Ready...Set...MARATHON!!

Hey Surfers!

Sorry again about the blog fail last week guys, but I hope this one makes up for it :)

So today, after a pitiful two hours of sleep, I hopped on a train with my sister and headed off to watch the London Marathon! We went to support our cousin in his first 26 mile race; he raised a fantastic sum for Unicef and we're all incredibly proud of him.

We met up with some family, and tracking our runner online, went to the first viewing spot at the Highways in Shadwell. I actually missed seeing my cousin here but I did see someone else...

MO FARRAH!

Everyone had been cheering and clapping for the runners to encourage them but when Mo was approaching the entire atmosphere changed; people screamed and cheered, it was amazing. When I realised he was coming past I pulled my camera from around my neck, wrapped the strap around my wrist for safety and stuck my arm out over the heads of the crowd (I was near the front) to get a good shot. Even though I was just taking a picture the adrenaline was pumping. You can see in the picture even the other runners are cheering!

Bye Mo!

 There were other Elite runners who went past before Mo; I'm sorry to say that I don't know their names. Whoever they were they must be phenomenal athletes as this runner is on Mile 22 and he is literally FLYING BY!

Literally flying!

A few minutes later my cousin ran by on the other side which was Mile 13 but I completely missed him :( so we headed off to another locale. I'm glad to have seen the Elite runners here as they finished not too long after, so there wouldn't have been another chance.

We headed off to Poplars next and while we were waiting I got to witness some pretty spectacular fancy dress:

Brings a whole new meaning to the term 'run-away bride'

I did actually see my cousin at this point, I had to jump about and yell for him to notice as he had reached a zen state of concentration. I got a cheerful thumbs up, and then he disappeared into the crowd.

The thing about this portion of the route was that they provided the runners with water bottles, which after a few sips they flung to the side of the road. This resulted in random mini soakings for the crowd; we'll let them off though ;) 

We left Poplars to get to the finishing line and I took a few pictures of the scenery.

 We were lucky that the weather was on our side, though I'm sure that the runners would have appreciated it being a little cooler.

The little falling man...hilarious.

We reached Mile 25 and got to watch the final stretch before going to the meeting points in St James Park. 

Keep going Spidey!

We found my cousin eventually, sporting his shiny new medal and all had a small rest. I mean c'mon, by this point I had walked three miles all around London! I was knackered :P

After a while we headed off for a late lunch. Marathon runners were able to use the Underground for free so while I was fumbling around for my ticket my cousin would brandish his medal and the barriers flew open! :)

I'm quite confident that on our way through the tunnels I spotted Jimmy Carr. He gave a mini round of applause to the marathon runners who were on their way home. I didn't realise it was him until I was on the train home! Wish I'd gotten a picture.

All in all the marathon was a fantastic event to experience; the atmosphere alone is something to go for. The runners really appreciate the support from the crowds, especially near the end when they need a boost to keep going.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I'll be back next week.

*update* My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the runner who passed away after completing the marathon. He will be missed. X

Love E.