It finally happened. 👏👏 After entering this race for the past two years, and it being cancelled for the dreaded reason and having to run it virtually instead, 2022 was the year we’d actually earn our treasured bling for real. 🏅😍
Mr Cheeky and I met up with Dexy5 , UpTheStanley , Shake-and-run , Sandie1961 , TailChaser , Katnap , kitten and David_G yesterday evening for a pre race supper. Just a large glass of wine here 😇 It was lovely to have a large meetup again. 🥰
After breakfast (at a different Premier Inn, as the restaurant in ours was closed 🙄), the quickies headed off to their waves. A few of us were fortunate enough to see Sir Mo speeding off the start line. What a treat that was!
I was in the snail wave and lined up with Shakes, knowing full well she’d pass me at some stage with her ingenious Jeffing technique and loooong legs! Sure enough she did at around 8.5k! I was pleased with my finish time of 1hr 17 (1hr 16 Garmin), which isn’t a PB, but is hands down my quickest 10k for quite some time. 😀 Conditions were perfect and it was a lovely course passing several notable landmarks - Nelson, St Paul’s, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and, of course Buckingham Palace.
Unfortunately I didn’t stick around for post race shenanigans as we needed to get home to our animals. No big deal though, there will definitely be more meetups, I can feel it in my waters!
I shall definitely return to London and do this wonderful race again! ❤️
Written by
cheekychipmunks
Half Marathon
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Ah what a blast you had! And how lovely to meet up with folk for a meal last night. And to see Sir Mo!!! Well done you on a fab run at what must be a fab event. And you can’t beat a Premier Inn breakfast 😁.
Thanks Frenc, oh yes it was a wonderful couple of days, and meeting up with buddies makes it all the more special. 😍 Sir Mo was the icing on the cake, as well as spotting Eilish McColgan on the start line too. 👏👏
Well done cheekychipmunks and all our HU friends, we had a great time and it was lovely to meet everyone for the meal last night.The event itself was great fun and very well organised. I’ll definitely sign up for next year! 🏃♀️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♀️
Congratulations to you Cheekychipmunks on completing The London Vitality 10,000 in a very good time of 1 hour and 17 minutes, I bet you loved seeing all the famous London sites as you ran but missed Flossie running along with you, I watched it on TV and one runner with a dog and one running with a buggy, I wonder why that was allowed, anyway once again a big congratulations to you CC on running your first London 10,000🏃🏾👍
I love the 1hr 17 time... so many of us, in the year I did my first 10K did so, at the same time and we all did it in 1hr 17... it's s sort of favourite xxx
I do too Oldfloss . My normal ‘ok for me’ time is 1:19 and more often than not it’s slower.
My PB is 1:11:57, and I’ve done a couple at around 1:13 and 1:15, but I’m overjoyed with my 1:17 on Monday as my training has been very lacklustre of late. 🙏🏻
I was there too ! My first ever real race and I loved it !! Was in white wave - I ran non stop (a personal objective !) and according to strava got a personal best at 1:13:13 but official time is 1:15:07 - and according to my watch I ran an extra 290 metres along the route ! I’ll take strava’s assessment ! 🏃🏻♀️🏃🏻♀️ Definitely got the bug now. !! (I mean the organised event bug, not the other one !). 💃🏼🏃🏻♀️🤸🏻♀️🏅
It’s possible !!! Though I found myself fixating on 3 individuals who were permanently just ahead of me even when I overtook them, they miraculously reappeared in front of me !! And I barely remember the route - I was so focused on breathing, avoiding other people, etc - though I did enjoy the various musical ensembles en route ! 💃🏼
I thought the entertainment was fantastic and there was lots of it! I do remember being pleasantly pleased that the incline about 2k from the finish which looked fairly severe when we were running down, was a doddle. 😀
Sorry we didn’t get to see you at the end cheekychipmunks but it was great to see you and Mr C. I have already registered interest for 2023; just loved it.
Yes it was a pity we couldn’t hang around, but we really did need to get back. No worries, it was a wonderful couple of days and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. 🥰👏
Sounds like you had a great time. Well done on a fantastic job. Never done that one, but I have done the Winter 10k in feb before. That’s fun, with polar bears and penguins everywhere.😊
I find I smile and grin lots reading everyones' race reports. Wow! To spotting Sir Mo! Not the same I know, but I did the run with Mo NRC run last week which was fun. Well done on your great run! 😊🏃♀️🏅
Great pictures cheeky - what a great time you all had! I took a sneaky peak at the unofficial results so could see that you all got back safe and sound! Well done one and all!
