I have never seen the London Marathon live before. Only seen it on TV. Today I was there, with friends and family, to watch it live.
Claire McLoughlin – friend of my son David and Sara his girlfriend – ran it for the Beryl Thyer Trust. We saw Claire at mile 18, going well, and we were with her at the finish. The whole run was in good weather. Countless thousands were there cheering people they knew and people they did not know. One could not but admire the 40,000 runners, and it was remarkable to see how many charities were being supported.
The day left us with the feeling of universal goodwill and solidarity, and a massive sense of community spirit of global proportions. We spotted entrants from France, Sweden, Norway, South Africa, Australia – as well as from all over the UK.
Claire – number 10,867 in the event – took 4hrs 40 minutes to complete the course.
Wind and rain arrived after the finish. David and I accompanied Claire to her home, where she rapidly recovered from the painful after-effects of the 26 miles.
Claire: on behalf of the Trustees of BTMAT, I put on record our gratitude and admiration for your determination and fortitude, for your willingness to run for our Trust, and for the resulting £2,200 you have raised for the seriously sick children with cancer in Cameroon! What more can we say but ‘a heartfelt thank you’.
Peter McCormick
Mile 18
Supporters camp
Done!