Having officially become an ‘old age pensioner’ I felt that I had to do something to celebrate this new honour. Could I manage the marathons of the 5 capitals of the British Isles;  Belfast, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh and London?

The London Marathon was the first for the year, April.18th.  I went by train and then from Kings Cross by the Docklands Railway to the hotel near the ExCel expo. The Docklands Rail.is completely automated with no human crew [Edinburgh trams eat your heart out]  The east end of London around the docklands is now an exciting area with some unusual architecture .On Saturday morning I registered for the marathon and then went into London taking great care not to walk too far.  The day was hot and sunny.

Sunday dawned wet and windy and very early! We left the hotel by coach at 6.40am. to be dropped off in Greenwich about an hour later.  A long walk up hill in the wind and rain led to the start compound.  This large area was secured and nobody without a race number was allowed in. I found shelter behind a Transit van from the conditions.  Not soon enough it was time to deposit clothing bag into one of the trucks and paddle to the start assembly.
The gun goes bang and nothing happens.  About 5 minutes later the ones in front move and I can at least walk, soon I am up to a slow crowded jog and shortly after that running.  The rain continues to fall.  At one point, somewhere, I passed a small park, at the entrance stood a very large coloured lady shouting “ ladies to the left and gents to the right” indicating the bushes in the park.
In the Isle of Dogs I felt very sorry for the spectators standing in the heavy rain but they still cheered every runner.  The rain eventually stopped and by the finish the sun shone.  4hr. 19’ 19’’. 6 minutes slower than my 60s PB but at least I was consistent in my running, the first 10K took 1hr. 43 seconds, the second 10K also 1hr. 43 secs., the third 10K was 1hr. 1min. 43secs., but I slowed in the last 10K to 1hr.3mins. 17secs. .

2 weeks later came Belfast Marathon, Monday 3rd. May. Trust the Irish to be different!  A dry sunny day and I looked forward to a good run through parts of Belfast that I had not dared go into when working there.  Some of the sectarian murals on houses were quite dramatic and beautifully painted.  I teamed up with a young local lad and ran with him to the finish, his first marathon and his 21st. birthday . 4hr. 28’ 05’’.
Morag had her moment of glory! She won first prize for Lady over 60 and received a cheque for £50

5th. June, Haddington 5 Mile, 47’ 20’’, 5 minutes slower than in 2000 when I was first O/60.

13th. June, the Edinburgh Marathon. Nothing very interesting happened in the event except tried to induce a lady of Portobello Runners to run with me for the last 5 miles but she didn’t rise to my challenge and walked.  4hr.38’17’’, getting slower!

27th.June . Edinburgh 7 Hills Race. With Jim Blakely and another hot day, as always for the 7 Hills.

3rd.October.  Cardiff Marathon.  A wet day.  Left the hotel by taxi to the Millennium Stadium for the start, baggage area was a bit basic but there were plenty of toilets!  The race was a two lap course and started 15 minutes after the Half Marathon which was one lap of the same course. Cardiff Bay is dammed by a barrier with locks to allow shipping movements, the route ran out onto the barrier and around one of the lock areas, twice. Power boat races were being held in the bay and this gave the course more interest.  On the second lap I teamed up with a fairy called Pauline, she was on her 8th. marathon of the year with 2 more to do.  To reduce build up of lactic acid in her legs she walked 100 yards at every mile marker, having read about this technique elsewhere, I joined in and found it comfortable.  As Pauline had had a serious head injury her eyesight was poor and got worse when she tired. For the last 8 miles I was guiding her along a lot of the course especially over the cobles at Cardiff Castle.  Despite the rain Morag and Patch greeted us in a number of places.  The finish was in the Millennium Stadium and once she knew that there were no obstacles ahead Pauline out sprinted me!  4hr.27’56’’.

Dublin Marathon.  Monday 25th. October [ The Irish again]  Lori & Ritchie joined us for this event and a celebratory week-end.  The start was chaotic, as always.  The Irish seem to have all well organized but the walk from bag drop-off to the actual start which is in a narrow street.  The event also allows walkers to compete but it puzzled me when I passed large middle-aged ladies after 3 or 4 miles on,  when did they start?
The day was ideal for running; sunny, coolish and not too windy.  Nothing exciting happened but I did have some interesting chats with various American runners at different stages.  The route passed our hotel at 22 miles and as Morag ran passed Lori was out cheering her on then phoned me at the finish to advise me that Morag was nearly there.      My time was   4hr. 28’ 06’’.  Ambition completed and no injuries or problems.
After we had collected our bags we retired to a nearby pub for some Guinness and then the 3 mile walk back to the hotel where Ritchie had the celebratory champagne on ice.