Paris ’24 10,000m update…7 days to go

Friday 26th July 2024

Later today the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics will explode into life around the Eiffel Tower.

Excitement over the Olympics, held in Paris for the first time since 1924, is crackling away nicely. The previous Paris Games, a century ago, were made famous in 1981 by the film Chariots of Fire in which Eric Liddell, a Scottish Christian, runs for the glory of God and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew, runs to overcome prejudice…and, not to forget, Vangelis’s theme tune.

Et moi?

I’m not running my race for any lofty moral or spiritual goals, but to attempt to match the 10,000m world record time, 26.11, set by Ugandan Joshua Cheptogei in 2020 but over 5,000m by August 2nd, the day of the 10,000m final…seven days from now.

Progress?

Sadly recent attempts to bring my 5K time down have been thwarted. Yesterday I abandoned an attempt…mainly due to misjudging the direction of the wind! Doh! I was running into the wind not with it as planned. Today I woke up feeling decidedly odd with some labyrinthitis and have delayed a steady 5K run for a few hours.

But one doesn’t give up. I’m hoping the Olympian efforts of Team GB and others will inspire me over the final week to push, push, push. No pain no gain, eh?

One doesn’t give up…there are always hurdles to overcome

There are always hurdles to overcome. We’ve woken up to the breaking news that arsonists have targeted train lines in and out of Paris disrupting travel plans for 800,000 passengers on the move. As I write this there are no details, no one has taken responsibility, and the Opening Ceremony as planned will go ahead.

So…in the meantime, it’s Vive La France, much cheering for Team GB, and here’s hoping my earbuds don’t fall out listening to Vangelis whilst urging my two pins to go just a tad faster.