Maravan 22nd/23rd November 2014

Over 6 months ago I took a spontaneous decision to run the “Maravan” as its called. Its a play on words for “Marathon” held in a caravan park, Thorpe Park, at Cleethorpes at the end of November 2014. At the beginning of the year I had decided that I was not going a run a marathon this year. Once I was aware of the “Maravan” race my mind changed just like that. For this race you can either run either the Saturday or the Sunday or run both days. To make it more of a challenge and more interesting, I decided to run BOTH days making my “maravan” race running 2 full marathons in 2 consecutive days. The event itself is now under 2 months away being on the 22nd/23rd November 2014.

In my lifetime I have ever ran 1 marathon, the Hull Marathon, in April 2012 so this is an incredible challenge for me which will also make me even fitter.

 

To find more information on the Maravan event click here

Click here for the Maravan entry list

Many local runners are also taking part, of which many of those are experienced marathon runners or ultrarunners. Expect they will get round the course better than I will however I am confident I will run BOTH days without a problem. My training began on the 19th/July 2014 as part of my 19 week training program, which this time was created by myself. One of my first training runs for it was the National Lottery Newham London Anniversary Run round the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, the home of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Newham London National Lottery Anniversary Run – Part 1

Today was National Olympic Day all over the planet celebrating the Olympics. As part of my celebration I’m going to tell you about my next visit to the home of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London.

At the end of March, a few days after its return had been announced in the Press, I entered myself in this year’s National Lottery Anniversary Run. Its new title is the Newham London National Lottery Anniversary Run and got my place confirmed.

With about a month to go I’m looking forward to it. The event takes place on Sunday 20th July 2014.

 

 

 

 

Here is the course of the run and it looks brilliant. It takes in the Orbit, Olympic Stadium, the Copperbox, Athletes village, Aquatic Centre and the Velodrome plus some of the paths through the gardens. View the course on the official website

 

 

Last time I ran through the park it was for Sport Relief on March 23rd before the South Section of the park (Olympic Stadium etc) officially opened to the public on April 5th 2014. Will be running through the park for Sport Relief again this time too, asking for donations through my Sport Relief 2014 Justgiving page for the run.

Above is a few photos from when I ran 6 miles for Sport Relief round the Olympic Park…Saving that story for another post. As I did for Sport Relief I’ll be running in my Games Maker hat, Olympic Accreditation and some of my Games Maker badges and other London 2012 badges that were given to me when I was a London 2012 Olympics Games Maker during the games.

Inaugural Cleethorpes parkrun 24th May 2014

Photo of all the volunteers (left) by Cleethorpes parkrun volunteer Anne-Marie Fowler. Run Director Darren Rowe is far right. The photo was taken on 24th May 2014 after the first ever Cleethorpes parkrun had finished.

 

 

Playing a part in the first ever Cleethorpes parkrun was one of those moments where I can say that once again “I was there”. Had a few of those in these past few years. I played no part in the organising or setting up of it but was one of the first people to express an interest in volunteering at it as soon as I knew of the intention to set one up.

Before attending the meeting about parkrun at the Cleethorpes Leisure Centre for anyone interested in volunteering at parkrun I was aware that a donation had been given due to an article in the Grimsby Telegraph: Weekly parkrun set up in Cleethorpes

At that initial volunteer meeting one of the matters that had been discussed was a trial run on 21st May. I attended and volunteered at the trial run too, which went really well, with 20 odd local runners turning up. It gave the Run Director Darren Rowe and the other Run Directors – some of whom volunteered at the event – an opportunity to test it out and see what needed tweaking and resolve any possible issues before the official launch. A few of the core volunteers do take it in turns to become the Run Director.

On the 24th May 2014 it was the Official launch day of the Cleethorpes parkrun and the weather was not on our side. Overcast and wet but not short of volunteers (see above). I marshalled in my London 2012 Olympics Games Maker uniform as I like to do on occasion with the aim of trying to inspire and encourage people to run, with the help of my cheery uniform. This time I also brought my Join In foam finger that was given to me when I went on the Olympic Park last year, specifically July 19th 2013 (see photos below). The North section of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – where the Velodrome is – opened to the public on 27th July 2013.

