This isn’t Enid Blyton with jolly hockey sticks but Five did go Mad in Bristol and all came home with
personal bests.
Everyone knows that the best form of pre-race ritual is (Rory excepted) to watch your team thrash the
opposition and I was privileged to be at Home Park on Saturday to watch Glen Roeder’s Yellow & Green
Army wipe the floor with the poor Pilgrims (sorry Mr Burroughs but you must admit your boys were lucky
to come second!)
Wendy picked me up after the game and I rode the roof rack up to Bristol just to calm down. The usual
argument followed on how we get to the hotel but it wouldn’t be an away run without a bit of a barney.
“We only have smoking rooms available” could have been the last words ever spoken by the receptionist
but I managed to drag Wendy off her in time for the girl to sort out a better room. Stern stuff from Wendy,
The girl offered a free drink as recompense and she turned it down! A pint of the girls blood had probably
filled her up. ”I want a luxury riverside room tomorrow” she told her. We did get that in the end but the
riverside view was blocked by large trees.

A nice meal at a riverside restaurant was interrupted by an old tugboat carrying a hen party wailing Living
on a Prayer and I couldn’t believe it when they moored up and came in the restaurant. I mouthed the lyrics
to They Shoot Horses Don’t They but ducked my head when the hefty one barged past for the loo.
Have you noticed that you can now get bottled water to suit the menu. We had Pasta and Risotto so they
sent out Italian water.
A nice early night was punctuated at 3.45am with the alarms going off and like a fool I somehow thought
the television remote aimed at the windows would stop it. That kept us awake for the remainder of the night and we couldn’t wait to get up and get started.

This years race was split into two start times and luckily we were both off at the early time so that the Great Orange Ball in the Sky had not completely burnt off the early morning mist. A suicidal pace from the gun meant that I looked at my watch and after three miles it was just over 7 minute miling. Never mind the
hamstrings, I skidded to a more respectable time and eased my way to the outside to catch our proper
runners going the other way. Along came Paul Sawford looking incredibly relaxed and at the same time
running rapidly. Not long after was Rory and it was nice to see him up and running competitively again
and he looked comfortable too.
Turn the corner myself and running back to town I saw Amber thundering along not too far behind. Then I
caught sight of the Duchess and she definitely had her game face on. Approaching the tunnel I was in no
mood for an Oggy, Oggy, Oggy so being the sort eats the last Rolo, I ran the outside of the tunnel and I
won’t repeat what I was singing. Get into town again and its the guess which way the route is time and I chickened out and followed everyone else. Of course the obligatory spectator who thinks shortening the distance helps psychologically has to shout out “only a mile to go” when your watch says over two, escapes the volley of abuse and water bottles to no doubt go and practice for 2012.

Turn the corner toward the finish line and I swear it says !.44 but the last digit was a 9 so its a 1.50 gun time finish and I a nice little course PB of 1.47.47. They have a good system of clearing runners from the finish line so there is no way of getting back to the finish to cheer in the others. However, the two tiered start meant the baggage area was clear and I didn’t need to wear a red rose so Wendy would recognise me. In a blink she was there, grinning over a course and distance PB and Paul appeared with great news of yet another PB and then Amber was there with yet another! We didn’t spot Rory but know he achieved it too so it was a great day all round for the Carnies.

I didn’t see Dave Scott on the course but thanks to April for her great encouragement when I was at my
lowest running through the square. Well Done Dave. Well done to our mates Kathryn, Mike and Stephen
from Hayle, a distance PB for Mike.
None of the Kenyans made it this year (visa problems apparently or was it really XL Airways) so the
prizes went to Brits but the rest of us were probably still out there when the medals were handed out.
Didn’t bother with any of that daft water afterwards, they must have thought I had ordered stew as I gave
chase to a few of the Liffey waters. Wendy’s reward was an hour round Dunelm Mill on the way back.