Andrea Fox – blog
Juice FM’s Andrea Fox shares the highs & lows from the city’s longest run
Andrea Fox. Marathon runner. I really like the sound of that. As I sit here with my feet in a bucket of ice, humming Survivor’s ‘Eye Of The Tiger’, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed running Brighton Marathon. But I’ll try.
Last year I watched with a coffee and a bagel thinking I would never be able to run the Brighton Marathon. Then somehow I was talked into running for local charity The Whitehawk Inn. I guess I’m just weak willed. So since October I’ve been training for the 26.2 mile race.
Maybe I’m still a bit delirious from all the running, but I had a blast! I never expected to say this, but it was really, really fun! Painful too, but more of the blisters later. It’s not every day you get 100,000 people cheering your name, a high-five from Gus Poyet and get to steal candy from babies! Or, more accurately, Jelly Babies from children. Before I set off, I knew what time to aim to complete each mile in and I was determined to enjoy it because however slow or fast I ran I was going to take in the fun moments and remember those, because, as I kept saying beforehand, it was my first and probably last marathon. And as it turned out, it had lots of funny moments, before I even start to think of the silly costumes some people ran in. I’m talking about you tiger bloke and Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
Seagulls’ manager Gus Poyet started the race, and famously said at the Albion press conference the week before that he hates running from his football days, and takes great glee in saying he loves starting the stop watch and making players run. Thanks Gus. But the tall Uruguayan gave me a great high-five at the start, which spurred me on! Only marred by the bloke behind me shouting “Ees complicated” (I should have thought of that!) Whoever had the idea to put up a sign just outside of Preston Park that said “0.2 miles done! Only 26 to go!” has a bright future in comedy, I’m sure of it.
As the first record-breaking elite runners passed me at Ovingdean the runners cheered, and started a Mexican wave of cheering. That was an amazing sound. I hoped it spurred them on. Maybe they just thought, “How do these people move so slowly?”
Don’t get me wrong. It was tough. After 20 miles and three hours of running with at least another hour to go, my legs were feeling the pain. But not as much as my little toes, which were blistering up a treat.
I managed to complete the course in four hours and 14 minutes without stopping. I asked the volunteer handing me my medal if I won, and she said yes! But apparently they gave it to someone called Peter Some? He did it in 2:12:02? An oversight, I’m sure.
When I was told ‘the crowd will carry you through’ I thought, yeah yeah, yeah, it’s my legs I’m hoping will carry me through. But every time someone cheered “Andrea” I gave a very grateful smile, wave or whoop! It meant so much! Even more when people shouted “FOXY!” My time was exactly what I hoped for and I couldn’t have done it without you.
The question people have been asking since I stopped running at 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon is, would I run another one? Maybe. If you’re tempted I’d recommend everyone tries to run a marathon. Start with the Brighton Half next year. Well over 300 charities were supported in the Brighton Marathon this April. As my friend Jamie agrees (who ran in a blue ‘70s all in one suit) I would love to volunteer next year because the support every one of them gave us runners meant more than the water and energy drinks they handed out. Thank you.
Runners. We totally rock. High-five yourself. It looks like just one clap. But we know it’s a high-five.
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/andreafox
Listen to The Guy & Andrea Breakfast Show on Brighton’s Juice 107.2 every Monday to Friday from 7am
