Breakfast at the hotel was great! Barry and Marc started early from Marines heading towards Neuf-MarchĂ©. Unfortunately, shortly after the 1st Check Point Marc literally run into problems with his calve. Abbey came for help but couldn’t do much but cooling and giving some pain killers. Eventually, Marc had to give up đ Luckily, Aaron … more
The Start Abbey’s school kids have prepared some motivational pictures for Barry and every runner. So, we did an official hand-over right before the start. We then took off for the start in the direction of the “Gardens of Colombes”. Half way there, Barry decided to start running before all of us would get totally … more
It was raining cats and dogs when we got up. Nevertheless, Barry and David started at 7:33 at a Police Station in Colombes – it was just to wet for the supporters to go to the Garden of Colombes. We have just arrived at the crossing that’s marking the first check point having a Caffe … more
Aaron, Abbey, Barry, Kirsten and me arrived pretty much at the same time in Colombes. The hotel is very basic but then we are only staying one night. We explored the surroundings a bit and checked the start line for tomorrow while waiting for David to arrive. Aaron won the bet on David’s arrival time … more
Abbey, Aaron, Barry and Kirsten have already left London early this morning driving their vans through the tunnel to Paris. David will fly to Paris and I am just about to leave for the airport, too. Very excited now!
A huge THANK YOU to the Children’s House Year 1’s who met Barry last week and made him his very own supply of Bionic Bars to eat during the mega marathon. The children were also visited by the amazing Gavin Anderson who enthralled with tales from his terrifying trek over the Pyrenees earlier this year. … more
Barry posted his first Marathon today: He did it in 3:52h. Well done, Barry! For those of you not familiar with Marathon times: 4:00h is the magic barrier between slow and fast hobby runners. Everything below 4:00h is considered to be a good time. I am having issues with a tooth and have not been … more
62 days to go, and it’s all getting a bit real now. Some of our runners are seasoned pros, but I’ve been lazy in my youth and it’s starting to show. Clocking up distances has revealed a problem with my right leg that needs attention, and I’ve been going to the brilliant therapists at Achilles … more
On Saturday, I got myself new shoes – yippie! So, I thought I write a few lines about what to look out for on your shopping tour. When training for a marathon, it is important to have more than one pair for several reasons: Shoes support your feet. But your feet and legs should not get … more
Most runners I know have a standard route they follow. It makes things easier: You know the length and hence how long it takes. You know all the dangerous bits. And you have optimised it for as little traffic light stops, parking cars, barking dogs, etc. as possible. In Hamburg, there is a huge lake … more