With my foam finger I planned to use it to give directions – well, I was marshalling, which I did. My inspiration was my fellow Games Makers who used foam fingers in London during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to give directions. To my surprise, most runners seemed to cheer up when they saw me and most of the runners high-fived it, which was also fun. Bit of a party atmosphere. Noticed many experienced parkrunners running around with one of those ‘100’ parkrun T-shirts for parkrunners who have ran in more than 100 parkruns.

In total there were 177 runners on the Inaugural Cleethorpes parkrun, which was amazing! They came from all over. Here is the Run Report on the 1st ever Cleethorpes parkrun by Colin Wright.

Reports in the local paper: New Weekly parkrun gets Underway with a Bang and 170 Runners turn up for first ever Cleethorpes parkrun 

To anyone who doesnt know, a parkrun is NOT a race! It is a weekly timed 5k run. You run as fast or as slow as you want. parkrun cannot function without volunteers: Volunteer at Cleethorpes parkrun

You can find photos from the Cleethorpes parkrun here

Awards given to the London 2012 Games Makers 2012/2013

To my surprise over this past year since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games all 70,000 of the official London 2012 Games Makers have won 4 National Awards. As 1 of the official 70,000 Games Makers it makes me a co-recipient of these awards. I definitely didnt expect to receive a national award and i’m sure many of my fellow Games Makers didnt either. Thanks to all those institutions who gave us the awards.

They are (in order):

Communicators of the Year 2012

This was awarded to the Games Makers by the Institute of Internal Communication at a ceremony in London on November 21st 2012

 

 

 

 

Big Society Award 2012

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Society Award 2012 was presented to all the London 2012 Games Makers on November 28th 2012 by Prime Minister David Cameron.

2nd link to the Big Society Award 2012

Queens Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012

On December 12th 2012 all the Games Makers were awarded with the Queens Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012

 

 

 

 

Nomination for Team of the Year at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2012

BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012 Live Coverage (as it happened) by the Guardian – 500 lucky Games Makers were in the audience who had been in a ballot conducted by LOCOG. The Team of the Year award was eventually won by Team GB and ParalympicsGB.

Games Makers in the audience were not only mentioned in the commentary but by athletes. When Lord Coe was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Duchess of Cambridge he also thanked the Games Makers.

Outstanding Contribution to Tourism 2013 (May 2013)

The Oustanding Contribution to Tourism award was given to all the Games Makers at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2013. Follow the links below for more info:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the places this award was referenced: Lincolnshire Sports Partnership, Daily Mirror, Travelbite

When the Duchess Met the Games Maker (me) – Part 1

On 5th March 2013 Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, came to my town. Having been a fan of admirer of all the young royals including Kate, I decided I wanted to go and see her. The nearest place to me she was visiting was the National Fishing Heritage Centre. The day before she came I decided I would go and see her in my Games Maker uniform as she had been at London 2012 and been a great supporter of the event.

Expecting a large crowd it seemed a good idea to get there as early as possible so got myself to the National Fishing Heritage Centre for 7.30am and was the 2nd person there. Next thing I know I am being interviewed by local news ‘Look North’ less than an hour later. Whilst waiting a photo of myself and the crowd is posted on the Viking FM twitter

Due to freezing fog the Duchess was delayed by at least an hour. It was really cold for me in my Games Maker uniform which was designed for Summer, not freezing fog. Was so glad when she finally arrived. After waving to the crowds, talking to the dignitaries and taking a tour of the centre, Kate decided to greet the crowds. All the time I had planned to come see the Duchess I had hoped I might get a chance to talk to her. The closer she came my heart began beating a lot quicker. As she came along I took quite a few photos of the event. Closer and Closer she came and then…the Duchess saw me and spoke to me!

