London Marathon 2016: My Weekend

And so, after six months of training, and more than a year of anticipation, it's finally over. Blood, sweat and tears have been shed over this monumental effort - for more on my reasons, take a look at my previous post, which provides an insight into my damaged mind.

Now, having only run one of these things in my life, I am in no position to hand out advice and information to anyone, however, there are a few observations I made that may be of use to future runners. Firstly, if you're fortunate enough not to live in central London, make sure you get a hotel close to the start line. The tube is mental at the best of times, but on the days around the marathon, it gets even more congested. Hotels aren't cheap either, as evidenced by the fact that I managed to get two nights in the Canary Wharf Hilton for less than the local Travelodge!

I went down on the Saturday before the race, giving me little time to register at the ExCel centre. And, as expected, the Saturday was extremely busy. Tubes were once again packed, making getting to the point a real pain. At the centre, you queue to get your race number and electronic tag to measure your race time, before entering the free for all of the exhibition.

My race number

Once inside, there are a couple of pieces of advice I can give. The first, and most important, is it will take longer than you thought, so make sure you have something to eat before you arrive. There is nothing worse for preparation that failing to keep your carbohydrate levels up the day before! In addition, while there is a lot of cool stuff on sale, don't make stupid panic purchases. I bought what Lucozade called their 'marathon pack' for £10, which consisted of two energy drinks, four packs of jelly beans and two energy gels. Now, given that they were handing out both the gels and the drinks like sweets on the day, that perhaps was not the best investment I've ever made.

Race Day
So, it's arrived. And inevitably, the first thing I thought was 'why the hell did I ask to do this?' This feeling doesn't abate until you arrive at Greenwich Park, and see people in a lot worse state that you. For instance, before reaching the start line, I had already seen a man dressed in a giant dinosaur costume and someone with a rocket on his back!

Before you're kettled to the start line, make sure you leave plenty of time to get that last drink in, as well as stretch out properly. As I lay here with muscles aching, I can safely say that despite the strong and often nauseating smell, I wish I had taken some form of warming muscle rub with me and applied before the start - it just makes the opening couple of miles that little bit easier.

So having finally started, 25 minutes after the race officially began, I completely ignored every piece of advice I had received pre-event. Having spent the first two miles jostling for position with the rest of the crowd, I looked at my watch to find I was way behind the time I had initially expected. In this position, the sensible thing to do would be to not worry about it and continue at your own pace. What I did was speed up to try and get back on track. Worst. Decision. Ever.

By 10 miles I was back at my normal time, but in order to do so, I had drained a lot of energy from the tank. As a result, by half distance, I was knackered, and my stomach started to feel empty. Before the race, everyone talked to me about the 'wall' that I would hit, and I had imagined that it would be upon me by mile 20 or so. What I realised on that day is we all have our own personal walls, and just be prepared to hit it and go through it regardless of what time it arrives. In my case, between miles 13 and 19, I struggled painfully. Every mile marker seemed to take forever to come by, and there were more than a few occasions where I simply felt like this wasn't possible (a key one being when I was overtaken by a man dressed as a rhinoceros!).

However, I, as so many others out there, was rescued by one thing: the crowd. It is absolutely true that during the race, every member of the crowd becomes a lifelong friend, cheering your name and encouraging you on. You also have no qualms about taking random bits of food from these people, be it Haribo, oranges or the one guy handing out pasta salad (a bit late, mate!). The crowd can keep you going beyond what you thought was possible, either from the support, or just creating moments that are unforgettable.

A few instantly spring to my mind. Firstly, some of the banners that are held up during the race are genius. There were a few occasions throughout the course where people held out signs with things like 'Power Boost: Touch Here' on them, while one man even went as far to attach a horn and hand out 'free honks' to the runners as we went past.

