Worst Running Experience/Race - General running

Xerxes

05/06/2003 at 16:58

Nothing much has happened to me, but there must be some nightmare stories..

LizzyB

05/06/2003 at 17:00

Er, got lost in Cotswold Way relay and had to beg a lift off a nice couple called Fred and Rosemary in a car park near Stroud

Xerxes

05/06/2003 at 17:02

Poor Lizzy! LOL!!

Parky

05/06/2003 at 17:08

Only thing that springs to mind, is FLM this year and the bubbling evil that was my stomach. Two toilet stops, one of which was particularly unpleasent leaving me drained (literally) at mile 14.

Dr Nic Twinks

05/06/2003 at 17:10

My worst running related experience was finding these forums. I am still struggling with a recovery programme several years down the line.

Wardi

05/06/2003 at 17:26

Miles 16-19 of the East Hull 20 in March. This section of the course goes through the legendary Branshole district of Hull. The runners were peppered with mud and other thankfully soft missiles by the local youth mafioso.

It is also inadvisable to slow down during this section or they will have the trainers off your feet. And it was bloody well windy! Memorable.

LizzyB

05/06/2003 at 17:31

It didn´t happen to me, but in my first ever half marathon I met a woman who had, er, embarrassed herself, in pale coloured shorts

Xerxes

05/06/2003 at 17:47

Oh dear, a nightmare. Poor woman. I bet she wore dark shorts thereafter.

Ultracat

05/06/2003 at 18:38

My worst race ever was in 1999 and it put me off returning to running for over a year. It was the Edinburgh Marathon, never saw a mile marker after mile 17, the marshalls had gone by the time I got to mile 20, the last water station had packed up and gone, I was nearly knocked over by a taxi in Princess street and I had to ask fellow runners (who had finished and were walking back home etc.) the route so I could finish the race properly. And a very grumpy "person" handed me my medal at the end.

Hope my next marathon in Abingdon is a more positive experience. I have enjoyed all my races this year.

Tmap

05/06/2003 at 19:01

I had a school 3000m race when I started my sprint finish way too early with 2 laps to go, went all grey (apparently), fell over twice in the last 100m, staggered over the line in 3rd place (yeah!) then had to be carried to the infirmary - it took me over an hour to stop madly hyperventilating and to be able to move, and the coach thought I was going to die (he'd seen the same thing happen before). Oh yeah, and I wet myself too.

Although worrying, that perhaps wasn't as unpleasant, as blowing up half way in the '95 or '03 London marathons, and those perhaps weren't as bad as getting diarrhea in the '02 New York marathon (although I had a hangover for that, so it was really my own fault).

Still, if you're going to hit the wall, get it over with early, that's my race strategy.

Tmap

05/06/2003 at 19:03

Oh yeah, none of those were as bad as the time I got an attack of hypoglycemia half way round Richmond Park, and ended up having to beg money for a mars bar at one of the ice cream vans. It was an extraordinary experience - I was so madly hungry that I started greedily eyeing up grass, deer turds etc., and if I'd come across a 4-day-old ice cream covered in flies I'd have gratefully wolfed it down in an instant.

Xerxes

05/06/2003 at 20:03

Grook!

Bionic Ironwolf pirate

pirate

05/06/2003 at 21:03

There was the time I got heatstroke during the last part of a triathlon and spent a couple of hours in the medical tent on a saline drip. Then there was another one when out on the 10km run and reaching the last water stop, the helper there who was obviously fed up told me and the other runners behind me to turn right instead of following the arrows, and that cut some 3km out of the course because the organisers wanted to go home!
And Mr. Ironwolf arrived at the start of the Frankfurt marathon 1994 with the wrong shoes, by the time he finished his shoes were red with blood from the blisters, he had to get medical treatment and couldn't walk properly for days.

beebs

05/06/2003 at 21:08

Glad i can only run for 2 mins

beebs

05/06/2003 at 21:08

NO no its now 2.5 mins

kittens run too

05/06/2003 at 21:15

portaloo at mile 19 in the london marathon...

say no more

yeuch!!

05/06/2003 at 21:30

FLM 2001. Passing 20 mile marker, crawling agonisingly towards mile 21 and not finding it. Staggering on forever to mile 22 marker. Getting there feeling all in and finding mile 22 had been replaced with mile 21.
JJ
(Susequently replaced with Seaford 10 Tim. Paranoid or what)

Seela

06/06/2003 at 10:20

FLM many years ago. Really bad case of the runs, went on a building site (now Canary Wharf!) and cr*pped my self silly. Could find only a cement bag to clean up the mess and finished the last 8 miles with gritty cement up my bum.

*rse was sore for weeks. Now always carry a BUM bag with toilet paper in it.

Tmap

06/06/2003 at 13:29

ow ow ow ow ow

that's nasty

Mick Rice

06/06/2003 at 13:58

This seems tame but I did manage to vomit quite a considerable amount of times during the Frank Duffy Ten Miler in the Phoenix Park last year. Despite violently vomiting little dribbles of vivid yellow stuff all along the course, expecially the hills for some reason, not one person passed any comment.