Well done to all our runners and thanks a million to all supporters! It was a very wet but wonderful day. 

Run Rabbit Run, star fund raiser, arrives at mile 18 (pic by PezzA)

The day before the big day: 17 April

PezzA, Benz and Rabbit at the Fox

I met up with PezzA, Benz and Rabbs at the expo, where Benz needed to pick up her printed t-shirt, PezzA was after some Lucazade gels and I was looking for an excuse to buy some Mizuno shoes.

No one had told me that Benz shops for Britain, and tempted me with all sorts of lovely kit. Meanwhile, PezzA got sucked into the Mizuno stand for a whirl in some Mavericks.

PezzA gets some marathon training in for next year

Then it was off to the RW stall to collect the banners, balloons and string. And who should be there but Penguin and Coach Jenny. I needed no more encouragement to buy their new book.

Coach Jenny and Penguin sign my book

We suggested Edinburgh as a good wedding place...just before the Edinburgh marathon. PezzA met up with Lovejoy, one of his runners for the next day.

Lovejoy (pic by PezzA)

Then it was off to collect Benz's running vest.

Day-glo vest for Benz

Then I spent far too much on kit, and we all collapsed in the train back to the Thistle.

Worn out after girly shopping frenzy (pic by PezzA)

I stopped for a brief drink at the Thistle, but then headed home to make lists, bake cake, check my list of runners and panic.

Race day: April 18

Sunday dawned cold, wet and grey. I'd woken at 0600 (so much for my dream about oversleeping) and made my final preparations, including decanting champers for Ashley, rebottling Plummie's flattened coke, brewing coffee for Penguin and putting LizzyB's special Icelandic pear drops into a little bag. Then, with everything shoved into a rucksack, it was off to Mudchute. 

When I arrived, to my horror I found that a water station had nicked our piece of land. I dug out my mobile phone so that I could ring someone...but it dawned on me that (a) there was no one to complain to and (b) I should stake out the railings just before the zebra crossing instead. Just as I was struggling with how to put up the placards in the stiff wind, Helegant turned up...huge relief. Her ability to turn a crisis into a good opportunity for new skills is beyond price.

richk tries to work out how to attach the banner

Soon other forumites were arriving, and we scratched our heads at how to fix the banner (provided by kk - thanks!) to the lamp post. We tried a few methods, but JJ, fraggle and ceal solved the problem.

JJ, fraggs and ceal win the banner-fixing final

Helegant and caramac at work on banner number 2; Hildy in red, behind

Forumites were arriving in large numbers - a wonderful sight! Great to meet ceal, caramac, and Hildy, released from her PhD cell for the day. And the Kiwi contingent, led by Kiwi Helz, fixed their fine flag to the railings. Helegant relieved the pesky water station of a large piece of card and soon the other banner was fixed. 

Next up was Gavo, head of helium acquisition...

Gavo adjusts his nozzle; Venom looking on

Top balloon filler, Josie Jump, took charge of blowing up, and we soon had a production line going. Trouble was, the wind was so strong that we had to keep the ties very short, otherwise we'd have balloon-mugged many runners. One of the marshals wandered over to see if we'd spotted the problem: we had.

Helegant, JJ, ceal and is it The Count? richk taking a snap

JJ and Shambler inspect fraggs' "energy drink" for Benz

Is it Sir Ranulph Finnes? No, it's Josie Jump taking on warmth

Our official unofficial photographer, richk

PezzA, my right hand supporter, and Flipper

It really was cold, and the rain was on and off. JJ rounded up the Maturites present and opened his ginormous bag to reveal a bottle of the right stuff.

Champers for the Maturites: caramac, ceal, Helegant, meerkat, JJ

All the Js...JJ (Josie Jump), JJ (Johnny J) and Jj (Juliejoo)

Stickless brilliantly solves the forumite problem of asking 'who are you?'

Lady Lucan looking chilly but determined

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