As I was running for a charity, I was also aware of a number of points that Mind had for cheering on its competitors. However, what I completely underestimated was the sheer number of people that would be at each one, and the effect that about 100 people chanting your name in unison would have as you went past. For both the 13.5 and 25 mile markers, I received a welcome boost, and I want to thank each and every person that turned out to support the team - it was an amazing effort!

There will, however, be one moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life. During one of my most difficult periods, I stumbled upon a man dressed as Jesus, carrying a crucifix along with him. Now, that is impressive enough as it is, but the fact that he was doing it barefoot led me to question his mental health. Nevertheless, the reaction he got from the crowd was justifiably amazing, and for me jogging behind him, to hear thousands of people scream 'Come on Jesus!', in that moment, there was literally nothing funnier. During the event, I also heard 'Come on Elvis', 'Come on Rhino' and 'Come on Postbox', but without a doubt the Messiah made my day.

Also, just a couple of quick points before I get to the end. Firstly, though there are a lot of iconic landmarks around London, and people make the point that the London Marathon is 'a great way to do the touristy bits' - it isn't. I can honestly say I don't remember going past many of the key landmarks - it all blurs into one. I can remember the following, and that is it.

• Cutty Sark
• Tower Bridge
• Canary Wharf
• Big Ben

Also, for those of you watching runners, prepare for your own personal hell. I was told that they closed Tube stations due to the high demand, making it almost impossible to get around the city centre (because that is what all of us up North have been paying for!).

However, after 26 miles of arduous, painstaking effort, enjoy the mall. The run in for me was one of my favourite bits, as I had got myself past the mental challenge and was cruising to the finish. I even managed to sprint the final 200-400 metres! The feeling of that medal around your neck is one of the best you will have, so enjoy it, and be proud of your achievements.

However, as I can tell you from the comfort of my bed, be prepared to cancel any plans you had for the next week, as you will lose the function of your leg muscles!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this journey, as it has been a difficult, and at times, emotional, rollercoaster over the last year or so. I have achieved what I set out to - I am now a marathon runner - and I couldn't have done it without you.

Before...

And after!

The prize!

London Marathon 2016: My Motivation

It's safe to say last weekend wasn't my average weekend. Whilst I've made a point of being more active and doing more things with my free time more recently, it's safe to say that running 26.2 miles around the streets of our capital wasn't initially what I had in mind!

Before I go into a bit more detail about the weekend itself in another post, I wanted to revisit where this mad idea came from. I briefly touched upon the topic when I wrote my first blog post about the London Marathon back in November, when the idea of running it seemed a good one, but I wanted to provide some further background.

From as young as I can remember, I have always struggled to control my brain. Things that other kids seemed to take in their stride, be it sleepovers, evenings out or simply going to school were at times a struggle for me. You see, I overthink things (as any AS-level psychology student could have told me if they've ever read my blog posts), reading far too much into any situation and seeing only the negatives. During my childhood, I was never diagnosed with any condition, with doctors often explaining it away as 'homesickness'. It is certainly true that my worst times were at particularly stressful moments - upcoming exams and my parents' divorce are two such examples, one considerably more stressful than the other, I do admit!

Over the years, I've found coping mechanisms and ways to alleviate some of my symptoms, but I've never been able to lead what many describe as a 'normal' life (though I am cynical enough to suggest that such a thing doesn't exist). As a result of this, I have often found it far too easy to isolate myself, with genuine friendships seemingly more difficult to build during my school (and particularly, university) years.

Apologies for the short insight into my clearly screwed-up psychology, but it is pertinent to my motivation for the London Marathon for two reasons. The first is simple; if there was any part of me that would have backed out of the challenge, it evaporated when I found out that Mind had places to run. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have had family and close friends heavily affected by mental illness, and with my own personal connection, I felt this was an opportunity I couldn't miss.

For those of you that don't know, Mind offers support and guidance to any of the one in four people in the UK that suffer from a mental health problem, ranging from anxiety and depression to severe schizophrenia. In 2015 alone, the charity directly contacted 375,000 people through its local services, with thousands more either phoning its helplines or visiting one of its 150 sites across the country. Without doubt, the charity has saved countless lives, and while there may not be specific statistics that we can point to like survival rates for diseases, that is what makes the health problems Mind deals with all the more dangerous.