The first thing the Duchess of Cambridge said to me was “I recognise that uniform” referring to my Games Maker uniform then she asked what I had done at the Olympics. We also talked about the Olympics in general, the sports she liked as I remembered she liked Hockey. It was quite a long chat and I made her laugh at one point. I really enjoyed the chat. Not only did she look fantastic but she was easy to talk to and down to earth. After that she spoke to more of the crowd and left. Shortly after she left I was interviewed for ‘Calendar’ and a few other journalists including many from the national papers. I was also interviewed by a journalist from Lincs FM/Compass FM who got some quotes from myself and the first person there.

To my complete surprise, due to a tip off from a friend, I later discovered a photo of myself talking to the Duchess of Cambridge in most of the national newspapers. A fantastic photo. This one below:

Even more surprising is how widespread this photo was published. In addition to which my local paper The Grimsby Telegraph had photos of me in it for 4 days consecutively as well. Here are some of the sites I have found to date with that photo to be published with links. Will add more when i find them:

 

 The Daily Express. It was on page 5 in the paper version

 

 

 

 

ITV Website. It made a few appearances on that website

 

 

 

 

A BBC News Gallery of her visit to Grimsby

 

 

 

 

The Daily Mail. A slightly different one a but great one of the Duchess whilst she is talking to me. As you can see, I made her laugh!

 

 

 

Sky News

 

 

 

 

MSN News

 

 

 

 

ITV News again

 

 

 

 

My favourite place of all: The Duchess of Cambridge’s own official website

 

 

 

There was also lots of video footage taken on the day of the event by news broadcasters etc but will save that for another post.

Why I still wear my Games Maker uniform

Since the London 2012 Games finished on 9th September 2012 with the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, unlike many of my fellow official Games Makers, I have been wearing my Games Maker uniform very frequently. Some people think I shouldn’t carry on wearing it with the Games finished. A point of view I understand and they are entitled to their opinion.

Thought I should put down why I still wear my Games Maker uniform, not as an apology but more so people can understand my point of view. On the whole it still gets a positive reaction from people who think I should be proud to still wear it because of what the Games Makers accomplished at London 2012:

At the conclusion of the Games my uniform, which had been the property of London 2012 throughout the Games, became my property and owned by me.

Technically we were not supposed to wear it again but put it away. To me, that seemed such a waste to just wear it for 2 and a half weeks. After all, us Games Makers along with the athletes, police and officials, had made history at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. I had just been a Games Maker at the most successful Olympic Games ever.

So I thought that as I owned the uniform I might as well do something constructive with it. It was at that point I decided to wear it when doing any sports volunteering such as marshalling at races, being a marksman on the track or stewarding at Clee Town FC matches.

Volunteering is just one of the things the Olympic Legacy is all about. After the Games, London 2012 (now Sport England) had been trying to inspire us Games Makers to volunteer in our local community. Wearing the uniform not only puts it to good use after the London 2012 Games but represents the Olympic Legacy. My volunteering is also a part of the Olympic Legacy the country is trying to build.

It should be noted that I also wear the uniform as I was also inspired by London 2012 and by my fellow Games Makers and what many of them have done since the end of the Games. I also wear it in the hope of inspiring others to do their best and to inspire them to volunteer too.

Many of my fellow Games Makers put their uniforms away after the athletes parade on 10th September 2012. At the end of the day it is the personal choice of each individual Games Maker.

Apparently it will take 10 years to build the London 2012 Olympic Legacy. I shall continue to wear my uniform when doing Sports Volunteering for the foreseeable future, and possibly far into it, while the legacy is being built and while the uniform still stays in one piece :)

On the Bench TV: My local telly appearance

In early June of 2013 an opportunity was presented to me to participate in a local and new sports discussion show called ‘On the Bench’. I would have originally been in the 1st episode of the new series had I responded a little quicker but was very glad to have been involved in it. I was in fact in the 2nd episode of the 1st series, which is available to view below:

Of course my aim was to go on and promote my running club, Cleethorpes Athletics Club, whilst talking about the Olympics, which is what I did. Another objective was to talk up our fantastic and talented track athletes at Clee AC. Until that point I had never been in a studio setting and preferred dealing with the media ‘live’ when talking to journalists and photographers at fun runs etc so found it more than a little nerve-racking. In the process during filming I did make one factual error concerning the age the club takes kids on, which is actually at 7 years old.

