# 5 – Run the Marlow 5

Finished!

So for those of you who don’t know the Marlow 5 is a five mile race around Marlow, Buckinghamshire. I think around 1400 people entered this year and to give you some idea of the skill level the fastest time was 24.5 mins! So the plan was to start training in January and aim for about a 50 minute finish. That was until I learnt of 31 and was advised not to start running. This was good advice as I’m currently waiting on physio for my pelvis. However, I could not be defeated by yet another challenge, so I entered all the same. My plan was to power-walk the race. Two of my lovely friends (Emma and Kelly) offered to walk with me. This is especially kind as they both have respectable previous Marlow 5 times and today’s race was never going to be a personal best! So we walked (quickly I promise). The hope was to complete it in 1hr10. We were over taken by everything from push chairs to 90 year olds but we kept smiling and reminded everyone that we had the key role of bringing up the rear!  The patronising claps and ‘come on you can do it,’ irritated us and made us smile all at the same time. Advice however to race marshals, never ask a runner ‘are you the last?’ This is NOT motivational and at this point NO WE WEREN’T! There was a whole two runners behind us! We got to the home stretch and ran for the crowd. I must explain we were running for our school (hence the nasty yellow vests!) and you feel obliged to run when children cheer you on! As we crossed the finish line and our names were called out, the commentator said, ‘I don’t think these girls were really running, more like having a party.’ I liked this statement, it was far less patronising than, ‘well done’ which when you are almost last doesn’t sound so genuine. Once we received our medals and neon T-Shirts we had the chance to cheer the last two runners in. Now I know what you’re thinking, how hypocritical to disapprove off patronising cheerers and then to become one yourself. But I cannot lie, I didn’t think I’d get a chance to cheer anyone once I’d finished. So as bad as it is, I cheered and it felt good! My chip finish time was 01:12:40. Slower than we’d hoped but less than 15 minutes per mile, and you must remember we did WALK the whole thing, well except the last 50 metres! Thanks for the challenge Emma, but more so for walking with me, thank you too Kelly and Ruth for looking after my bag!