London Marathon
Apr 15, 2014 10:07:25 GMT
Post by patricklondon on Apr 15, 2014 10:07:25 GMT
The discussion in kerouac's thread on this year's Paris Marathon indicates a real difference in the social significance of the two events. Living as I do on the route of the London Marathon, it's an inescapable fact of our life (almost literally - for most of the day we are without buses on our road, and for a good 3-4 hours it's impossible to cross the road to get to a train unless you add a couple of miles to get to the nearest bridge, or even the Greenwich Foot Tunnel - or take a boat into central London).
But if you can't get away from it, you turn it into a party. Indeed, that seems to happen all along the route, and yesterday I learnt (somewhat belatedly, I suppose) that the race organisers actively encourage it, sending out kits of materials to pubs along the way to make an event of it, to bring out supporters and encouragement to the runners.
All along the route, people will be checking the TV to see where the competitors are, and start gathering along the route when they're likely to be somewhere near:
Gradually the crowds thicken and the support signs emerge:
One of our local takeaways - or maybe it's the Muslim community centre next door - is setting up a stall to keep people fed and watered:
After the wheelchair runners come those with other disabilities - here a blind runner with a guide:
And then the elite and champion competitors, complete with the timer display trucks and police outriders to shoo people back to the sides, all passing too fast for me to take any sensible still photos; but after another gap, the main business of the day, the ordinary club runners and the great mass of fun runners and people doing it for sponsorship to raise money for a host of charities (I've seen estimates of around £15 million being raised through the Justgiving website alone). Many will have their names emblazoned on their chests in the hope people will cheer them on by name (and they do) - indeed some charities who block-book slots for their supporters willing to run will provide a named vest for them as well. And here is where the costumes start to make an appearance - something to symbolise or draw attention to a charity, a flag of origin, something distinctive to alert friends and relatives, or just something daft for a bet or silly record (fastest dressed as a baby or an animal, or whatever):
We are a very multicultural area: heaven knows what these very traditional ladies make of it all:
The party atmosphere develops as the mass of fun-runners goes through. All along the route, people turn out with sweets and fruit and other refreshments for the runners as much as for their own parties, and (like my own neighbours) sound systems for some appropriate music to jolly everyone along. Still photos can't do justice to it all, so here's a compilation video, and also one from some years ago, where there seemed to be more in the way of wild and wacky outfits.
As the last strugglers force themselves to walk the last few miles, the litter starts to become more evident (but it's remarkable how quickly it's cleared - by the early evening, the buses are running again and the only remaining trace is the metal crowd barriers waiting to be picked up):
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But if you can't get away from it, you turn it into a party. Indeed, that seems to happen all along the route, and yesterday I learnt (somewhat belatedly, I suppose) that the race organisers actively encourage it, sending out kits of materials to pubs along the way to make an event of it, to bring out supporters and encouragement to the runners.
All along the route, people will be checking the TV to see where the competitors are, and start gathering along the route when they're likely to be somewhere near:
Gradually the crowds thicken and the support signs emerge:
One of our local takeaways - or maybe it's the Muslim community centre next door - is setting up a stall to keep people fed and watered:
After the wheelchair runners come those with other disabilities - here a blind runner with a guide:
And then the elite and champion competitors, complete with the timer display trucks and police outriders to shoo people back to the sides, all passing too fast for me to take any sensible still photos; but after another gap, the main business of the day, the ordinary club runners and the great mass of fun runners and people doing it for sponsorship to raise money for a host of charities (I've seen estimates of around £15 million being raised through the Justgiving website alone). Many will have their names emblazoned on their chests in the hope people will cheer them on by name (and they do) - indeed some charities who block-book slots for their supporters willing to run will provide a named vest for them as well. And here is where the costumes start to make an appearance - something to symbolise or draw attention to a charity, a flag of origin, something distinctive to alert friends and relatives, or just something daft for a bet or silly record (fastest dressed as a baby or an animal, or whatever):
We are a very multicultural area: heaven knows what these very traditional ladies make of it all:
The party atmosphere develops as the mass of fun-runners goes through. All along the route, people turn out with sweets and fruit and other refreshments for the runners as much as for their own parties, and (like my own neighbours) sound systems for some appropriate music to jolly everyone along. Still photos can't do justice to it all, so here's a compilation video, and also one from some years ago, where there seemed to be more in the way of wild and wacky outfits.
As the last strugglers force themselves to walk the last few miles, the litter starts to become more evident (but it's remarkable how quickly it's cleared - by the early evening, the buses are running again and the only remaining trace is the metal crowd barriers waiting to be picked up):
My blog | My photos | My video clips
"too literate to be spam"