On Sunday 14th October 2012 I watched the marathon taking place in Liverpool.

The spot I chose to watch from was the Strand. This gave me a good opportunity to watch the runners as they approached the 17 mile mark, and as they ran the opposite direction towards the finishing line.
The first runner completed the mrathon in around 2 hour 28 minutes. However the majority of the people competing were raising money for various charities. This included a group of runners raising money for Mencap Liverpool. These runners got encouragement and support, by the presence of people along the route to cheer them on, and a large Mencap Liverpool banner which could be clearly seen.
The atmosphere during the day was amazing. Crowds of people lined the route of the marathon, especially approaching the finishing line. They clapped and cheered as every runner passed them.

The weather during the day was good, with sunshine for most of the event. The streets were illuminated even further by the presence of people wearing costumes. It was heartwarming to see children running with their parents, encouraging them on the last couple of hundred metres towards the finishing line.

 

It inspired me to think about taking part in the marathon myself sometime in the future, and what a fantastic achievement that would be.