A member of my other club Southampton AC had to drop out due to injury, so he gave me his number for the BUPA Great South Run 10 mile run on Sunday.

I set off to get a train to Portsmouth at my local train station in Southampton, meeting up with other runners there, one of whom knew that there would be a replacement bus service for part of the way. Unfortunately there was no information at the station to inform that the bus would not pick up at the station but around the corner in front of a Pub. So we now faced the possibility that we would not make the start.

We got the bus in the other direction to Southampton Central, the intention to get a refund and use the money to get a Taxi. Only the station manager could give this the go ahead and he was late for work. So catching the 9:35am train, meant in the end getting to the start line just in time to start at the back of a record field of 24,000 runners.

As I was not running under my own name I was obliged to attempt damage limitation and ran the whole 10 miles weaving in and out, trying to get past the slower (running slow on the day) fun runners, continually stopping/starting.

Running for myself I would have realised the limit of the situation and just jogged around and enjoyed the day, bands playing, massive support. To cap it all my legs cramped up 30 metres from the finnish line attempting a sprint finish and it took me over a minute to uncramp/get my legs moving again and stagger over the line. So obviously a personal worst for the distance, running as Peter, the Vegan Runner.

Sidney DeLara (late starter) BUPA Great South 10 miles Portsmouth. Sunday Oct 30th.

1 hour 20 mins 34 secs. 2,350th/24,000 runners