You Need
Rupert Bear completed the London Marathon 2006 in 5 hours and 8 minutes to the delight of family and friends. The outfit was worn, once again, by Bernie Henderson, manager of the Assistive Technology Service in Swansea. A long time friend of Inclusive Technology directors Martin, Trish and Roger, he was competing in his third London Marathon having previously completed the first in 1981 and the 25th anniversary race last year. Rupert is the mascot of his chosen charity the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (MDC) and he is aiming to raise £5000 this year to add to last year’s £8000. We asked Bernie to tell us about his day...
Having volunteered to compete as Rupert at the last minute in 2005, I did have more time to prepare this year. The outfit is a little ‘challenging’ to wear and requires a number of techniques to remain upright and sane! Wearing the outfit, with two friends and fellow marathon competitors, John and Bronwen, acting as ‘minders’, we ran four miles together in training along Aberavon seafront two weeks before the race - to the sound of car horns and stares of amazement from the members of the public.
The main difficulty is to see where you are going as the head only has a small piece of gauze as a viewing window at the front – hence the need for minders! John and Bron were brilliant, pointing out bollards and kerbs. Last year, the woollen hat I wore under the head (yes, I have to wear a woollen hat to avoid too many bruises!!) kept falling down in front of my eyes making it even more difficult to see where I was going. However, in 2006 we introduced that marvel of modern technology... VELCRO® brand fasteners! Yes, using it to stop the hat moving helped me keep the head in position (except for drinks) for the whole race.
Last year we had a very warm day but this time the drizzle started as soon as we got to the start at Greenwich Park and gradually got heavier as the day progressed. To help me get started, I had two kind volunteers in Peter and Hannah Evans, also running for MDC. The start is quite dangerous in the outfit and I can only liken it to having a severe visual impairment and attending the busiest of January sales. Peter, with experience of working for RNIB, was a star. He kindly guided me through the gates and got me out onto the course without a hitch before we agreed to split up and allow him to continue with his daughter, Hannah.
Once again, the crowds were astonishing. The fellow competitors were full of admiration for the idiot dressed as Rupert and shouted support as we ran together. I was full of admiration for the other idiots e.g. Paddington Bear, Banana Man, The Rhinos, Wonder Woman, The Wombles... or the man dressed in a thong and nothing else!! Give me Rupert any day. We had a great time together and all joined in banter as we passed each other.
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign staff, families and supporters had set up two locations to meet and greet our runners, at Tower Bridge and near the end in Birdcage Walk. As each of us arrived they went crazy! The adrenalin buzz it gave at Tower Bridge was fantastic and made me even more determined to see it through to the end.
I managed to negotiate the ‘sleeping policemen’ after mile 14 (they nearly had me last year!) before my only serious mishap. I’d been bumping into people all day but managed to remain upright... until the 16 mile point when a man in red (that’s all I saw) appeared from nowhere and the next thing I know I’m down on my knees hanging on to anyone and anything that was passing. To be fair, given that you can see so little in that outfit, to ‘appear from nowhere’ is a relative term! Back on my feet with slightly sore knees but no serious injury I was able to complete the rest of the course without any repetition.
The 25 mile marker of balloons across the road is the marathon runner’s dream, because at this point there is nothing that can stop you crossing that finishing line. With a little over one mile to complete you would crawl on your hands and knees to get across that line... and I’ve seen some people quite close to doing that. You pass Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and turn into Birdcage Walk. The crowds are screaming and fellow competitors, recently finished, add their roars of approval. The final turn into the Mall and there it is! Only 200 yards to go and the finishing line awaits. There is nothing quite like it and if you have ever considered attempting the London Marathon, I can thoroughly recommend it.
Last year my only dismay was family and friends watching every minute of the coverage to catch a glimpse of Rupert, many to jokingly deny I’d taken part at all when I didn’t appear. This year, we returned to my daughter’s apartment in London just in time to watch the highlights of the race on BBC2. The programme came to an end with no sign of Rupert and my daughter was about to fire off an email to the BBC when centre screen there he was ... Rupert Bear, just as the credits began to roll. I did do it... I was that Bear!
I have to thank all my friends and family for their generosity and support - particularly, everyone at Inclusive Technology for once again showing me such kindness and encouragement.
The website www.justgiving.com/rupertthebear has helped to add extra funds and is still open should you wish to make a donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.
Rupert may well be back for next year’s marathon, but I’m not so sure about Bernie. Then again... I said that last year. I’m looking forward to a rest and a couple of beers before my daughter talks me into joining her on her next challenge... the New York Marathon in November. I wonder how much British Airways charge to take a Bear to New York?????