The Great, wet and windy, South Run

For the second year running, everyone lining up for the Great South Run was asking themselves… could the weather really be this unkind to us again? The answer was, of course, yes, but despite the rain and the howling wind, which really knocked you for six and slowed you down for the last two-mile stretch along the seafront, The Great South Run was a fabulous experience.

Much smaller than the North Run a few weeks ago, with around 13,000 people heading to the coast to participate in this 10-mile run in Portsmouth. I was fortunate in being in the first wave of runners to set across the start line and was even more pleased after the first mile when I managed to run through the pain from my injured right knee and find my pace. Given I’m off to compete in the biggest marathon in the world next Sunday, New York, I didn’t push myself too hard but I still managed a time I was happy with -1:10.

Having lived in Portsmouth for much of my life, what made this run great for me was the people. Lots of friends were somewhere in the crowd and many of them running on behalf of Cystic Fibrosis – my thanks to them all.

Aiden and Morgan were also in the crowd to support me, still beaming from their achievements in the mini run (1-mile) the previous day. I can honestly say, as I accompanied them around, that mile is one of the longest I’ve run since I embarked on my challenge this year! Against the odds, both struggled around course and were delighted when they crossed the finish line and received their shiny medals – which they were both still wearing as they cheered their dad and myself off for the Great South the following day.

Alex was helping out at the CF tent in the charity village, making those who competed in the race hot sweet tea and coffee. With more than 100 people running on behalf of the Trust and even more supporters – she was kept busy long into the afternoon. It was back at the tent that I met some amazing people, including those from a gym in the Bordon area who are both abled bodied and disabled. Supporting one of the gym’s members, who has a granddaughter with CF, many from the gym lent their support to the Trust by taking part in the run. If you think running 10-miles is impressive, try doing it in a wheelchair or pushing someone in a wheelchair – it was amazing to see – congratulations guys you’re an inspiration. Their efforts continue to reinforce my belief that anything is achievable – which is great news for me, given I’ve just heard I’ve secured a place to run 26-miles in the sub zero conditions of Antarctica! More on this later, for now I’m concentrating on preparing for the official largest marathon in the world with 50,000 entrants – New York. So yall have a nice day and I’ll catch ya next week from The Big Apple.