marathons and marathons

It's been a while, but no news is good news, as my mum always says.

It’s been a busy month or two as we race towards launch; much like the London Marathon, it’s been exhausting and exhilarating, and it’s lasted much longer than I’d ever imagined. There’ve been moments where I floundered and feared collapse, only to be cheered on by our tireless supporters and refuelled with energy at the next refreshment station.  I’m now on the home straight and the anticipation of the excitement and satisfaction that will come with crossing the finish line is immense, in an exciting albeit terrifying way.

But then I realise that there is no finish line to our marathon… perhaps I’d be better to compare it to a triathlon, and St James’s Park is just the first transition stage... urgh!

But my race, whatever kind we call it, has been set firmly at my desk, with plenty of chocolate chip digestives, cups of coffee, and cheese & pickle sandwiches in between.  Watching the real runners on Sunday was an awe-inspiring experience, the physical and mental determination of those people – be they elite athletes or rhino-hide wearing plodders – is something everyone must admire. And the sheer diversity of  people, outfits, attitudes, and reactions is just fascinating.

Team DoNation was camped out near Canary Wharf, cheering on Marathon Mike, our very own DoNation runner. As one of the first users and testers of the new (soon to be released) DoNation sponsorship platform, Mike raised an impressive 3,821kg CO2 in pledges. He completed the run with a strong time of 4:14; we now have just under two months to see how his sponsors got on with their side of the deal.

So, a big CONGRATULATIONS to Mike, and to all the other 35,000 people who completed the race. I’m in awe.

Now let’s get prepping for next year…!