the Riverbank Rollick in South
Gloucestershire is one of the few races that
I've taken part in and have then returned to
take photos at a later date. I remember too
well the seemingly endless slog, heading
south into the wind along the bank of the
Severn Estuary, with the old M4 suspension
bridge in the distance never seeming to get
any closer. This photo of a long line of
runners, bending into the wind, brings the
memory back . .
I've spent 39 Saturday mornings at a parkrun
this year. 11 of those Saturdays have been
at Hull parkrun, and I've taken photos there
once. Hull is my hometown so I have an
attachment to the city, and I remember
playing in East Park when I was a child. I
enjoy being able to run around the park
nowadays, especially as the course is flat
and fast. The light and the colours in this
image, taken on a freezing January morning
with the sun melting the ice into the
boating lake, make it one of my favourite
photos . .
here we're on The Highway, in the London
Marathon - an opportunity for us all to rub
shoulders with the best in the world. In the
green, the 2011 winner, Emmanuel Mutai from
Kenya in the 22nd mile, racing to a course
record of 2.04.40. On the other side of the
road the runners are 9 miles behind him,
heading for Canary Wharf . .
the inaugural Richmond Park Marathon in May
was 3½ laps of the Park, so the runners had
plenty of opportunities to get to know me. I
got some great reactions, smiles and waves
from them, and consequently, lots of great
photos. I had no difficulty in choosing this
one, because it was chosen to appear on the
cover of Running Free magazine . . my first
magazine cover . .
the Bearbrook 10k is another event I've
taken part in, and I especially like this
view of the leaders shortly after the start,
with almost every foot off the ground as
they negotiate a sharp right angled turn
into the road . . I can see a bit of
Keystone Cops in there, and a bit of Benny
Hill too . . but maybe that's just me!
the JW Ultra gives me the chance to get some
unusual photos of runners beside different
canals. The views of the runners crossing
Edstone Aqueduct are especially interesting
when a barge comes along . .
the Ridgeway has been used by travellers for
over five thousand years and is thought of
as being Britain's oldest road. I enjoy
photos like this as it there's so much more
than the race I'd come to work at, with
runners taking part in the Ridgeway Run
crossing ancient burial mounds, with walkers
and their dogs out enjoying the clear autumn
air and with the Ridgeway winding its way
through the valleys into the distance beyond
. .
I've explained how many Saturday mornings I
spend at parkrun, and as Abingdon parkrun is
my "home" event I wanted to include a photo
from the event. This one was taken shortly
after the start on a misty November morning,
with the River Thames behind me, with the
splashes of russet in the tree, the lonely
bench and the colours of the runners coming
towards me . .
it's not every day that you see a crocodile
on the Grand Union Canal . . but this one
appeared in the Dirt Half Marathon in
November. I like the contrast of the
stillness of the barge and the water on the
right, and the colour and movement of the
runners on the left . .