***Runners: your support team is announced

A huge, huge thank you for the amazing support, you wonderful people! Thanks to Meerkat and all the teams for the phenomenal organisation. It was incredible.

As you can tell from Rich's photo, I was really suffering with the heat by mile 17 - and would definitely have crashed straight through the wall if it hadn't been for a sea of smiling faces, hugs from Rich, Tigerrunner and Legless (sorry team 8, didn't mean to poach your support), ribena and jelly babies. YOU STARS!!!

As it was, I had the best day and thank you all so much for what you did to make it that way.

In case anybody's interested, here's how the weekend went for me...
Delighted to meet up with Rich, Hippo, Tigerrunner and Trinity at the expo on Sat afternoon.
Sunday am felt awful, and after the worst night's sleep of my life the horror deepened when I looked out of the window at that cloudless sky...
However, day improved considerably when I met Hippo at Greenwich Park - big hug for calming me down Hippo - thanks!
7 minutes to cross the start and the first few miles were really good fun and my family support were at 6 miles which was great.
At about 11 miles I started to think it was getting very hot and there was still a long way to go.
At 15 miles my family were there again, bless them, but despite that I slowed between for the next 2 miles and I thought it was about to all end in disaster - but then I saw you SUPER STAR SUPPORTERs and it all looked a whole lot better..
Then Mum Dad and my son Alex were there again at 19 miles and all of a suden I hit 20 miles and despite the heat and being totally shattered, it all started to be fun again.
25 miles saw another start turn from my top family team and some noisy support from team Macmillan and by this time I realised I was on for a pb if I could only keep going..

so it all ended happily with 4 hrs 3 min on my watch, but the chip gave me time off for good behaviour so the final score was:
4 hrs 2 min 54 sec - pb by 5 minutes!
overall position 10113
position in the ladies 1590
position in my age group 654.

Thanks all for a fab day - see you in Abingdon (and oh yes .. one day we will do sub 4!)

Wanted to add my thanks too. It was my first marathon, and found it hard in the heat. Really helped to know there were supporters to look out for at stategic points. Had hoped to try & meet up @ the Thistle on Satuday, but forgot to take a note of the road name, and couldn't find it. Had already been on my feet a fair bit with the Expo etc. so thought I should head back & get my feet up.
I'd estimated 5:30, and feared I hadn't a chance around miles 19-23, when I had to have a few walk breaks, but picked up somthing from somewhere at the end, and came in at 5:32:34, so was pretty well pleased with that

Welll done all! and thank you so much to team 4, the biscuits really came in handy and meant I didni't have to drink so much of that AWFUL Lucozade Sport. I'll be sick if i ever touch another drop.

I was actually finding it all really tough, not sure why but the aches started about mile 6 instead of mile 20 as I was expecting so was slower than should be - my watch said 5h14 as I knocked off the pitstops, chip said 5h20, still I did it and finished with a smile after quite a bit of walking from mile 20.

I had totally forgotten about the team at mile 17, suspect mental effort had almost packed up by then, so was v pleased to see WRN banner and realise you guyes would be coming up soon. I had no support on the course at all so it was nice to see some real people! (as oppoosed to the ones who were shouting my name but I didn't know them) Did see Tiny Toes and Stonking Bonkers but only briefly, hope you guys were OK in the heat and all. What possesses people to wear furry suits?!

Afternoon all, sorry I missed you caramac, not sure who it was that gave me the drink and the jelly babies but many thanks to them and the rest of you, especially Meerkat for all the trouble you took yesterday it was really appreciated. And if I never want to see another energy gel for a long time.

WW, i did see you but you had gone past by the time i realised it was you, i didnt know whether to shout peeps real names or their forum names! Well done tho, you looked good from where iwas standing!

A massive thank you to the support crews! Was feeling the pace by 17 miles and couldn't stop, so had to make do by giving you all a big cheer as I went by! Had to hobble off sunburnt and knacked at the end so couldn't make it to the Thistle, sadly. Finished in 3:36, a PB by over 10mins - and that's partly down to Ultrameerkat and the rest of you wonderful supporters.

Thanks for all your support.
Team 5, thanks for the hug. Needed a little break at that time.
Hope to see some of you at other events in the near future.

don't think I can thank you lot enough!
I saw the 800m to go sign and my heart liftef (800m is a long way though when you are a pixie!)
saw 200m to go but couldn't see you and got all stressed and tearfull and was just about to have a panic blub when I spotted the balloons and Nicko!

You made my day!

Thank you soooooo much
mwah mwah mwah

Pixie

I followed a 'young lady' for miles with PIXIE written across her shirt and hat. I told Mr L " that's Evil Pixie from the forum". Have now seen a photo of EP at mile 17 and it wasn't her at all!! Can't believe there were two pixies doing FLM!!
What a struggle in the crowds - I seemed to be jogging on the spot most of the way and became intimately aquainted with many elbows around me!! TV coverage shows everyone running in their own space - I must have been a 'pod' all magnetically connected to each other!!
A brill day though and MEGA THANKS to the supporters - I really must be one next year.

you were all truly, truly fantastic


thankyou
(wonders if there could be support at mile 23 too next year)

<whisper>
Hippo, I was wondering the same thing.
There are an awful lot of miles still to go at mile 17.- Psychologically it's before the dreaded wall and everything.-
I don't know whether we could get up enough supporters to do 2 good cheering points, and I think one good point is probably better than 2 mediocre ones, but it would be fantastic if we could.

</whisper>

Hello

Richk just had a look at the pics brilliant thought i had posed for you hope you have a few more i arrived just before shades at mudchute hope you have a nice pic of me giving caramac a hug??

LP I think you did a fantastic job at mile 17, the fact that you where able to give out goodies, i.e. banana's where a major contributor as to why I didn't hit the wall. If you had been any later then I may have hit the wall and it would have been too late.

Andy

Just adding my thanks

wil be there supporting if I don't run next year

Just want to add my thanks to all the supporters at the mudchute, it was a tremendous boost to see you all and get your cheers and support. Being able to see real people who I only knew as names on the forum and know that they were there rooting for me and all the other runners gave me a big lift for the rest of the course.
I eventually finished this my first marathon in 5 hours and 36 minutes, tired but feeling very proud at completing it.


THANKS to you all.

Just wanted to say a big thank you to all you supporters knowing you were there was a big help.

I must say i do agree with hippo about mile 23 i found it really hard between 19 and 23 miles.

A big thankyou from me too.

I was the one who had "Hendo 2" on his vest who could only muster the words "Team 5" and "Banana"...!

Really was great to have something to look forward to, and a boost at the beginning of the inward journey home.

Like many others the heat took it out of me on the day and really I struggled from about 15 miles. The 4:15 target went out the window then and I ended up on 4:51 - right numbers, wrong order!

Still an awesome day though, although I didn't expect sunburn to be part of the recovery process!!

Pompey Jon, glad we managed to give you the required bannana :-)

Lots of thanks from me too. Even if RichK has taken a pic of me with someone's elses very short legs attached to my body. Great to get a cheer. Had nothing from our club the whole way round :-(