Munich is a beautiful city with friendly people and plenty of sightseeing – just right for a combination of a holiday and a race. With a couple of runs recently my training wasn’t as exact as for Lochaber in April, but that probably helped me avoid any nervousness until breakfast on Sun morning. What I really needed was a chat to take my mind off the challenge ahead, but with a Scotland 3-1 victory over Ukraine the day before there wasn’t much chance of Alan making conversation over the breakfast table! All credit to him for booking a hotel only 10 mins from the start line, so once we had arrived I was able to start a warm-up and shed any nervousness. A grey, cold morning was cheered by the sight of thousands of runners gathering for the start. A countdown in German and then we were off.
Alan was waiting at the 1km mark with the Saltire clearly visible so that I could spot him in the crowd. And what a crowd!! After going past the Victory Gate on Leopold Street we turned into the English Gardens (6km) with all the autumn colours, and even an art exhibition!! By this time the sun was out but it wasn’t too hot. Then through the suburbs before going past Isartor (29km) and into the old city. The crowds were huge here and were cheering us every inch of the way. By 31km I was beginning to feel the distance but the gels kept doing their work. Loads of water, sports drinks, bananas, cereal bars, etc on offer to keep you going! Alan met me at 35km with a much needed cheer and then it was back to Leopold Street and an even bigger crowd. At 39km we were offered non-alcoholic beer! (Not many takers…) I approached Olympiapark with just 2km to go and began to anticipate the finish.
With the crowds increasing there was great excitement in the air and the site of the Olympic Stadium gave me the energy to keep on running. Down into the underpass past flashing coloured lights then up into the stadium with a lap to finish – the soft track underfoot was much appreciated but my eyes were fixed on the spectators and looking for the Scottish Saltire. I stopped my watch and was thrilled to see that I had a PB!
Definitely one I would recommend – lovely city, flat course, wonderful crowds and great organisation. Finishing in such a stadium can’t be beaten!
