Laydeez an Gennamun ...

[Sweder]

We have a
WINNER!

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/5020031....on/?ref=mr

Crikey, I used to run with this gal!
Brilliant run, terrific heart to see off all-comers on a foul and brutal day for running.

[ladyrunner]

We have a
WINNER!

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/5020031....on/?ref=mr

Crikey, I used to run with this gal!
Brilliant run, terrific heart to see off all-comers on a foul and brutal day for running.

Yes it was a very impressive run from what I saw when marshalling at 6 and 9 miles.

Thought I'd post a reply to see if we can get those JSJ'ers to wake up and post a message or two on here.

WAKE UP !!!!

Julie

[Fiona P]

We have DOUBLE Winners!
Cathy U won the age grading with her immense performance - she smashed the field with her pb!

Awww, thanks guys - that's very kind of you. I got a bit lucky and the support from everyone was fantastic. I think everyone who ran has said the same. A guy I was with from about 4-8 miles he even commented on how much support there was - you really can't beat the Brighton half for that!

Ash - hope to run with you again soon, hopefully be dragging my lazy bones to the marina on Sunday morning.

Finally - a quick plug (Simon's idea!). I know a lot of people are running the marathon for some very worthy causes but if anyone finds themselves with any spare cash (!) that they don't know what to do with then my brother and I are running Brighton and London marathons respectively. We are raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It is a charity we have been involved with in the past that does a lot of good work and also funds research into this debilitating disease.
http://www.justgiving.com/Team-Powell

Thanks again guys - fingers crossed for a cool, sunny day at the Brighton marathon for you and a cold, miserable one at London for me!

[Sweder]

I didn't realize Cathy bagged a gong as well; that's brilliant
Thanks for the update and no problem posting the link; a worthy cause indeed. I'll be mopping up all my 'spare cash' to support as many runners at Brighton & London as I can.

See you on Sunday. I've had a couple of weeks off so who knows? Might be able to keep up with on the warm-up

[Sweder]

Spent a terrific day with the Mighty Plodder cheering on 144 JDRF heroes as they battled London's Marathon Beast. Well done one & all, you're all stars. I'll post some of the better pix here later.

Once again the icing on a wonderful cake was the performance of one of our own.
Following her impressive run in Hastings last year Fiona Powell went into the 2009 London Marathon with a weight of expectation on her slender shoulders. Intent on challenging her PB of 3:05 she 'crashed & burned' (she still finished a good deal faster than I ever will).

Today she scorched past us at mile 22.5, flicking out an arm in acknowledgement of my embarassingly boistrous greeting. By my (very rough) calculations Fi was on course for a sub 3 hour marathon with only 3.5 miles to go.

I have to report she didn't dent her PB; she shattered it, coming home in 2:53:48.
It couldn't happen to a nicer, more humble or deserving athlete.

[Sweder]

Thought I'd pop a link to Fi's London race stats on here. They make fascinating reading for we mortal plodders.
She finished 15th woman (non-elite), 14th in her category (18-39).

[Fiona P]

Hi Ash...aka...chauffuer to the girls SDW relay team,

Simon alerted me to your comments - thank you! I have to say I was on a huge high and still am!

Your boistrous greeting was exactly what I needed! I was in my own little world at that point but your shout penetrated through and it was a very welcome shout (by mile 25 I was so intent on the finish line that I missed my Mum, brother, cousin and aunt all shouting. I got a telling off for that!).

I hope all the JDRF runners had a good run and enjoyed the event - if you were equally boisterous with all of them I imagine your voice was suffering by the end of it!!!

It's such an inspiring event to be a part of, at 6 miles I had a tear in my eye and had to pull myself together or it would've all been very embarrassing! Thanks to everyone on here who sponsored me and my brother, we're so grateful to everyone and over the moon with how much we've raised for the MNDA.

Fiona

(I will admit 2.53 was a bit lucky as I had muddled my intended 20.30 min/3 mile pace with 20.30 min/5k - not a huge difference, except over a marathon that was almost an extra mile! I won't begin to explain how confused I was at halfway).

[Sweder]

I got my voice back on Friday
One of my favorite days of the year, and thanks to the Mighty SP for lending our cheering squad his considerable lungpower for the whole day.

JDRF had 145 runners, 11 with type 1 diabetes. 2 of our type 1 runners had massive hypos - critical loss of blood sugar - at miles 16 and 19 respectively. Both were ordered off the course, both refused and recovered to finish. I'm always humbled by these tales of true heroism.

The team are set to raise in the region of 400k sterling from the day.
Brilliant, the lot of them.