The Virtual London Marathon

 

Life begins at 40

A highlight of life in the U.K this and every year since 1981 is the London Marathon.  

London Marathon (source: VirginMoney)

It was Chris Brasher, winner of the Olympic steeplechase title in 1956 who established the event.  In so doing he is credited with changing people’s lives.   World Athletics, the IAFF, stated[i] on his passing in 2003 that the event

“.. triggered the fitness culture in Britain and altered the way we look after our bodies, it has inspired the raising of millions of pounds for charities and, above all, simply helps to make the British capital a better more smiling place on at least one day each year.”

To this day it continues to provide a beautiful advertisement for London – inviting, efficient, and friendly.  The spectacle of the world’s best long distance athletes combined with everyday people competing to raise money for good causes is irresistible.

With spectating at the event this year being ruled out for the first time, the alternative way to become part of the occasion is to enjoy the thrilling coverage provided by the national broadcaster.[ii]   There are many reasons to watch it, especially to witness the poignant and humbling narratives of fund-raising athletes.[iii]

And this year, more than ever, their stories make the event a perfect metaphor as the human spirit’s capacity for triumph over adversity.

A cherished event marking the special occasion of its 40^th anniversary cannot easily be overlooked. Unthinkably, however, it almost didn’t happen.  Cancelled on its usual slot in mid-April, this centrepiece of the athletics calendar is a rare example of a rearranged fixture.  That happened on Sunday 4 October 2020.  

Chris Brasher’s legacy thrives.

Charities in Crisis

A telling consequence of the pandemic has been that charities have been struggling for survival. 

A report in August by the Institute of Fundraising which surveyed over 500 charities confirmed a picture of consistent bleakness.   It findings told a story of charities’ revenues falling so much as to imperil their work and very existence.[iv]   

Age UK, for example, reported that demand for its services had “gone through the roof” despite having to furlough 75% of its staff.  More recently, Metro reported[v] that “despite an increased demand for their services, charities have seen a drop in donations mainly due to the cancellation of fundraising events.” 

London adapts

Evidence for the importance of the London Marathon to charities was articulated this month by the race organisers. The 2019 event alone raised over £66 million in charitable donations. That brought the total given since the first race in 1981 to “more than £1 billion.”

To cater for the new abnormal and ensure compliance with public health requirements the 2020 event took place as two editions staged simultaneously.  The élite athletes ran 20 laps around St James’s Park, starting on the Mall in the heart of London; the masses took part everywhere else, both at home and abroad in “virtual” form.

The Collins family

Among the 45,000 participants was my son in law Bob and his wife (my daughter Lynda). Their motivation was to say thanks to the medical organisation which is treating Bob for life-changing injuries received in June 2018 when a car knocked him and a colleague off their bikes. 

Following the diagnosis of permanent brain damage affecting memory and concentration (among other injuries), Bob has been a patient at Graham Anderson House in Glasgow arranged under the auspices of BIRT.  The acronym stands for the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust.[vi]

Paisley Daily Express 3 Oct 2020

 

Such were his injuries that he had to learn to walk again.  He has also had to endure the upheaval of prematurely retiring from work in BAE Systems as a naval architect designing war ships.  In addition, he has had to quit his extracurricular role as youth coach at Paisley Rugby Club. 

 

Bob's course included a stop at Paisley RFC

 

Given the freedom to choose a 26.2 mile route, most people would plot a course that is flat and downhill.  (That’s what lazy me would do). 

Graphic of route and net time taken. Source:- Bob's Strava feed

 

Instead Bob’s marathon involved 1,500 feet of ascending, off-road muddy paths, all within a deliberate strategy to include nature and to avoid noise.  Because the latter can adversely affect his concentration, tranquil surroundings matter. 

Bob and Lynda were delighted when on the eve of the event their teenage son Ben decided to join them for the entire course.  Unexpected but welcome additional support also came from friends and family either walking part of the route with them, bringing coffee, or from neighbours who gathered at the finish to welcome the family back home.  

