R*n 935: Warton

What is it with those London Marathon organisers? They've only gone and done it again - scheduled their r*n to coincide with LVH3's regular Sunday meet. Which part of "fourth Sunday" do they not understand? They could have done their bit of shiggy-free, grassless, low-grade jogging on the 5th or the 19th, or indeed on any other day they liked (with the exception of full moons, of course), but no, they just had to spoil it for us.

So, the usual quandary - hash or marathon. Hares Large Package and First Class Stomp, who valiantly stepped in at the last minute to hare what had previously been hareless, rescheduled the start for 3.30 pm, to cater for those of us who wished to do both. Only the Wimps went for the double option - the Rambos decided to save themselves for the LVH3 event. No stamina, that lot!

It was a struggle for the Wimps, though - the timings were very tight. Our campaign was meticulously planned - we needed to put in a sub-one-hour marathon if we were to stand any chance of getting back to Warton by mid-afternoon. Fitness wasn't the issue - it was all those dawdling Kenyans and Ethiopians who kept getting in the way. That problem was easily solved, though - a few hundred-decibel blasts on Baldbrick's hash horn coupled with loud cries of "get out of the way you b*ggers and make way for some REAL athletes!" soon made them shift. We eventually crossed the finishing line in 59 minutes 34.2 seconds, so a quick sprint up the motorway and the double was on!

A glorious day, good turnout, and a well-balanced and varied trail made it all worthwhile. Those London Marathon people really should get Large Package on their planning committee next year. An added bonus was a beer stop chez Thunderdick, Bedside Manner and Prima Donna. Good luck with the GCSEs, PD - although I'm sure with your talent you won't need it! The Rambos finished first, which is unusual, but they obviously had missed the 26 mile warm-up r*n and were therefore fresh as daisies.

A pleasant meal with some good beers at the Old School Brewery rounded the day off nicely. The place was heaving, thanks to there being some live music on; nevertheless, due to their ingenious paging system and a separate counter for food orders, we were served in a little over ten minutes!

Thanks again, LP and FCS, for another gem!