Frantisek wrote:
Hi Mike, the third is nice. You obviously had quite a lot of work :) Was it fun? Must have been a _huge_ event with 50 000 participants...Good light! fra
Thanks. Start at 7.00am at HQ, loading the route van. Drive the route, dropping off first aid equipment for the 15 posts on the route. Arrive at the finish about 30 minutes before the first runners. Enough time to have something to eat before the flood starts - most of the runners go through the finish gate in about a 2hour period. It used to be longer but they now use electronic tags to time runners so there is no paperwork and less congestion.
Spend that time lugging flaked out runners to the hospital tent on trolley beds. Incidentally, my appearing with a trolley bed is one of the most miraculous cures for nearly collapsing runners I've ever seen. As soon as they catch sight of me they are "All right" - until they cross the finish line, when they promptly collapse. I was excused this work theoretically this year, due to my photographic duties, but ended up helping in the most extreme cases. I would prefer to be exercising my skills in the tent but, being more of a gorilla then many of my colleagues, I find it easier to pull casualties across the grass on whatever wheeled contrivance they end up on.
Afterwards, I pack the hospital tent equipment into the van and take it back to HQ. Finish some time after 7pm. Then I do my own collapsing.
It takes about four/five hours for all the runners to finish, from the first one going over the line. It can take nearly 30 minutes for all runners to pass the start line.
Good fun 8-) mike