For those affected or interested to find out more, visit their website at http://mind.org.uk/. In addition, if you'd like to make a donation, visit my JustGiving page at http://justgiving.com/ANDREW-HAYWOOD3.

The second reason was much more personal. As I mentioned earlier, I have always dealt with stressful situations in my personal life quite badly, overthinking every eventuality and tending to opt for the 'plan for the worst' option, rather than just enjoying the now. This thought process, coupled with some confidence issues, led to the break-up of my only proper relationship. Lasting five and a half years, I had always thought this would be it. And like an idiot, I spent a long time planning the future (buying a house and all the normal stuff that follows) and thinking about things that could go wrong, and neglected what really mattered. Suffice it to say, the end affected me significantly, and nearly two years on, continues to do so every day.

Over the last eighteen months, I have had lower days than I ever thought possible, and have been fortunate enough to rely on my family for support. This has formed the foundation of my change in mentality, taking more chances and spending more time focusing on things to do now and less on the future. While this hasn't been enough to get me back what I lost, I hope it will make me happy in the long run, and has enabled me to do things I never thought possible.

Hence the London Marathon. I wanted to set myself a challenge that I could work towards, and a focus that would take my mindset away from overthinking in a negative way and channel it into something positive. The training was an enormous challenge, and getting out of the house for 8:30am on a Sunday morning for an 18 mile run was certainly among one the toughest moments, but knowing there was a bigger challenge to work towards was the key motivation, and really kept me going through the tough times, either during training or other areas of my life.

I'm sorry to those reading this post, getting to the end and thinking 'what was the point of that?' This has certainly been a cathartic experience for me, and has given me a platform to really describe, maybe even to myself, exactly why I took this on. I guess my point is simply this: it doesn't matter who you are or how bad you feel, there is always someone there to help you. And on a secondary note, that even when you feel at the bottom of a dark pit, you can still achieve more than you thought possible.

London Marathon 2016: Training Update #1

I recently realised that it's been nearly three months since my blog post outlining my plan to run the 2016 London Marathon on behalf of the mental health charity, Mind. Well, I thought that with just under three months to go until the big day, I'd outline the progress I've made.

I can basically boil my thoughts on this into three things. Firstly, a change in diet. Towards the back end of last year, I bemused my work colleagues with a consistent high protein diet, in order to prove to myself that I had the motivation to do it. I won't bore you with the details, but some personal highlights of my weird and wonderful 8 week programme were a daily sweet potato fondant, which is essentially a poncy way of saying yoghurt, sweet potato and cinnamon layered, and a bland lunch of turkey mince, brown rice and broccoli. However, the favourite from my office has to be the piece of fish I would have at 4 o'clock every day, which would need to be microwaved and often left a distinct smell!

It certainly worked, as coupled with the gym, I lost weight and got more fit. I quickly decided that for the benefit of my office, I'd adapt the diet for the run, focusing more on a blend of protein and carbs to supplement the increased energy I was going to be using. Though it's meant giving up days of my weekends to cook (which I actually don't mind), and continued willpower, I've kept up a more healthy and balanced diet than I've ever had, and it definitely makes you feel better about everything!

Coupled with this, I've had a dramatic change in my mindset over the last few months. Those who know me will know I'm not exactly a glass half-full kind of guy - I tend to plan (and all too often expect) the worst to happen. I'd argue that in general, I'm not wrong to do so, but as I've found to my cost, getting too focused on the negative affects more than just yourself. However, when you're looking to push your body beyond the point it can comfortably function, or even when you're forcing yourself to go for an hour-long run in the rain (remember, this is Manchester), you can't allow yourself to fall into this habit.

