The Berlin Marathon was quite a spectacle on the BBC this morning, assuming you were really interested in BMW's massively over zealous product placement and up for a game of spot the athlete from a helicopter. Cram and Foster apologised, but it wasn't their fault. A new mens world record from Makau in 2.03.38, Paula Radcliffes 3rd place and Olympic qualification...and 40,000 other runners...and none of them got a look in. The Germans were blaming the camera bikes. The worst sporting TV coverage I've seen in a good long while. With a good imagination, it could possibly have made better radio, as the gallant broadcasters themselves admitted.
Another dissapointment was my run today, up the Beetham Tower in Manchester. After a 20 min or so warm up, it was into the darkest (and highest) stairwell you could imagine. It was very hot in there, and two flights of stairs per floor left you very dizzy very early. I got a time I was pleased with, 6.36, could possibly have eeked a few more seconds, but it was tough, very tough. I almost managed to run all the way, pausing just occassionally on a landing to turn. But the real gutter, was no view from the top.
Out into the corridor and escorted down the lift immediately by an army cadet. I was back home in no time. Selfishly, it's a reason I wanted to do it, for the view. Maybe they tried, maybe they didn't, but on that top floor there were many doors...all of them firmly closed. It seems a shame to run up such an iconic building yet to do so essentially blind. In that respect, it could have been anywhere. Not to worry, worst things have happened. So, I'll just have to imagine the view, and what I could have seen. But it was for a great cause, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Good work to them for orgnaising this.
Update: Official Time 6.20 and 8th overall from a field of 122 'climbers'. Happy with that.
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| The Graph of Pain |