It was fantastic Sola. And yes, I think we were all pinching ourselves to make sure it was actually happening. Virtual races had their place, but the real thing is so so so much better. 🥰
Thanks Brian! A large contingent of HUers in the Capital yesterday. We drove close to Battersea on our way back to the M4, so we could have popped in to see you too! 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️💥💥💥💥
Just so super and so, so thrilled for you! Not just superb race in a marvellous location....but brushing shoulders with Sir Mo :)And.... how absolutely wonderful, that you were all there together this year. Lovely, lovely, lovely!
A great time too for such an exciting , emotional occasion after the horrors of the last years!
It was the best Floss. We had such an incredible time and we all did so well! We’re all hoping for another PR tourism meetup before long ……. if you’d like to join us? 🥰
That would be so good.... I wish often, that I could, but am a tad limited by family responsibility, but who knows...never say never xxx😉It could happen. I have loved the few occasions when I have been lucky enough to run with forum friends x
Well we’d love to have you come along and I know we’re willing to travel (ask my VRBs how far I’ve traipsed ‘just to run 5k’!) so let us know if/when you’re able. ❤️
Congratulations cheekychipmunks I was there and wasn’t it fabulous?! The atmosphere was incredible and I’ll definitely do it next year. I was in the very last wave - pink which suited me just fine!
It was so fortunate that Shakes guided us to the start in such timely fashion TailChaser .Her London knowledge was better than mine and Sandie1961 ’s so we just followed! And there was Sir Mo practically waiting for us. 🥰
Oh well done! Sounds a fabulous day. And seeing Mo, wow what an advantage!! I've yet to do an ' actual' race yet, but I'm chomping at the bit to do one, just sounds so exciting!! 😃🏃♀️
Thanks Hedgehogs! I’d recommend a race like the Vitality as it’s so well organised. Don’t forget to let us know when you do, then we can get the pom-poms out!
Brilliant, our club completed our leg of Belfast marathon on Sunday, I did the 4 mile route, it was great to get back at it, next stop Lisburn 10 k on 28 June....great to see you back out at it👍👍
Oh how wonderful Walshy! I bet it was so much fun being part of a team. 🥰 Good luck on June 28th! My next race isn’t until the end of August, and I’m already getting excited for it! 👏👏👏
Thanks so much Purplecat! I hoped I’d see Sir Mo, but I didn’t expect to have a near perfect view of him starting his race. He looked awesome, as ever. It was a fabulous weekend for us all. 🥰
I did it too. Was a great run until suddenly 3 men, one after the other at 7k barged me out the way! Despite this injuring my knee I managed to finish in a good time and like some of you I seemed to gain 1/2 a mile on the way!! Well done to you for a great time!
Oh my word Moet, that’s awful. There were a few gazelles darting their way through the crowds - I think they were from the special pink wave at the end. I hope you’re ok and there’s no lasting damage to your knee. Good for you for carrying on! It was such a great atmosphere wasn’t it? 😀
It was a fabulous atmosphere and so well organised and the volunteers were amazing. My knee is starting to feel better thank you. Why was there a special pink wave? Was this something to do with the Queen’s birthday celebration?
Fab write-up Cheeky and what great photos! Sounds as though you had a great time - meeting up with the other HU runners, a flash of Mo Farah and the lovely bling! I have done this run in the past and fully plan to do it again some time - lovely course around central London and such a great atmosphere! Well done!👏🙂🏅
Isn’t it wonderful Sandra? We’re all planning on doing it again next year - in fact I can see it being a fixture in my calendar! Sir Mo was the icing on the cake. He’s just awesome. 🥰
Woohoo! 😀👍🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️💥🏅🤗. Sounds like a right good time was had by all. Congratulations 🎉. It sounds like your event had all the necessary ingredients to make it a grand day out. Seeing Mo - and being in the same event as him was the icing on the cake 🧁
Oh wow, it was like pre-Covid days MW. The atmosphere was electric and people were in such high spirits. We were so lucky to see Sir Mo start. What an athlete. Also Eilish McColgan, although I didn’t manage to get a photo of her sadly. We’re already discussing next year! 👏👏
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