shared a few words of encouragement. The team bearing a wavy Nessie was an amusing, if humbling spectacle!

If I can do it, so can all of us. Even a man of 98! I look forward to the next mad effort with glee!