The Vancouver Sun Run !

What an amazing achievement by Stig !!!!!

No – not the 47:20 I ran for 10k this fine April Sunday – but the week long dry spell I managed to put together in advance of 'Race day' !!

Sunday the 15th April 2007 being the 23rd annual Vancouver Sun Run, I had enforced upon myself for several days a strict regimen of water only. Not a single chicken wing or brown lemonade in site believe it or not.

Amongst it’s 54,317 participants this year was one former fat boy from Lancaster and Brighton, who one year ago today precisely was tucking into a fine late night Wong Kee's banquet in London's China town as part of his works leaving bash !


Strange you may therfore find, dear English readers, that this once proud pie eater pleb did indeed manage 4 minutes 42 seconds for 10 consecutive kilometers on the bounce !


Even stranger that he did not die of cardiac arrest somewhere near the finish line whilst windmilling punters out of the way in search of free cups of water and energy replenishing cornish pasties !

Starting under the green baloons, myself and A.D.D set off at a fairly suicidal rate attempting to ensure that we kept pace with our splits and target time of 48 minutes. This we would soon find out would be somewhat difficult as the course was liberally congested with a high concentration of punters who had no intention of breaking any sweat what so ever during their Sunday morning stroll.

'Get out of the way man......!' 'Coming through.......!'

Bombing in and out of gaps and trying desperately to keep up with A.D.D boy, who had clearly not taken his calming medicine that morning in race preparation, I finally lost sight of my pace maker some where around the 8k mark.

No doubt looking like I had just been trapped in a sauna for a week as I staggered across the finish line bright red, I was glad to find out that I had indeed beaten my target time and recorded a surprising 47:20.

Get in !!!!

Obviously needing immediate sustanance, Team Australia and I raided Costco of the largest steaks we could find and crawled back to the west end roof deck of Leigh's place and his barbeque.

Washing down said meat with several Corona's I was feeling all proud of myself.

Well until 'Father Time Adam' (see recent blog - the Vancouver Grand National) turned up that is.

Commenting that he didn't really like crowds, the senior citizen amongst us had only gone and run 32k that morning whilst we were all battling our measly 10K.

Look Adam........ nobody likes a smart arse !