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Another record smashed

Surely Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, who broke her own record by running the London Marathon in just two hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds must rank as one of the greatest sportsfolk ever.

I watched quite a few of the runners grinding their agonising way along parts of the marathon course on a sun-dappled Sunday afternoon. It was hard not to be swept up in a general feel-good atmosphere. One of my favourite moments was seeing a bunch of guys running while carrying a small rubber boat from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), an entirely voluntary charity which is an excellent example of how free men and women can, without the guiding hand of the State, provide such useful services, often at great danger to themselves. Way to go lads!

Of course, in my view anyone who runs in a marathon on a warm afternoon is clearly in need of having their heads examined. What did Man invent Ferraris and Porsches for, for chrissakes?

1 comment to Another record smashed

  • David Mercer

    One of my brothers ran as a amateur in several marathons before he decided it would take too much time away from work to stay in that level of shape all of the time (I’m sure the arrival of his first child had something to do with that decision).

    I have nothing but awe for people who can even complete a marathon, let alone set a world record for one!

    Of course, the runner the event is in honor of promptly collapsed and died right after finishing!
    Madness indeed!