Show me the way to go home, I’m tired and I wanna go to bed …

It gets a little that way after a half marathon.

However, folks I have found the magic potion that will instil in the athlete a wickedly fast recovery.

It is not some fancy electrolyte drink. It is a bottle of Coopers Stout. Now I am not given to advertising on this site – but in this case I make the exception.

750 ml must be imbibed with in 1 hour of completing the event. Not only will aches and pains miraculously vanish, but the next day you will bounce back to your training regime as though you had not even competed.

It was the Kerikeri half marathon. Here are the results for the competitive walkers section in which I competed.

The good and bads of the Kerikeri half
Goods
* Very well organised (can't be faulted)
* Great marshalling
* Very strict with the competitive walkers (unlike the slap-happy approach in the Auckland Marathon)

Bads
*No acknowledgement of 3rd place getters (very very naughty!)
* No prizes for junior runners or walkers.
* Not nearly enough encouragement of competition ( too much emphasis on spot prizes)

Stand Out Perfomance for me:
My good friend Gary polishing off his first distance walk in 2:19:25. Fantastic!

Well done also to all the Calliopians who competed in both run and walk.

Sadly Maurice Hanvey did not compete. One day Maurice... one day!

But last word to Benjamin Franklin:

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."