Great South Run

A year has passed, Walk the Walk has returned and it seems the weather in Portsmouth has remained! Once again a brave group of Walk the Walkers met in Portsmouth for the Great South Run. The wind was blowing a gale and the rain was falling but even this could not dampen our spirits!!  Thousands of nervous participants were making their final preparations for the challenge ahead and the atmosphere was electric.

Nina gathered us all together for a chat about ‘team tactics’ and suddenly the group of strangers who were standing in a circle with their arms around each other felt like a team and were ready to take on the challenge together and support each other the whole way round.

Standing on the start line waiting for the race to begin, the Walk the Walk team were already attracting the attention of the crowd with their beautifully decorated bras! Together we sang as we all warmed up and in no time we were off. The supporters were out on mass with hundreds of people cheering us across the start line. With all of the weird and wonderful costumes; a pantomime horse to the left, a gorilla to the right and the Walk the Walkers proudly striding out in their bras, I imagine that watching the race was almost as enjoyable as taking part.

The first few miles passed like a flash, the supporters continued to shout and once we were passed the first mile, the bands began to play! The route was fabulous, taking us through the best parts of the city and the fact that there were no hills was just wonderful.As the miles passed by, with each step becoming that little bit more difficult but every time you started feeling low all you had to do was look around and you would see all of the fabulous supporters and the people in outfits that were so funny you can’t help but laugh.

Before we knew it the final mile marker was looming and the end was in sight, it was impossible to even hear yourself think with all the cheering coming from all the supporters. Every member of the team not only crossed the finish line, but they crossed it smiling - this was a fantastic achievement for all involved and was a truly wonderful day!