On Sunday, 12th October, I did not have a second thought when I had to wake up early… too early for a Sunday… I was nonetheless accompanying a team of runners to the amazing Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, undoubtedly the most beautiful run in London! We were not the only ones: at 8.00 am Victoria and Knightsbridge tube stations were packed with feverish runners ready to enter this great challenge.
the atmosphere was welcoming and cheerful. The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals bands, members of the Household Cavalry, were welcoming the crowd and playing in honour of the runners ABBA’s tunes. The Food and Fitness Festival was just opening and an English double-decker bus had been transformed into a… cocktail bar – quite well attended at this early hour of the day! The area was already packed with families, supporters and busy runners. Luckily, the weather was dry and sunny and Hyde Park looked glorious with shades of green and yellow.
The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon* was created in 2008 and takes the runners on a 13.1 mile route which passes through London’s famous sites: Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, the Royal Albert Hall and four of the great city’s eight Royal Parks: Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. This is one of the biggest charity runs in the UK and charity runners truly appreciate: supporters line the whole race and cheer you on from start to finish. Since its creation, the Royal Park Foundation Half Marathon has already raised over £ 18 million.
The start of the race was divided into pens to allow faster runners to take off quickly and the ‘amateurs’ to enjoy the site before starting. Charity banners, t-shirts, buzzers were filling the first 6 miles which took the runners through London’s beautiful landmarks. The race went on through the Royal Parks which, at this time of year, are intensely coloured and blooming.
Lucky and attentive supporters could see the elites, top UK and overseas runners, jostling for the first place and ending the second lap of the park.
At the end of the race, we could not just go back home: we were all too excited! We therefore ended in our local pub to celebrate and plan the next half marathon!
An amazing London experience and a great day for all, runners or supporters!
* http://royalparkshalf.com/
Written by Florence Tilkens. Florence is Social Media and Marketing Manager at FOCUS.
For more information please visit www.focus-info.org
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