All though this is not a running blog, it is connected with my running. Because if I wasn't running then I would never have thought to have offered to help out with the London Marathon team of volunteers! It is my way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years that I have been a struggling would be 'Paula Radcliffe', although I think that I may have left that particular achievement some what late! And it's my way of encouraging any and all people who think they can't do running to just 'try'. Because after all that is all that is required from your inner most self, just to try! You will be surprised at how quickly that 'try' becomes a 'Just a 5k', and then that gets doubled to a ' Ok, I shall try running10k!'
Admittedly I kind of jumped from 10k to 26.2 miles! A tad ambitious but something that I knew I could do just because I tried. And with the support of family and friends and the best running club in Kent, I achieved my goal last year (yes, us marathoners can and will live and dine out on our achievements for ever!) So this year I wanted to support all those doing the marathon and for those who were attempting to do their first marathon.
Here is my account of the 2014 Virgin London Marathon, from the Red Start Baggage team view.
My day started at ridiculous o'clock in the morning, 4:45 am, when the alarm went! I looked at the time, and just smiled "Silly me, I forgot to reset my alarm, that time was for yesterday" And I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep! About 5 min after I sat bolt upright in bed as I realised why I was awake at this time! It was still dark, there was one or two birds chirping, but to all intense and purposes it was the middle of the night!. I had a quick shower to wake up, by this time by very understand husband was up and was down the stairs 'getting his head out of dreamland'. I put on my 'Staff' tee-shirt, which I had picked up from Steve Garden's home the day before, Steve is the coordinator for the Orpington Parkrun VLM baggage volunteers, and he had put out an appeal for volunteers via Facebook. Of course I had jumped at the chance to help out. I felt very proud to be weary my tee shirt!
I came down stairs ready to make tea and make a sandwich for myself for later that day. I was still half asleep, as the Old Boy said "What you doing?" "I am making a sandwich." I said
"Well, its there, already" he said pointing to the sandwich by my bag, train tickets and headache tables (I was still not quite recovered from this darn cold virus)
"Oh yes, thank you, and thanks for the tea" which was also sitting by my things that I had got ready last night! I then started to attempt to put things back in the right place, bread in the fridge, ham in the bread bin, you know, like you usually do when your not thinking (or is that just me!?)
We all met up near Orpington train station, we were going to be arriving at Greenwich by coach! I met up with some other PWR members, as well as other volunteers from other clubs and parkruns , Sue, Peter, Natalie, Emma and Emma, John, Ginny and Tim, to name just some of them. Steve gave us our security passes and lanyards then we all piled onto the coach. There was a quiet buzz on the coach with everyone talking, not loudly, but with that 'it's still very early morning' hushed type of voices. I looked out of the window of the coach, the sun had just started to brighten up the sky, promising a beautiful day for all, maybe even a tad too hot for the runners!
It took about 30 to 40 minutes to get to the coach drop off point and then it was a short walk to the red start.
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| Short walk to the Red Start! |
Our first priorities, well it was for me, was the loo stop! Even if I am not running, I see a loo and I need to use it! Of course it's all portaloos that are available, but as this is early morning, and not a sign of a runner yet, there was no queues, there was loo roll and there was hand washing gel stuff! And no, this year I decided not to attempt the 'Ladies Urinals'!
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| Unused loos! |
So then our second priority was coffee! It's still early and the caffeine is well and truly needed, although by now the excitement of what is to come has started to fill the air, the atmosphere started to get a great buzz as everyone was busy at their stations!
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| Me, Emma and Sue |
The London marathon is such a well organised event. I didn't even realise, last year, that most people on the ground are all volunteers! They all give their time and energy up for this one great event to make it run as smoothly as possible for all the thousands of runners that take part! Amazing! In the baggage lorries there are numbers corresponding to the runners numbers, and they hand their bags to the team on the ground who then hand it to those on the lorry. As soon as the start has been sound the lorries all close up and make their way to the finish, where another team of willing enthusiastic volunteers hand back the bags to the runners at the other end! It's all very simples!
