Sunday 13th April 2014.
I didn’t run the London Marathon but I did rock up to the sidelines to cheer on those who commited to the 26.2 miles of running.
My initial plan was to join the lululemon london cheer squad at mile 11 but I forgot I had to teach so by the time I could make it into town I would need to be further down the route in order to see everyone!
 |
| lululemon london cheer squad |
After teaching at Clapham Common, Laura, Alicia and myself jumped on the London Underground and met some other friends just before Mile 22 outside of Monument Station!
 |
| spot number 1 |
 |
| kiera and her fab sign to make the runners smile! |
 |
| moving on… |
The sun was out in force – perfect for us supporters – maybe not so great for the 36,000 runners who didn’t have this weather to train in and might not have been prepared. We arrived in time to see the runners around the 3hr 15 min pace which in my opinion is pretty speedy! They were looking strong heading into the final 4 miles of the race.
The crowd was too thick to be able to get a great view at that point so we decided to grab a drink and walk up the route towards the finish line.
Our next spot was on a bridge where we had a birds eye view of the runners. We managed to spot someone we knew at this point but were too far away for him to hear us cheering for him. So we decided to move further on.
 |
| guiness to keep my energy levels up 🙂 |
We found a little area of grass to eat some food and I had a quick look on Facebook. I saw a friend posted a picture of another friend running at an earlier point than where we were then so decided to resume viewing! After a short while, people dressed as a phone box, rhino, super mario, pink lady apple, male bride and the man in a blue thong (just to mention a few!) we spotted another friend! At this point, runners were heading towards a 4hr 45min and later finish with many struggling with injuries and fatigue. We cheered for anyone who had their name printed on their running outfits to help give that extra bit of encouragement…
 |
| band on route |
It all got too emotional when we cheered on a great granddad who was walking at that point. He looked up to wave and smile at us then as he went to carry on, he stumbled a little, but was helped by a passing runner and was soon on his way again. I can’t lie, at that point, I started to cry! Just watching all these individuals who I’m sure have their own special stories was a real inspiration. Watching those battle on despite their pain was even more so…
By the time I saw someone else I knew, I was gone again! More crying and laughing all at the same time!
Although I wasn’t quite moved to the point that I am going to sign up for a marathon right this minute, it nspired me to continue my running efforts and journey in 2014! It did however make me want to volunteer at the London Marathon next year for sure…
What inspires you to keep going?!
Ever volunteered at a run event?!
Elle 🙂 x
Leave a Reply