Marathon Mania

Caroline, my godfather's wife, was running in the London Marathon today (we went to register for it the other day) so we went into the city to see her torturing herself! Mobilizing the group was tough but we managed to get out on time (even with the dog in tow).

After we came into London on the train, we headed out to Greenwich with the intent of standing near the Cutty Sark. We did find a spot very close to the 7 mile marker, further down the marathon's route from the famous ship. Caroline and her friend Annie did know we would be in the vicinity, but to make it easier for them to spot us, we used a "Big Red" from The Citadel! There were some great costumes as well, ranging from the obvious (Superman, Spiderman, etc.) to the absurd (bananas, rhinos, men dressed as brides, the list goes on and on).

Thanks to the flag (which Caroline later said stood out like a sore thumb), the pair found us and the first stage of our mission was a success. From Greenwich, we took the DLR (Docklands Light Railway, similar to a monorail) to Mudchute, the best name for a station since Shepherd's Bush (how good does a piece of shrubbery need to be for them to name a station after it?). Right behind the 17 mile marker we had some lunch and met up with friends whose runner (Jimmy from Long Island, NY oddly enough) was raising money for the same cause as Caroline and Annie. First Jimmy ran by, then Caroline, then Annie.

I should mention, the reason we knew when to look for them was thanks to the "Track a Runner" function on my phone. This would track them every 5 kilometers and publish the time on their individual page. Only one problem: they didn't have kilometers posted anywhere, only mile-markers. This meant that the process included converting kilometers to miles, then estimating the time they would arrive around that kilometer mark based on their previous pace. I hadn't done this much mental math in a LONG time, but I was accurate to within 2 or 3 minutes, so I consider that a success.

After Mudchute, we got back on the DLR and headed to Westferry, only a few stops away and somewhere between the 20 and 21 mile marks. Our spot here was not right up against the rail (like our others were), nor was it one of our planned locations at which Caroline knew to look for us. As a result, I went farther up the course to act as a scout and to try and spot Annie or Caroline and let the others know one of them was coming. Somehow I did manage to see them and we were able to say hello! I also got to see a celebrity at this stop, but he's in a fairly obscure (but hilarious) British show and while I recognized him, I couldn't quite place where I knew him from until I was well past him on the stairs. Since we were in a rush, I didn't have time to get his autograph (although the show he's in) but I did snap a quick picture of him from afar.

After taking the train back into Central London, we headed to Caroline's sponsor organization's room where we met up with Caroline and the other runners. All-in-all it was a great day out and we all had a lot of fun!