 

The father of girl player coached by Bob in Paisley RFC cycled out to walk with team Collins

Family from East Kilbride meet Collins trio at LochWinnoch

Friends (including cycling colleague Chris Terris and wife Connie) welcome the marathoners home

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, family and friends were able to check on progress on the London Marathon’s special app.

 

 

The sore feet and limbs were all worth the eight and a half gruelling hours of effort.  This can be measured by the success of a 2-week period of fund-raising.   In that short time, the donations raised for BIRT came to (including Gift Aid) £4,200.[vii] (The donations page remains open).

Scotland’s corona virus restrictions ruled out any spontaneous post-event celebratory house party. That can wait for another day.

Achievement

As an able-bodied participant in the London Marathon on six occasions between 1985 and 1993 (no whippersnapper but still younger then than Bob and Lynda now) - when thousands of Londoners lined the streets yelling support which makes quitting impossible - I admire what my son-in-law’s family has achieved in difficult circumstances.  

They had to cope with Covid-19.  They have joined Chris Brasher’s  “triumph of the human spirit over adversity” club on London Marathon's milestone anniversary.  Above all, Bob (en famille) has won a heroic battle on a difficult course as he continues to recuperate from injury.

As they await receipt of their medals and tee-shirts, Bob Lynda and Ben were immensely encouraged by the support of their sponsors.  The same applies to the publicity in last Saturday’s and also today’s local paper[viii] with its emphatic full centre-page spread. 

Paisley Daily Express 10 Oct 2020

 

 

©Michael McSorley 2020

 

Postscript:-

This Covid-19 series comprises of 10 articles to date:- 

Part 1 (24 March 2020) A Test for Elected Leaders[ix] 

Part 2 (11 April 2020) Coping with Contagion, a Survival Strategy.[x]

Part 3 (30 April 2020) The New Vocabulary[xi]

Part 4 (21 May 2020) Following the Science[xii]

Part 5 (11 June 2020) Beautiful books[xiii]

Part 6 (25 June 2020) Stone Circles[xiv]

Part 7 (26 July 2020) Finding positives in a global crisis[xv]

Part 8 (21 August 2020) Humour for the pandemic[xvi]

Part 9 (28 September 2020) Holidays at Home[xvii]

Part 10 (10 October 2020) The London Marathon

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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[i] IAFF 28 Feb 2003 “Chris Brasher Olympic Champion and Co-founder of the London Marathon dies” https://worldathletics.org/news/news/chris-brasher-olympic-champion-and-co-founder?fbclid=IwAR2cUsVY1YaTX-GhGCNUSQ3WyG7TLq4mSTxk_4Gg2g6M5GIAvyo_mUWgfiE

[ii] https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000n7cd/london-marathon-2020-highlights

[iii] https://michaelmcsorleyculture.blogspot.com/2014/04/fifteen-reasons-to-watch-london.html

[iv] https://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/guidance/coronavirus/round-up-coronavirus-impact-on-charities/

[v]Metro.co.uk 15 September 2020 Sian Elvin. ”The Impact of the pandemic on small charities”  https://metro.co.uk/2020/09/15/were-needed-more-than-ever-the-impact-of-the-pandemic-on-small-charities-13269758/

[vi] Paisley Daily Express 3 October 2020 page 3 David Campbell 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/bob-takes-london-marathon-challenge-22783544

[vii] https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=RobertCollins22&pageUrl=1

[viii] Paisley Daily Express 10 October 2020

[ix] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-test-for-elected-leaders.html

[x] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/04/coping-with-contagion-survival-strategy.html

[xi] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-new-vocabulary.html

[xii] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/05/following-science.html

[xiii] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/06/beautiful-books.html

[xiv] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-archaeology-of-stone-circles.html

[xv] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/07/finding-positives-in-global-crisis.html

[xvi] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/08/humour-for-pandemic.html

[xvii] https://michaelcovid19.blogspot.com/2020/09/holidays-at-home.html