I finished the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon in 2h 31 min 22 sec. Must try harder to have a chance of finishing the London Marathon in my target time of sub 5 hours! I suffered the humiliation of being beaten by someone encumbered in heavy costume as an enormous pint of beer. I had, however, the consolation of defeating a huge gorilla who appeared to have escaped from the film set of "Trading Places". The going got especially tough after about mile 8 when my Ipod Shuffle drowned in the rain and, now musicless, my heart sank still further as I looked up at the endless rise of Telscombe Cliffs and felt as though the course went on forever! Climbing the final hill and seeing the finish ahead, I felt better and broke into what for me passes for a sprint, and what to my son looks like a duck waddling! (Photo: Mark Warwick)