Royal Parks Half Race Report

The Royal Parks Half Marathon Tale: A Story of Jelly Babies, Pain, and Glory

It was a glorious day for running… or, in Oly’s case, setting off like a man possessed!! He blames the pace setter, but having set his heart on a PB, he was a man on a mission. Unsurprisingly, the final few kilometres became less of a race and more of a reflective life journey. There were questions asked and some proper soul-searching on the course.

But through sheer stubbornness, he powered through and crossed the line in a fantastic 1:31 – new personal best secured! Horrible run, yes, plasters needed, yes, but a great day and phenomenal atmosphere, all in support of the brilliant Cure Parkinson’s – a cause well worth a bit of suffering.

Meanwhile, Ali arrived with high hopes and low expectations. Training had been… sketchy to say the least (new dad duties will do that to a training plan). Preparation, questionable – his race belt? At home. Race gels? Never made it out of the kitchen.

Instead, he took to the course armed with nothing but a bag of jelly babies, his phone, and the sheer enjoyment of soaking up the atmosphere.

Despite being miles off his PB (which, annoyingly, remains disgustingly fast), Ali declared it the most fun he’s ever had in a half-marathon – casually cruising along as if on a sightseeing tour while snacking his way through the Royal Parks. He still finished in well under 2 hours!

Over celebratory beers, it was agreed that it was an excellent day out – there seemed to be a lot of people running for different charities, so lots of money was raised for some great causes!

We are thrilled to have already raised over £3,000 (65% of our target) and we still have the team Santa in the City run in December to look forward to. I’m sure you’re looking forward to seeing Mike and Al run in a Santa suit as much as we are!!

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so generously, we really appreciate it! If you’ve not had the chance and you’d still like to support us, our JustGiving page remains open.

With little over seven weeks to the Santa run, it’s now time for the rest of the team…many of whom haven’t laced up their running shoes in years…to start their couch to 5k training! Watch this space for updates on their progress!