Didn't mean to be here

I've made a good start with the list of London Marathon runners today with 23 accounted for already. Thanks to those who contacted me.

I linked the clubs and charities but then I couldn't resist trying to link the runners to Kevin Deake's www.sportsdesk.im site which in itself is liked to the Power of 10. I've done it with most of them but I am about half an hour late going to do what I have do do now!

Marathon year

I've spent the evening preparing a feature with the above title and I am delighted to confirm that my good friend Paul Curphey will be on the start line of the Virgin London Marathon for the 18th year in a row.

The Isle of Man Veteran Athletes Club came to his rescue when for the first time he was left without an entry.

The day after he originally called me to tell me that he would have to miss it. I received a phone call from Ian Callister who has 20 finishes to his name asking me where we were staying. There has been a lot of banter between Ian and Paul in recent years as they both want to achieve a record number of finishers. Ian will be there too for the 21st time.

Ian and Paul outside the Strand Palace Hotel in 2007


Top photo by Margaid Gosschalk; bottom photo by a passing tourist.

Winter Hill

Further to the coverage on the main page, here are photos of Rich Sille and Paul Quine. As always, double click the photos to see larger versions.

Egyptian reggae

Believe it or not, I do put quite a bit of thought into the music that I chose for the video soundtracks.

I always follow international news and with developments in Egypt at the end of last week I thought I should use Jonathan Richman's "Egyptian Reggae" yesterday.

But it was fairly short and my first cut of the video came to over 7 minutes and I had a real battle against time to get everything done yesterday and couldn't dither. One of the problems with multiple tracks is that if one of them is blocked for copyright reasons by YouTube you are not always aware which one it is and the whole audio is dubbed.

I watched Jonathan Richman at the refectory at North Staffordshire Polytechnic in the later 70s. I've just checked and that tune got to number 5 in 1977 but after playing it early in his set the show was going downhill and people were leaving. In an attempt to lift the audience he played it a second time. Those that were left shouted for an encore and guess what he played! So it didn't seem unreasonable to play the tune three times over the soundtrack.

He had another hit with "Roadrunner". I wonder how many times I would have to repeat that for a marathon?

Keith's 5000 metres

Thanks to Chris Quine for reporting on Keith Gerrard's great run at the weekend (on the forum) and for going me the link to the video of the race.

For some technical reason I couldn't embed the video but you can watch the race in full if you follow the link that I did provide you can select Heat 4 of the 5000 metres on the left hand side navigation bar to watch the race.

A square Pegg

I didn't think I would find anything in common with one of the best bass players around, Dave Pegg,  when he  posed for a photo with the new Fairport Convention CD. The former Jethro Tull, Fairport, Dylan Project and session bass player was unable to get the shrink wrapping off the CD to sign it as was I. My excuse was that my fingers are still recovering from frost bite. I guess his excuse is playing bass guitar for about 50 years.

An adventorous set tonight playing the whole of an album recorded 40 years ago in the first set and then only three previously recorded songs in the second. But its a bit like a top football team. They can leave out some of their best players and still be better than the average teams.

Gory detail

I was told my Margaid (who telephoned tonight) that I had missed out part of the gory detail - the blood from her her shoes had soaked up into her jeans!

Not as gory as one of the photos I used in the photo book!