Please excuse me I feel like a little rant.

[Realfoodieclub]

I have never been to a proper big run. Yesterday was an eye opener. 16000 runners I think. The whole place was full of people laughing, smiling and looking excited before the race started. As I watched so many people cross the finish line they were still laughing smiling but they looked satisfied and happy.

I really wish sometimes the media would focus on the positives. I am sure many more people would try C25K if they saw what I saw yesterday. It looked like the best sort of party and most people would like an invite to that. You just have to look at the stats for people learning to run after the marathon to show positive images have more of an effect.

Instead they show negative images and stories.

I bet if you interviewed anyone of those people yesterday they would be able to provide an upbeat story to inspire others.

You don't have to enter a race to feel that good, you just have to put on your shoes and leave your troubles at home for a little while.

Happy running everyone.

[Tomas Graduate]

Not sure where the negative vibes you react to are coming from, but I totally agree with you: The mood at organised races are normally a great advert for the benefits of getting out there and getting fit. So whereever it is they're showing negative images and stories: Shame on them!

[Vixchile Graduate]

Can you tell my sister that please. Wise words!!!

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

I absolutely agree RFC!

I hear you made a fabulous chocolate cake for our runners yesterday - that would put a smile on anyone's face!

[danzargo Graduate]

Hear hear RFC! Good point. Running gives you an automatic sense of achievement. What you put in, it gives you back in SPADES. It's not a myth about endorphines is it? Yesterdays LWR was exactly like the vibe at the London MArathon. Goodwill, happiness and fun. If only the world was more like that....

[Hidden]

Yesterday's run was everything that is good about what we do.. Smiling faces (despite the cold!), fun on a run as clearly shown in the DanJuTastic vlog... And the shared sense of achievement of all those who took part...

Meeting up with team C25K and enjoying a post run meal and beer was a fantastic way to round out the day.. Strangers united by our love of running and sharing everyone's successes...

And chocolate cake... Lots of delicious chocolate cake..

[GettingFitter Graduate]

Great post RFC. Yesterday was my first race but following the experience of meeting lots of lovely people, running round the streets of London with no traffic and beating my training times I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone. It won't be my last. Just thinking about signing up for next year!

[useitorloseit Graduate]

I haven't seen it mentioned in the news at all this morning, despite twiddling around between BBC, Sky New and Sky Sports. It is rather sad that such a wonderful, positive, inspirational event is completely ignored by the national broadcasters while we're all a captive audience munching our muesli on a cold February Monday morning. They love to cover the obesity problem, but don't seem to cover positive ways of combatting it.

Well done everyone who was out there yesterday - it looked like a fabulous day

[Hidden]

Really great post and you are so right!

I think that's one of the most inspiring rants I've ever read

[AdamB Graduate]

But good news doesn't sell newspapers !!! It annoys me intensly that an event such as this will only ever be covered if it causes a minor traffic hold up or similar. I was once interviewed by a reporter whilst organising a sporting event (on a much smaller scale than this) and the opening question he had was "tell me what went wrong". The next one was "how many people were injured?". He didn't seem happy with my answers of "nothing" and "none" and as good as told me that there was no news story here. Nothing ever appeared in the press.

[AncientMum Graduate]

Fab rant RFC, you tell 'em girl! It sounds like that run was the best fun for participants and spectators alike. Any chance of posting the chocolate cake recipe? It's had so many great reviews that I'm desperate to try it.

[Miles_Yonder Graduate]

Excellent post, RFC. Couldn't agree more. Had a look through the Daily Mail site earlier out of curiosity and there was nothing featured on it, just the usual doom and gloom and the standard "eating X will extend your life/kill you; delete as appropriate" story. So many runners need through London is a big thing, I'm surprised it hasn't been featured anywhere at all, as like you say, it would be a great advertisement for our beloved sport and pastime.

More people would indeed take up C25K if they saw the amazing scenes yesterday, how happy and thrilled people were, with the race and themselves. The second anything does go wrong at a race though and the doom and gloom naysaying press pounce on it. It is annoying; what it needs is proper coverage to reach beyond us runners, to inspire people who wouldn't have heard about the race, and about C25K. Lots of inspirational stories from those who ran, and we all have our reasons for doing it and our own inspirational tales to tell; non-runners who hear them may well just decide to do it and even if we get just a few new runners out there, it'd certainly make me happy.

Doom, doom, doom, that's all the news is these days!