Marathon watching

 Despite my new-found, possibly short-lived enthusiasm for running, you're not going to find me trying to keep going for 26 miles, but my youngest daughter is made of stronger, more determined stuff, so, after completing a half marathon earlier this year, had signed up for Leicester Marathon last weekend. 

Sunday morning we were up bright and early (six o'clock! argh!!) to see her head off, then to follow a bit later and catch her along the route. We expected problems getting 'inside' the roads that would be closed for runners, but as it turned out allowed FAR too much time for getting there.

So we started the day with a walk round Syston, alongside Barkby Brook, 

and through the park, followed by a quick Costa, before heading up to Queniborough to see our runner pass the 10 mile marker.

The marathon route then continued north away from Leicester before looping back past Syston. It was a little early for lunch but this seemed like the best gap time-wise to eat, so we headed back to the same Costa for a little 'something' before catching the runners at mile 18.

Then we had a bit of a dash to get to Abbey Park in Leicester for mile 24, not helped by taking a wrong turn!

The sun had now come out, and we had more spare time than expected, so we had a pleasant stroll through the park with its lakes, flowerbeds, bandstand, beautiful autumnal trees, the river Soar running through it, and a pretty 'Chinese' garden, before meeting up with our runner again.

I even found time for a brief visit to the ruins of the abbey from which the park takes its name












 Oh you'd imagined there be more about the marathon itself?

Well, we saw a man running in a frilly ballet skirt, another dressed as a pirate complete with cutlass, and one running barefoot (ouch!), but the timings and such weren't of much interest to me.
Most importantly, my daughter finished, exhausted, and full of aches and pains, but happy to have managed it at her first attempt - and here she is running along, in the distance.











I think it's amazing how much she's achieved in the last year or so, to go from a non-runner to marathon-finisher, though I shan't be letting her persuade me to try.

She was raising money for the mental health charity Mind, and her Just Giving page is still open for a month or so