Home by the Sea - Genesis

Start on the 'B' of the first 'Bong'...

Lyrics:- 'Dreaming of the time we were free' - Banks, Collins and Rutherford

Song Choice:- Ok, I've cheated a bit here by using the 2007 ‘Remaster’ of the 1983 Genesis Album ‘Mama’ for my song choice. It features the brilliant 11 minutes and 14 seconds of 'Home by the Sea' and fits my 'Influential albums blogs series', just perfectly for albums that have accompanied me along 23 years of running. 

On a day where news reports are saying that folk are much happier when they live by or visit  the sea, it seemed most apt and as I now live by the sea myself, I can only concur that there is something mystically magical living by the ocean be it in the light, the fresh air or in spirit, even if it is the Severn Estuary.

It did get me thinking about some of the more coastal races I'd run though over the years and my standout 'run to the sea' would be probably be my 206th marathon on the 3rd October 1999. The famous, Road Runner’s London to Brighton Road Race (which is sadly no more) and a proper Road-Ultra which that year was a 54 miler, instead of the usual 55. It's probably my best athletic performance of my entire career and I ran all the way from Big Ben in London, to Brighton in 8hrs 55mins - which I'm really proud of...

It’s a day that I’ll never forget and starting on the first ‘Bong’ of a 7am Big Ben Chime, I had to make sure that I didn't walk on the race as that would mean an instant early-bath on the ‘Bus of Shame’ that drove along at the 10.20 pace folk needed to do to beat the 9hrs 30mins time limit. It would need to be a much bigger coach nowadays as many of today’s more casual ‘Ultra-Marathoners’ couldn't sub-10 for 54 miles I’d say. It was easy back then being 37 and I’d run a 3hrs 32mins at the Robin Hood Marathon the week previously, so I knew I was in form and ran steadily to Brighton all the way.

You do when you are ‘Ultra-Fit’… 

Reaching the sea that day and wading into the freezing English Channel to cool off tired legs, that were zinging from the run, gave me a real feeling of accomplishment. It made me feel like I was a proper runner and that I’d joined a very exclusive ‘club’. The A23 certainly made for an interesting run and I enjoyed this race three times before the traffic and health and safety finished it off a couple of years later. It’s a shame really as its sister-race ‘The Comrades Marathon’ in South Africa commanded 100 times the entrants in 1999, yet provided no greater challenge in my opinion. Anyway, I always felt more allegiant to the London to Brighton and it’s probably why I’ve never had it in my heart to run ‘Comrades’. It's academic now as post GBS, I’d never beat the time limit there anyway now so sadly it’s one race that will never grace my list of have-dones.

It doesn’t matter though as my three London-to-Brighton medals are very precious to me and highlight three very special day trips to the sea and each one of them certainly lifted my mood on the day. I didn't need a report to tell me that!

What do you think? Maybe it’s time you took a trip to the seaside? Go using your feet to get there too, if you can as you’ll then be able to experience just how good going to the Seaside can be.

Then like me in years to come, you look back and 'Dream of the time you were free'... perhaps?

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 999 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,644 Days' Alcohol Free - 492 Days' post GBS

Location: Cardiff, Wales.