Colin usually runs the Cambridge Half Marathon. Last year’s was the last event we went to before the first UK lockdown because of Covid-19. This year’s was postponed from its usual spot in March to October, and Colin had entered.
We got up at silly o’clock so we could get to the park-and-ride site for around 7 am, when the first special buses would start running. It was pitch black on the drive down. By the time we got to Jesus Green, the base of the event, it was daylight – gloomy, but daylight.
When Colin’s colour and letter were called, we went our separate ways: him to the starting pen and me to the path near the traffic lights on Victoria Avenue to watch him start. Neither of us saw the other, and my video recording skills were lacking.
I caught up with him at mile 4 at the corner of Trinity Street and Trinity Lane, and again at mile 12 on Sidney Street. I hotfooted it back to Victoria Avenue, but the delay in waiting to cross the route on Jesus Green meant I missed his big finish.
We found each other at our designated meeting place, where he awaited me with a bag of goodies and a big, shiny medal. He did it in a decent time, but I’d still be proud of him for finishing it even if he’d trundled round.
