Friday was a change day … Mark and Dave our new chums from England left on the 2pm ferry and old chums Roger and Anne from devon had just arrived on the late ferry Thursday
Pool side conversation will be all the quieter without “the lads” for added colour and pithy bon mots. Safe home chaps look after the stones and each other.. same again next year?
Roger pointed out at breakfast that the 6th Alonissos marathon was on Saturday and I should consider joining himself and Anne for a “bit if a wander”
Being a dutiful hubbie I of course bounced this idea off Val before agreeing. I am sad to report she found the idea a subject of much hilarity ! Even so It Is good to have the support of your loved ones in such endeavours even if that support includes much laughter
With my “note from SWMBO” I hastened to the harbour and signed up as a “50-60 year old 10k walker” I have to add here that the Alonissos” marathon is an all terrain event. The elite athletes do a full marathon mostly off road and on some very steep gradients. These people wear Lycra. Since my wardrobe was sadly lacking in the aforementioned material these modern day Adonises and Hermeses would have to exhaust themselves without me on purely aesthetic grounds.
After some pre dinner drinkies with Roger and Anne in the Corali I felt that since all the other atheletes were noshing down on pre event pasta I should do the same this being my first official event since I were but a lad. The new fangled science malarky has seen fit to endorse pasta as a good thing for athletes. So I had a big plate of the special spaghetti with extra cheese ,beer, ouzo, walnut cake with icecream, custard tart and another ouzo or possibly two. Val was most impressed with my adherence to a scientific preparatory regime!
Saturday started early with application of factor gogoplex sun cream on my white bits ,breakie and adjustment of a very fine head scarf.
Even Val passed comment as to my enhanced level of satorial elegance … but I may have misheard as there was orange juice coming out of here nose at the time, teach her to laugh and drink at the same time !
I dutifully lined up at the start only to and myself surrounded by Lycra l. I was reminded of the wise words or obi wan buchan “when surrounded by 6 packs remember YOU are the one with the keg” … certainly words to live by!
Relocating my self with the walkers I felt much more at home and shortly thereafter we were off thru the arch and on our way accompaned by the cheers and applause of the assembled crowd and Val
The walk itself was much fun and deserving of a post and piccies all of its own, which I will add when I return. All I will say for the now is It was a grand day out and …. I got a medal!!
More later as I see a beer with my name on it
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