This year I
have been lucky enough to have the joy of watching my fiancée- Gem- run the 35th
London Marathon this Sunday 26th April 2015, after having completed
my own marathon at Brighton. Not only does this mean that I get to relive the
joys of the marathon atmosphere; I also get to a see a loved one pursue
something we both enjoy, I can appreciate (arguably) one of the world’s best
marathons and am reminded of why I run. There is also the added bonus of seeing
Paula
Radcliffe make her return to the London Marathon for one last time.
In my
opinion any race is a special thing. The very event of runners coming together
at a designated spot and running a specific distance is something that I think
is an amazing phenomenon about humanity, be it a 100 mile ultra or a 10km local
race. You may well ask why we have this urge to run in races and set ourselves
these challenges, but I think the answer to that is something I will leave for
another post. Running is one thing, but watching it is an entirely different
way of viewing a race- especially if you have taken part in that run before.
You get to see the whole breadth of ability for that race, from the runners at
the very front jostling for a podium position, to the hungry pack chasing after
them and then finally the people who are putting their all into it at the back.
Most of all watching a race, rather than taking part in it, gives you a certain
perspective on how you run as well. Running is such a focussed activity that
sometimes you get caught up in your own world, not realising that you are
taking part in this great event. For me this is what watching the London Marathon
will centre on, as I had watched the London Marathon as someone who had not run
26.2 miles before. It was in fact when I watched the marathon for the first
time that I decided it should be something that I should do at least once
in my life; so here I am today having
completed three marathons to date and looking forward to watching the London
one this weekend. It was in this vein of thinking that I could draw upon some
general tips and insights into what a spectator needs to do to support their
friend/ loved one/ family etc. at their particular race. The one point I would
like to stress here is that I have no experience of ultra-running; so whilst
there may be some general tips that can be translated to an ultra I would not
say these points can be directly applied to people supporting ultra-runners.
1)
Getting
there
This may
sound like a really obvious thing to tell you as a first point, but getting to
a race can sometimes be the hardest part about it. What this means is that you
have to do some prior planning about how far away a race is and how you will
get there. For some people this may mean taking a long weekend so as to travel
on the Friday to the location of the race and driving back on the Monday, so as
to have Sunday night to recover. For others it can be simply going to stay at a
hotel on Saturday night or arranging a lift very early on Sunday morning.
Whatever your option you need to plan for it in advance. Not only does it keep
your mind focussed on enjoying the event, but your running partner will also be
a lot calmer in the lead up to the race.
Getting
there also means arriving to the race on time. For the London Marathon this
means travelling to Greenwich or Blackheath using London’s infamous transport
system. Therefore checking which tube/ train lines are cancelled the night
before, usually because of weekend repairs/works, is a good idea as well as
having more than one route to get there by. For smaller races than a city
marathon, a car is usually the best option as many runs are situated in
parkland and possibly sometimes remote areas. The key thing to remember is how
to get to the location of the race, so that you and your runner can arrive in
the calmest manner possible.
2) MAP or at the very least an overview of the race route
Once you have got to your
race or marathon, the next most important thing is find a place to cheer on
your runner. Like point number one it is a good idea to try and get a map of
the route well in advance. Not only will you be able to spot areas where it is
easiest to cross from one place to the other, but you can also see the type of
race it is. By this I mean is it a series of laps where you can stay in one
position for the whole race? Or is it what I call an A-Z race where the runner
starts in one location and finishes in another? These factors will all impact
on how you view the race and hence why a map is so important.
3) Nutrition: preparing gels and drinks to handover
Point three
is basically the culmination of points one and two. In two words it can summed
up as: race strategy. This means choosing the place where you can best support
your runner not just in terms of cheering him/her on, but also figuring out
where is the best place to supply gels and drinks. So if I take myself as an
example, the first third of a marathon isn’t too bad for me but I know half-way
and three quarters of the way through are vital. Of course the nutritional
support is invaluable, but it is having the privilege of seeing a friendly face
in the crowd who you know is there to help you achieve success at your race.
How your runner choose to run his/her race and how your support them are both important.
4) Your own food
Most people
will acknowledge that running a marathon is incredibly tiring, but many people
wouldn’t think about how it feels to be a spectator. I can say this with
confidence as I have been both a runner and a spectator. Of course at the end
of a long-distance race or marathon the runner will always be more exhausted
than the spectator, but it is also very tiring (both emotionally and physically)
watching someone you care about take part in such an amazing event. The simple
solution to this is to prepare a big pack lunch, with enough food to help you
eat throughout the day. A lot of marathons begin at 9 or 10am, and say with a
runner having an average pace of 8 minutes per mile, you will be looking at
around three and half hours of travelling, walking and cheering at various
points throughout the day. Don’t forget recovery food for your exhausted runner
after the race.
5) Camera
In the age of smartphones and the ever increasing advance of
technology; a good old fashioned one purpose device like a camera might seem
like an unnecessary item to take round with you at a race. However it can be
one of the many ways that can make it even more exciting to be at a great race
event! I may be a bit too keen on my running, but I would go as far to liken it
to a music festival scene at the beginning and during a race. You can capture
some great moments and in turn have some amazing pictures of an event that you
will cherish. The other good thing, is that you can capture your runner “in the
moment”, therefore getting a great picture to show friends and family whilst saving
money on the highly exorbitant fees photo companies charge for your runner’s photo.
6) Clothes and
weather
Being in the
UK, us Brits are used to our fair share of rain and this is something to
prepare for as well as the occasional glimpse of sun/heat. I cannot stress
enough taking the right clothing and equipment for a race. It can really make a
difference. For instance, if you know it is going to be hot pack a lot of
water, sunscreen, a cap and maybe some glasses for you and your runner.
Conversely if it is raining most obviously take an umbrella; but you also need
to think about keeping your runner dry before and after the race, some dry
clothes for your runner after the race and waterproof clothing for yourself
whilst spectating.
Above all,
you should really enjoy yourself when spectating. It is such a fantastic thing
to watch people run such amazing times, for great causes, to see the range of
emotions that people go through and the common humanity that is shown
throughout the London Marathon.
My fiancée,
Gemma, is running the London Marathon for Mind- a mental health charity. You
can find more information about it here: https://www.justgiving.com/Gemma-Alcorn1/
To everyone
running and spectating from a 5k to an ultra I wish you the very best! May you
run with peace.
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