Running for the torch
13 / 08 / 2012
Members of the Wattjog jogscotland group, based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, wanted to see the Olympic Torch Relay pass through Edinburgh this summer - but they couldn't bear to give up one of their regular training nights: so they did both.
Wattjog Jog Leader Mandy McInnes tells us: “We were delighted to hear that the Olympic Torch Relay was going through Edinburgh. However this was on a Wednesday night, one of our usual training nights. As a club we decided that this was too big an opportunity to miss but so was our running. That left only one solution - a nice run along to the Olympic Torch route, see the torch and then run back again.
“Unfortunately due to the timing of the torch we had to set off early, which meant not all our runners could join us on the run, however one did join us at the viewing point. We set off along the canal which provided a lovely route for a run. The canal led us out to Asda which was the changing point of the torch bearer. We arrived at Asda satisfied with our 4.3 mile run to get there. There were a lot of people gathering to see the torch.
"Then we spotted the best thing ever - the Coca Cola van giving out bottles of coke. This was exactly what we needed as it was a fairly hot evening. Once we had drunk this we had time to take in the amazing atmosphere. Then the buses started to arrive, first a Coca Cola bus followed by a Samsung bus and other buses carrying the teams of people. It wasn’t long before we caught our first glimpse of the Olympic Torch. The torch bearer ran past us to pass the flame on. We were then lucky enough to move to another spot to see the next torch bearer run past us too.
“Unfortunately due to the timing of the torch we had to set off early, which meant not all our runners could join us on the run, however one did join us at the viewing point. We set off along the canal which provided a lovely route for a run. The canal led us out to Asda which was the changing point of the torch bearer. We arrived at Asda satisfied with our 4.3 mile run to get there. There were a lot of people gathering to see the torch.
"Then we spotted the best thing ever - the Coca Cola van giving out bottles of coke. This was exactly what we needed as it was a fairly hot evening. Once we had drunk this we had time to take in the amazing atmosphere. Then the buses started to arrive, first a Coca Cola bus followed by a Samsung bus and other buses carrying the teams of people. It wasn’t long before we caught our first glimpse of the Olympic Torch. The torch bearer ran past us to pass the flame on. We were then lucky enough to move to another spot to see the next torch bearer run past us too.
“After the torch had moved onto its next location we set off on our run back along the canal and back to Heriot-Watt University. It was a nice run back with the sun still shining and all of us happy that not only had we seen the Olympic Torch, something we would unlikely get to see again but we had ran there and back, somehow making us feel more a part of it. We may not be quite Olympic standard, but we will continue to enjoy meeting up twice a week to go for a run.”