COLOGNE MARATHON – 2:48:15 for Tom and 2:04:17 for me

Well, how brilliantly did Thomas run??!! A new PB of 2:48:15, breaking the 2:50 marker and getting not only among the first 100, but into 65th position!
Superb! Even more superb if you consider the weather conditions, a lot of rain (o.k.) and strong winds (not o.k.).
So while I knew he was fit, the weather forecast put doubt onto his target time. We had enrolled the support of my nephew & his girl-friend to hand Thomas the right drinks at the right time – and that also threatened his time at one point! Unfortunately they got lost and missed him at a crucial point between KM24 and KM35. But despite all this he got under 2:50. The evening was spent celebrating in a local brewery …







My own race on Inline-skates did not go according to plan. I was hoping to get under 2:00, in fact I joined a pace-line for 1:50, but because of the bad weather the decision was made by the group before the start to go for safety first and not think about the time. The main aim was to stay together in the group, for everyone to arrive in one piece and still enjoy the race. The slippery roads and obstacles like tram rails, road bends etc would not allow a fast pace.
So we headed off, there were 2 other skaters from Glasgow in my group of 7 and we all did in fact enjoy the thrill of skating in a pace-line, benefitting from the slip stream of the person in front of you, being pulled or even pushed if you were about to lose contact to the person in front, being cheered along by Samba bands, spectators, loud music etc.
We finished in 2:04:17 (386th from 1484 finishers), a PB for me by 4min but still not under 2:00 as hoped. Looks like unfinished business, but with my plan to concentrate on running I am not sure if I will skate another marathon soon – maybe if I can be guaranteed a dry and sunny day in Berlin next year?! Luckily the other 2 Glasgow skaters enjoyed their weekend in Cologne, especially the local beer and food after the race!