One of the most important aspects to managing a marathon is gathering a solid support crew. This was mine…my 3 sons. Unfortunately, my partner was travelling on business, so these guys had to carry the full responsibility of darting around London to all of our planned cheering spots. I left the house pretty early on race day and left the youngest in charge of rousing his older brothers and getting everyone out of the door for the big job ahead. They hoped to catch me at 4 different locations, which is pretty ambitious given the surge of people clustering about the tubes and streets on Marathon day. The first planned spot was at mile 10 and due to my zeal, I managed to hit mile 10 ahead of predicted time and so sadly, they missed me. Apparently, at this point they did manage to access the tracking ap that shows when your runner is crossing the different mile markers. So when they worked out my pace, they were able to get on the case and get to the next point in good time. I was a little deflated not to catch them at mile 10, and I was desperately hopeful that they would be at the the next spot, 17 and a half miles. The long 7 miles to that point certainly messed with my mind, as I thought “what if they keep missing me and I never get to see them along them along the way!!!” There is a strange need to have your run “witnessesed” by your family/friends. Perhaps it is pure ego, but I suspect that it is more to do with the flood of energy that you get from seeing your special people, going nuts for you during that fleeting moment, as you  glide by, grinning like mad as soon as your eyes meet. My support crew did a fantastic job, cheering me at 3 spots: mile 17 1/2, mile 19 and mile 25. To tackle the marathon without your all important support crew, would be quite simply … unbearable. Thanks guys!