Nic Wiseman, a Sunderland supporter and co-editor of the fanzine It’s The Hope I Can’t Stand (when it was published, long ago), exiled in the deep south, looks back on a mixed sporting day by or near the Thames …
Running to Fulham, results page.
So here are the results that matter from Sunday May 6.
Richmond half marathon: Nicholas Wiseman finished in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 52 seconds, 494th place – www.justgiving.com/nicwise – out of around 1,200.
Barclays Premier league: not such good news there I’m afraid. Fulham 2, Sunderland 1.
Those are the bare bones, but there’s a bit of flesh that needs picking as well, I think you’ll agree.
At 6.30am, the Wiseman household arose on a grim Sunday morning with +temperatures more akin to January than May. My wife, Katie, and daughter Martha, dutifully get dressed at this somewhat early hour for a Sunday to take me to the start of my race.
At the start of the race the usual gathering of running geeks and serious souls were assembling for this quite serious run around the Thames from Richmond to Hampton Court and back again. Plus us parents from my daughter’s school, St James’s RC Primary in Twickenham, running to get a few more quid to pay for a new school hall. We can’t be too slow, as the race organisers have told us that all marshal support and timing will stop at two and a half hours (an empty threat as it turns out because the official results detail three-hour finishers).
To cut a long story short the run is quite a slog and I am relieved to see the finish, though slightly disappointed that I didn’t manage to finish inside two hours. Two St James’s mums finished in 2:01 and the chair of governors finished in 2:11. So a good show by all.
At the finish my groin was a bit tight, so a bit of stretching was required, and then a mad dash back across the river from the finish in Ham to our house in Twickenham. A quick shower, lots of fluid, a bacon butty and back in the car for the not so quick journey to Putney. As the roads snarled up with Sunday drivers, my anxiety levels increased.
Luckily, as I arrived in the Prince of Wales, Neil Chandler (who was the ITHICS photographer) and family were just finishing their meal and Mark Egan (my co-editor) was held up in Clapham on the bus.
The walk from Putney to the ground was a good stretch down for my legs.
And on to the match which, I really enjoyed, despite the result. Both teams really went for it. We had some nailed on efforts missed by Bendtner and Campbell, but the result wasn’t so important. The support from our fans, who filled virtually the whole of the Putney End, was amazing.
So the day was a great success, I finished safely across the line and the match was a good one, albeit with the wrong result.
We could still do with a bit of sponsorship, so if any of you would be so kind, here is my link again, with added pics: www.justgiving.com/nicwise