Well, will that
be the last Brickmakers Marathon Relay?
The most positive answer either my mole or myself heard was from Bob Webb.
" Surely in corporate politics, it would be in the interest of any neo
company taking over the B.O.C. building to ingratiate themselves with the
local public by continuing to allow the use of the grounds,"
Thank you, Bob and we all hope you are 100% correct.
This year saw the best weather for a Marathon Relay event that I have been
involved in. Although for the early runners this was a tad too warm. Even
pushing myself nine seconds outside a PB. Woody, Thanks a bunch for not
turning up, I might have made it on a cooler leg.
But talking of early legs, Woking A.C. seemed to be intent on winning this
year right from the hooter, storming into an early lead that just got
bigger and bigger.
Our usual local clubs participating as usual, making a total field of
twenty teams. This seems to be the figure we get every year. And what do
you know, one did not finish as is also the norm. This year it was it was
Surrey Police B. Officially they were a man short, but so were Woking AC B,
and they ran a certain Windle Valley second claim twice. Rub salt in the
wound won't you lads!
So a certain amount of credence is put to the rumour that they were so far
behind that the last man did not want to get lonely. Could this be why when
I was out doing my stint as marshal at the exit of B.O.C. a police came in
and almost took out several of the opposition?
Oh and while I'm on the subject of this team, Dave Riccards. Where do you
get off running for Surrey fuzz?
On a similar not congratulations to the Windle girls for getting a team
together and despite a good first leg, were trailing in eighteenth place by
the time the big guns of Wendy and Amanda came on in the final two legs.
Watch that Amanda though, all afternoon she was saying. "I'm only making up
the numbers, as I have been over training." Then she goes out and runs
16:37, I believe that Wendy was a similar time as well, but as I do not
have the results to hand at the time of writing. I am sure any minor errors
in times and omissions of names I cannot remember.
Anyway despite their valiant efforts Windle Ladies still came in
eighteenth.
When asking what leg I was on etc. of Mike I wondered out loud as to why I
had been promoted to the A team, but was firmly put in my place when told
that Mike had tried to get two even tams out for a change this year.
The results show that he did a splendid job as the teams finished tenth and
eleventh, with on running eleventh most of the way pulling up to tenth, and
the other pulling up to eleventh for fifteenth most of the way.
In fact it was a similar story for most teams, setting up the stall in the
early legs and then just running a procession.
Two major exceptions were the second place team who gradually moved up from
fifth or sixth to get the runners up spot on the last leg. These being
Ranalagh I believe, pushing the team that had spent most of the day in
second, Finch Coasters, down to third. But commiseration's to ? Who slipped
badly in the last few legs from being consistently third. Then there is our
old friend Andrew Ely with his first named club. You know British Airways,
the team that always used to win it. Well they only came sixth this year.
Finally thanks to all those who took part, sorry if I could not remember
your names, as again it was a very enjoyable day.