Just last week I had a brilliant time as a Marshall at the Race For Life 10k in Peterborough, I was there as the runners arrived and it was brilliant to see a sea of pink, glitter and tutus all around Ferry Meadows as the attendees just kept on arriving. I was then sent to my post, number 10; which was almost half way.
As I stood waiting to cheer on and encourage all the amazing ladies (and some men) that were taking part in such an incredible fundraising event I could hear Heart Radio doing the countdown and all the cheers as they set off. Within minutes I could see the front cyclist / leader and a girl hot on her tail sprinting around the track, she was incredible.
Not far behind here were 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place and then the groups of runners came through. There were teams from local schools, nurseries, businesses, Tescos, local pubs and so much more Everyone had a real sense of ‘we are all in this together’ and it was brilliant to see.
I stood there shouting words of encouragement, cheering, clapping and hi-fiving it was great to be able to see who everyone was running for as this was written on their backs. It was at this point I realised just how important Cancer Research is to so many people. There were mothers with very young daughters running, walking and toddling for their dads and granddads, some running for sisters, friends, cousins and even children.
I was so overcome by emotion, there were nearly 2,000 attendees that day and nobody gave up, everyone kept going. At my Marshall point you could see those that were struggling by when the last person made it I made my way to the finish line (via a shortcut) and saw everyone finish. There were huge smiles of achievement on everyone’s faces and there were long lines of supporters at the side cheering and clapping for everyone as they came to the finish line.
You could see some got that second wind when the finish line was finally in sight, while others genuinely feared they would not make it.
During the event I was so impressed by the dedication and focus of all these amazing ladies who all supported each other for one outstanding achievement.
If you ever get the chance to take part in the event or even just Marshall at the event it is something I highly recommend – it’s a brilliant event and there is so much love, support and a real ‘community’ feeling throughout the event.
