Social & Events

The annual plant sale and coffee morning was a huge success with over £400 raised for the club.  Well done and thank you Keith and Julie for a magnificent display of plants and Anita and the ladies who helped with refreshments through the morning and those who baked the cakes.

Well done Mike O’Hagan on completing the 2024 London Marathon 

Firstly let me start of by thanking all those members and friends of PBBC who generously sponsored me in aid of this years nominated charity YoungMinds. The total raised to date is £1,151 before GiftAid and so this has got us off to a great start for the coming year.

 

In terms of the run itself let me share with you some highlights:

it was a hard day in the office !! I had wanted to get a Good for Age time but recurring injuries meant I did not have the endurance in the legs for the latter stages of the race. The half marathon time was ok’ish at 2hrs 6mins but I really struggled during the 18 -21 miles before getting a second wind for the remaining miles and finishing in 4 hrs 33 mins

the crowds as always were incredible all along the route. It was a very emotional crossing of Tower Bridge as you ran into a thunderous wall of sound that you felt as much as heard.

The cheering of the crowds was just one form of support. The volume of jelly babies, water, soft drinks and even beer would be enough to last a year at any other time.  It was also the humour of the signs held up that could lift. The two that I readily recall are:

 “PAIN is just the French word for bread”

“ I have trained for a year to hold this sign up Keep Running”

 the Embankment, Parliament Square and the Mall pass in a blur as you know you will finish, and then the relief of crossing the finishing line and collecting your medal.

Finally it’s over and you just want to lie down. To your right is an inviting green swathe of grass but someone has put a horizontal metal bar it’s full length at about 2 ft 6 in in height. Not one runner was able to lift their legs over the bar we all had to lie on the ground and roll under it to huge applause and cheers !!

 

I could not have completed the training and the marathon without the support of others especially Janet my wife. I did make Janet a promise that I would give up running the London Marathon if I achieved a Good for Age time and so there is still some “ unfinished business”.

 

Once again thanks to all for your support, best wishes and sponsorship

 

Michael

 

PS On Sunday night I put my name into the ballot for next years London Marathon.