A special day on the beach

Today’s been one of those days that I wish I could package up and keep so that I could play it over and over and over again. I’ve explained in a previous post why Chariots of Fire is kind of special for us and I was extremely proud, a few weeks ago, when Gemma was selected to take part in the filmed re-enactment of the opening sequence. Well, today was the Chariots of Fire 5k Beach Race - another event to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the film’s release – and Derek, our coach, had been invited to compete as he was one of the original ‘beach’ runners in the film. There was no way that the Milne crew were missing this one!

We arrived at the gorgeous West Sands of St Andrews this morning with a car packed full of stuff and goodies for a post-race barbeque with some of our friends from Central AC. Some of them had already arrived and, while we were setting up camp on the beach, Gemma and Tola came strolling along the sands too. They’ve both got exams coming up, but were taking some time out to join us. With all our family’s different things going on, it’s not that often these days that we’re all out together; consequently, I kept doing that thing of standing back and savouring the moment (and probably looked like a bit of a numpty in the process!).

After a good bit of pre-race banter, the runners all gathered at the start line. Fortunately the wind died down and the big blow-up gantry didn’t take off, but there was a hitch with the sound system which meant that,  unfortunately, the Vangelis theme tune didn’t blast out as planned when the runners set off.  However, it didn’t matter as the race itself was a fantastic spectacle with over 200 runners, all clad in white and some bare-foot, bounding off in to the distance. The runners were met at the half way point by the swirl of pipes before turning and bolting back to the finish. I was just about beside myself when I spotted Ross heading back along the beach to come in first, closely pursued (well, not that closely...) by Alex in second place.  A steady stream of runners followed, with the rest of the Central AC crew - Gordon included – all doing themselves proud. One of the really special highlights of the day was cheering Coach across the line – it must have been such a poignant (as well as knackered!) moment for him.

After the race Derek was invited, along with two of the other original runners from the film, to speak at the prize-giving. Watching Alex, then Ross, walk forward for their prizes, with Coach there beside them, brought a wee tear to my eye! It’s hard to explain; the event wasn’t a big, fancy one, it didn’t count for anything; it was really all just for a bit of fun and to raise money for charity – but I probably felt just as proud and touched by this event as I would’ve done had it been a big, national affair. More often than not, it’s the people you’re with and the surroundings you’re in that make a thing special – no matter how simple or small that thing is. Today was a perfect example of that for me.

More banter, burgers and big cakes followed at the barbeque, which rounded off a pretty perfect day. It’s another one to add to the list of great occasions we’ve had with our friends from the athletics club. You know, running’s a brilliant way to keep fit – but it’s also a brilliant wee community to be a part of. Today was a happy, special reminder of that - and one that I’ll not forget for a long time to come.



The Milne Crew





Post -race warm down: Chariots of Fire - Central AC style!