Alexandra Harrison relives her experience cheering on runners at the London Marathon.
12 hours after the London Marathon, and back in the office. I’m tired, exhilarated, emotional… and I didn’t even set foot on the racecourse!
Running a cheering point at the London Marathon was a fantastic experience. When I started the day at 4.30am, I definitely wondered what I’d put myself up for. But once in London, after grabbing myself a sizeable section of pavement and a cup of tea, I began to understand what Marathon day is really all about – and what everyone had meant when they talked about the incredible atmosphere.
Armed with a team of 28 volunteers, bucketloads of green paint and a megaphone, I shouted, screamed, jumped and danced my way through the day. Every time an Oxfam runner came past, we went wild: the feeling of pride amongst us all was tangible – there they were, our wonderful runners, doing something amazing for a cause that united us all.
Even those not running for Oxfam were inspiring. Especially those who were obviously pushing themselves to the limit and were determined to finish, no matter if they had an injury, disability or cumbersome costume which made their challenge that bit harder.
Next year, Oxfam is the Official Charity of the London Marathon – which means that we’ll have hundreds more guaranteed places. So if you’ve been tempted to get involved in the 2011 Marathon, join the team – you can bank on all the training support, nutrition advice and fundraising ideas you’ll ever need, and the money you raise will transform lives, providing training, skills and support to people who need to develop their small businesses around the world.
The London Marathon is all about being determined to achieve something extraordinary, and persevering to achieve your goal. Even watching from the sidelines gets you involved – seeing all those runners pushing themselves to the limit is inspiring, emotional and motivating. That early start was more than worth it!