This was my first official marathon and I bloody well loved it. I ran with a gaggle of unsavoury characters who all stuck with me for about 5 minutes. Some took off in front and some dropped off the pace slightly but never mind. All of the other runners out on the course were brilliant and so it felt like I had mates with me all day. The course was scenic and well marked. There were some hills thrown in but none that destroyed you. The one thing that really made this race for me was the unrelenting support that all the runners got from the thousands of people who turned out in monsoon conditions to cheer us all on. It was truly humbling and brought a tear to my eye on a few occasions. The large blister that popped at mile 17 also brought a tear to my eye, in fact both eyes, and it made me wince and want to give up. The pacers were great to run with and the finish line reception was something else. All in all, it was a brilliant brilliant day. :)