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| Team 29 Lorry! |
I was positioned on the lorry, there were three people on each lorry, (Orpingon Parkrunners had 3 lorries to cover) with a team of 4 or 5 on the ground taking the bags from the runners, making sure that all the runners had their chip in place, numbers on the bags matched the numbers on runners, and, very importantly, those that needed their medication had it with them! (Even people with asthma run marathons!) So, really I had it fairly easy up on the lorry! All I had to do was stack the bags in a nice orderly fashion, making sure that they were tied as well!
At first we all just waited, danced along to the music, looked out towards the field that will soon be overwhelmed with eager and nervous and excited runners. But also there were the security guys, just keeping an eye on things. Although no one likes to think of the worst, but thoughts of Boston will always be part of our thoughts now, whether we run it, watch it or be part of the volunteer team. And it was reassuring to see that the dog patrol was keeping an eye, or I should say a nose out for things. He was a gorgeous dog, name of Charlie.
We had our first runner with his bag on our lorry. His number corresponding to the front section of the lorry and his own number on his shirt!
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| Our First Bag! |
I was on the end of the lorry, Ginny was in the middle section. I think we worked out that there would be at least four to five hundred bags in each section. Fortunately we don't have to put them out in numbered fashion! Because when the time comes the bags will be coming in thick and fast. But for the first hour or so standing on top of the lorry we just enjoyed the music that was playing, and chatting and getting excited as the crowds began to grow.
Then the bags started coming, still none for my section, it seemed the front of the lorry was filling up first! I was imagining that the lorry would 'tip up' for being loaded all at the front first! Of course it wouldn't happen, but when you're waiting for things to happen and getting paranoid that you seem to be surplus to requirements, well this thought kept me amused! And then this happened.
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| My first bag! |
But surplus to requirements was never on the agenda, as slowly, one by one, a bag appeared for me to place neatly in place, then two at a time, and soon they were coming really fast, it was all systems go! We all worked like clockwork, with just one or two numbers being on the wrong lorry! Well the numbers, if you not used to huge long numbers can get a bit confusing, My numbers read 36,399 - 35,951 or at least something like that, I am sure the photos may show you the number ranges! I was also making sure I was tying them up so that nothing would spill out of them, until the ground team members started to call to the runners them selves to make sure that all their bags were securely tied before being handed over! The bending and the placing, and the catching, (if the bags were not too heavy) was all going on. It's amazing just how much is left to the last minute as people come running up looking for their number on the lorry!
And then also one or two people had forgotten to put things out, and just quickly grabbing it back from the ground team members before they handed it to me. But there was one chap who wanted to put something in his bag, he came behind the barrier to ask me for his bag! "I just gave it to you about 5 minutes ago" he said to me. But just at that last five minutes I was handed about 20 bags and placed them on top or on the side or at the back or the now hundreds of bags! Hundreds of bags that all look the same (apart from the numbers obviously). So I am afraid that gentleman had to run with what ever he was trying to put into his bag!
But apart from that, I think all runners and all the teams did really well getting their bags onto the lorries to get to the finish line for them, but for those that had missed the opportunity to have the 'valet' service of their bags arriving at the finish they needn't of panicked too much, as there was a last minute 'late baggage truck on hand.
After the mass start had finally filed through the start mats Steves team were debriefed and then stood down. A brilliant executed time done! And I had thoroughly enjoyed every second of it, even though I did start to feel a bit unwell while on the lorry, with the sun shining directly on to me, and the bags kept coming. But there was a lull were I could just take a rest for a few minutes to recover, darn this cold virus!!
The Finished Lorry with our lorry driver!
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| And that's just the middle section! |
Then it was on to find our other PWR supporters team at Tooley Street to cheer on our runners! As we heading toward the observatory, just after we went to look at the red start mass leaving, we saw two very late comers, heading the wrong way! We pointed them in the right direction. And as we walked, over the tannoy a few minutes later we head the "Come on ladies, where have you been, surely the queues for the loos weren't that long" me, Sue and Emma chuckled!
Here is our team and some other photos of 'A Morning In the Life of....'
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| Looking towards the City Of London |
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| Gorgeous day for getting your toes wet! |
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| The Whole of Steve's Team (Steve in yellow tabard) |
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