Well it’s over! 4 hours, 38 minutes and 40 seconds of unalloyed hell!

 

Although somewhat snail-like, I survived more or less in tact and am now content to leave marathons to proper runners, at least for the time being.

 

The weather took everyone by surprise, even the elite runners. I could tell was it was hot out there but on checking the Brighton press afterwards they reckoned it clocked 23 degrees C and there was not even the respite of a bit of breeze either. Great for the spectator!

 

As I reached the finish I muttered under what little breath I had left 'never again!'. On overhearing this, a fellow survivor countered that I would be online that evening to register for Brighton 2012 ..... but I wasn't. That said, by Monday morning strange thoughts had started to spring to mind. I woke up thinking about where I could improve my training, perhaps trim a few minutes off here, practice taking on nutrition a bit better there, perhaps under more benign conditions etc etc. Then I noted a knowing look from my wife Sharon and the image of Kathy Bates smashing James Caan's ankles with a sledgehammer in the film Misery came to mind! I think I better leave it for a while ….. perhaps 2013?

 

Whilst I enjoyed the day tremendously, the real focus was the fundraising and that’s where you really played your part and I applaud your fantastic generosity in supporting the Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund.

 

Thank you again for all your support and encouragement without which it would have been immeasurably more difficult to finally stumble over the line.