Mens Olympic marathon: the Gamesmaker's view

It is the last day. I feel a little bit sad; but happy too because I can go back home to the midlands, relax, see my husband for more than a few hours, and NOT get up at 3am!

I decided that I couldn’t cope with the 2 hour night bus journey (a distance that would take about 35 minutes in a car!) or being stranded in Hounslow with strange screaming men, so I waited for the first Tube train out of Uxbridge. So did a few fellow Games Makers it seems. We were starting to recognise each other and even remember a few names!

I still arrived at Charing Cross with plenty of time to spare, and in a much more relaxed mood than last week! One last free coffee, one last look at  the Mall, looking great all done out in Olympic and union flags, with London 2012 bannering.

The day was forecast dry this time (thank goodness!) and as expected, the crowds amassed even bigger and sooner than last time. Our extremely busy crossing at Admiralty Arch was soon going to be even busier, as people came out to get one last Olympic glance before it was all over. I was starting to recognise some of the spectators, including this guy, who had an even bigger hat than when I saw him last on the Wellington arch for the triathlon. He tells me he has three, each bigger than the last one! One local woman said the crowds were bigger than when they celebrated the Jubilee in June. WOW!

It didn’t matter who the athletes were, the crowds gave them all a huge warming cheer, including the poor guy from USA who retired from the race on his last lap, just after he passed us.

The day was hot, probably a little too hot for marathon runners, but at least the British weather was behaving itself on the last day of the games.

So that was it. The banners came down, the fences went away, and the traffic came back to the roads of Trafalgar square. The games were almost over. We sat for a while in work force check in to relax, review, recall, remember, before all going our own separate ways again.

London, it’s been a blast. I guess I won’t be getting a Rio invite then? ;)