Today's challenge

But not for me!  I would have difficulty running for a bus so there is absolutely no way on earth that I would take part in a marathon.  The Brighton marathon is being run today and as I type this, I see that the first man finished about 20 minutes ago, Cherbor, from Kenya, has set a new course record.  His time - still unofficial - was 2:09:25.

The event does prove rather inconvenient for many people as some roads are closed for the best part of the day, making it a little difficult to get around the city, and some people can be trapped in their homes for hours.  But there are some large sums raised for charity by the participants.  All the same, being a grumpy old man there are things I dislike about the whole affair.

I have a strong dislike of sponsored events to raise funds for charity, however noble the cause.  Sucking fruit gums, staying silent, swimming, walking, running, climbing Kilimanjaro and so on are all things that the participants want to do - well, most of them are, especially the adult activities - but contribute nothing to the community.  Why not undertake some activity that provides a service and get people to sponsor the participant for undertaking that service?

Looking at these events from the other side, the major efforts - such as marathons - are often if not nearly always run by commercial concerns.  The Brighton marathon is no different.  The organisers expect participants to pay to take part - and then, in the case of the Brighton marathon, appeal for volunteers to act as stewards and so on.  To my mind, that smacks of hypocrisy. 

But then, I'm just an old curmudgeon.