Prague, the runners way.

In 1998 my daughter and her family were living in Germany, while Harold, her husband was working for the now defunked Nortel in Germany. Despite having two small children to look after, Judy found time to return to her habit. She had been a successful cross country runner at school, until sidelined by shinsplints. As I was still doing the occasional marathon she asked me if I would like to enter the Prague Marathon with her in Czechoslovakia . We all met in an apartment in Prague, and Judy and I set out for the marathon, whilst Sheila took her 5 year old grandson and 2 year old daughter to run the junior 2k.

Anyone who has followed my running career is aware of the fact that I think beer is an important component of racing, before, during, and after the event. This would be the first time that I had been at a race with Harold, but I gave him instructions to be outside our apartment with a beer when we ran past, with an estimated arrival time.il

Judy and I set out together and for the first seven or eight kilometres I kept up with her, untiI realised that 62 and 37 were not the same age and she dissappeared into the distance. I carried on regardless until I got to the location of the apartment and there was no sign of Harry with my beer: I thought I might be ahead of schedule and carried on until about one kilometre later I met Harry with the kids and a stroller, he told me he thought I was joking about the beer.

I had not been joking, but I did have some money, so as we came to the next cafe on the race route, I ran in and bought a litre of beer, and continued out the door drinking it, to the surprise of some spectators and passers by. When I reached the next water stop I had finished the beer, so I gave them my glass which was now empty. I continued to the finish, where Judy was waiting having successfully completed her first Marathon, faster than her father.