Insanity

Insanity
Originally uploaded by geezer742uk

This is London Marathon Race Director David Bedford. A very well
respected and senior figure in one of the largest sporting events in
the world.

He is wearing a dress.
And high heels.
And a feather boa.
And a bin bag.

DB was on stage in front of around 200 people at the Meet The Experts
day and was hugely entertaining.

The previous couple of hours was filled with a stream of very
knowledgeable people giving advice on subjects ranging from nutrition
and training (fascinating), to Virgin's corporate strategy behind
their website (yaaaawn), to what to expect on the day (yikes!). The
common threads through all of the above presentations were
professionalism, expertise and polished corporate slickness.

So, given David's seniority and august status within the hierarchy of
the VLM, I was expecting great things.

I will share with you the nugget of advice, culled from DB's many
years of marathon experience, that I enjoyed the most. And I quote:

"if you decide to shag yer missus wearing your finisher's medal, make
sure you sling it behind your neck. It's made of metal and you'll
knock her bloody teeth out if you don't."

He even put on a medal and got down on hands and knees on the stage to
demonstrate. Just in case any of the audience were struggling to
visualise the concept.

I am writing this on a train hurtling northward and I am still
cackling to myself.

Thankyou David, you were worth the journey alone. In a world of
corporate-sponsored, on-message platitudes, you'll do for me.

NDC