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Date : 10th December, 2020
Number of runners (total to date) : 25 (7088)
Run map and details : https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5941642903
It was cold. It was dark. It was the middle of a pandemic.
Why was I dragging my poor long suffering family into central London when most people were – very sensibly – doing their One Runs close to home. No travel ; no how many layers should I wear ; no what should I do with the layers while I’m running ; no post run hanging around with the sweat turning to ice.
It’s possible one or two of them were even thinking to themselves, it’s fine when he’s out of the country on Run the World, but why do I always have to join in with the UK stuff ?!?
And then we got to the agreed meeting point at Parliament Square Gardens and there were 25 of us and things started to perk up.
A few socially distanced photos, then we split into smaller groups and set off on our runs and walks along the Thames.
And yes it was cold. But it was also a lovely clear, still and dry night. Perfect for running.
And, oh my word, London at night is breathtakingly beautiful. Especially along the river between the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge.
But none of this was the best bit. The best bit was that we bumped into some One Runners.
And then some more.
And some more.
And some more.
And some more.
And some Tube Runners (a social running group that runs the routes of London’s tube lines).
And Andrew and Simon from our original party
And then some more One Runners.
The atmosphere was something special and I was buzzing by the time we got back to Parliament Square for the survivor’s photo.
Will we do it again next year ? I hope so! And this time, we’ll try and get Londoners from every country in the world to join us and run in their national colours.
But for now, I want to say some thank yous. To the 15 000 people across every country in the world who took part in One Run Global.
To all my Run the World friends who supported One Run in so many countries around the globe. To all my other friends in the UK and abroad who cheerfully put up with the (virtual) arm twisting and got behind One Run in such numbers including Luke, Julian, Caroline, Annette, Kate, Maria, Anna, Sienna R, Niamh, Maxine, Ashley, Simon, Ben, Andrew T, Andrew M, Jamie, Paul, Raja, Anthony and Vyo who made it to central London last night.
To Liz, Freya, Sienna, David, Mon and Charis who not only live with the craziness but actively support it.
And to the amazing One Run team – Danny, Hetty and Jamie. It has been an absolute pleasure.
Some lovely pictures. :))