At the end I really enjoyed the experience and looking forward to returning to the series one day soon in some sort of episode which also catches up with what i’ve been doing since my first appearance.

‘On the Bench’ is still going and currently into its second series, produced and made by Estuary TV. ‘On the Bench’ can be followed on twitter here @onthebenchtv and Estuary TV can be found @estuarytv

Stephen Lyons Games Maker Memories Display

Following on from my previous post about fellow Games Maker Stephen Lyons who has a display at Grimsby Central Library at the moment, there are a few photos of his display below. A full gallery of photos of his display can be found at: http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/pictures/Stephen-Lyons-Games-Maker-Display-Grimsby-Central/pictures-17349048-detail/pictures.html

In addition to which he has posted hundreds of his own photos online on Flickr from both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. His Flickr feed can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21903142@N00/sets/72157632008218469/

Meet the Local Games Makers...1. Stephen Lyons

Recently I have had the pleasure of meeting another Local Games Maker. He volunteered at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the Olympics he was on the Accreditation Team at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London.

For several weeks now he has put on a display of his Games Maker memories at Grimsby Central Library, where we are both pictured above, until December 4th. Please drop in and take a look. I will be posting some photos of it here in the next few days.

First – The Official Film of the London 2012 Olympic Games

Not bought it yet but read it is apparently out now on DVD and Blu-Ray. By the looks of this trailer (below) it looks fantastic and something i want to watch. It is the journey of 12 Athletes up to their debuts in the Olympics. Another Olympics DVD to add to my wish list. The Other Olympics DVD is the Olympics DVD, in 5 discs which I hope to get in the next few months.

Enjoy the trailer:

2012 Olympics Memories Warm-Up

Before I begin sharing my photos and memories of the London 2012 Olympics and Torch Relay – which was also part of it – I thought i’d start with one of the Olympics Trailers. The Olympics and Paralympics were such an amazing thing and a positive thing for the whole nation due to the effect they had on people all over the World.

Quick Post Olympic Update

A great deal has happened since I played my part in the biggest sporting show on earth at the London 2012 Olympics as a Games Maker.
This is only a quick post so will save all the gory details for later. Since my return from the Olympics I have:
Taken part in my first ever Great North Run at Newcastle.
Got involved as a volunteer with a local non-profit football team.
Marshalled at some local sporting events in my Games Maker uniform.
Started to make contact with some local Games Makers.....
The photos in this post are of most of the members of my Press Operations Team, of which I was a part of, from Earls Court during the Olympics. Will introduce you to them properly later.

I'm a London 2012 Games Maker!

It has been quite some time since I have updated this blog as I have
been really busy. The events since then will slowly be explained as I
begin to return to normality with this blog. There has been so much
going on and things are about to get much more interesting!

On the 5th July 2012 after I applied over a year ago I was finally
offered a Volunteer Role as a "Games Maker" at the London 2012 Olympic
Games! Needless to say I accepted the offer and will be heading down
to London this Friday 27th July 2012. My volunteer role is with the
Press Operations team based at Earls Court. My first shift is the 28th
July and my final shift is the 12th August 2012 when the Olympics have
finished. I shall be returning home on the 13th August.

While I cannot post photos etc from the Venue while on my shift I
shall try to cover as much Olympics stuff as possible on here and on
my twitter. At the same time it is my intention to see as much of
London as possible and try to take in the area round my campsite which
is in Walthamstow. To find out more about London 2012 Games Makers go
here:
http://www.london2012.com/about-us/volunteers/

In the past several months I have:

Ran several local races including a Half Marathon and got myself several PB's
Ran and completed the Hull Marathon
Been able to get myself a charity place for the Great North Run on
16th September 2012
Chased the Olympic Torch when it came to my area and had my photo
taken with several Olympic Torchbearers, many of whom came from my
club, Clee AC.
Held and touched an Olympic Torch and had my photo taken with one!
...to say the least

The Photo above is of all the 8 Clee AC Olympic Torchbearers at our
local lifeboat station at Cleethorpes.