So, I've tried to be more positive, particularly in relation to my training. So when either my mind (or my body) is screaming out at me to stop, stay in bed, or just go home, I've forced myself into the gym or to keep running. I've also used the running as a stress relief after a busy week at work, or time for reflection whenever I'm feeling down, alone or frustrated, so it's been beneficial for me on a number of levels. In particular, the running has been therapeutic in a number of ways, and the dedication that I've had to show to it has kept my mind occupied and taken a large amount of time.

Applying these things has had considerable results in terms of the distances I've been able to achieve. For each of the last four weeks, I've run over the 26 mile distance that I'll face on 24th April, including a couple of half-marathon distances. In total, I've far surpassed 200 miles in the last three months, and that's making allowances for the time I took off to enjoy Christmas!

However, while I'm more than on track in terms of training, the focus I've put into that has left me a little behind in terms of the fundraising. A huge target of mine is to raise £2,000 for the mental health charity, Mind, who help people suffering from any number of mental health problems. Over one in three individuals in the UK will be directly affected by mental health issues, and with many of these conditions still considered taboos in the modern (certainly working) world, changing the mindset of the population is still a critical issue. Mind is a fantastic charity, which I know helps millions of people across the UK either suffering with mental health problems, or have family members that are, and though less visibly than providing food to Africa, they do save lives by saving people from themselves.

In order to help me in this, I've set up a Virgin JustGiving page, which can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/ANDREW-HAYWOOD3/. Any donations you can make would be greatly appreciated and gratefully received.

London Marathon 2016: My Personal Challenge

Though this is a sporting post, and therefore in-keeping with the theme of my blog, it is significantly different from anything I've ever written about before. I found out this week that I will be part of the Mind team running the 2016 London Marathon on 24 April.

To provide you with a bit of background - I've never been one to take on outlandish challenges, preferring instead to make my life as consistent as possible. However, over the last 12 months, I have been presented with many challenging changes that were beyond my control, a number of which I am still struggling with. With this in mind, I felt like I needed to provide myself with a challenge of my choice, that I could manage and control.

Having always been sporty, playing a combination of football and tennis as a child, I know I am fairly good when it comes to running. However, I have never entered any formal running event, with the furthest I had run until recently a 10k at my local park. This therefore provides me with a decent base, while giving me the potential to challenge myself in a more controlled environment.

I do, however, have a tendency to get carried away, which perhaps explains my decision to skip a few steps and go straight for the most gruelling, exhausting type of race in the world. Most people would probably build up with some 10k's and then a few halves - would certainly have made the prospect easier!

Other than my own tendencies, there was another reason to jump straight into the marathon. Having found out that Mind, the mental health charity, had places to run and raise money, I wanted to get involved. Mental health remains one of the largest social taboos, despite the best attempts of both the government and charities. I have had family members and friends who have suffered from mental conditions, and have seen the difficulties that come from being unable to talk about it. Raising money to attempt to research and cure any conditions would obviously be the ideal, but my objective is simply to raise awareness of these conditions.

My target to raise is £2,000, so I've started a JustGiving page - see link below. If you've had any experience with mental illness, or understand how painful it is to run a marathon, or even if you've just enjoyed my blog posts, please give what you can.

https://www.justgiving.com/ANDREW-HAYWOOD3/

Thanks,
Andy

Chris Froome Wins 2013 Tour De France: Like London Buses?

                           The 100th edition of the Tour De France, held over the last few weeks, has not been without incident. Crashes, controversy and drug talk has followed the cyclists around France, culminating in the second British winner in two years, after over two centuries of failure. Certainly British cycling has improved over the last few decades, with riders like Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and, more recently, Chris Froome coming to the fore. Are we seeing the beginning of a spell of British dominance in the Tour, or is it just a case of 'London buses': we wait centuries for one, and then two come along at once? This blog post will sum up the events of the 2013 Tour de France, and assess whether we are likely to see further British winners in the near future.

                            This year's tour began in chaos, with a team bus becoming stuck at the finish line, causing a huge pile up. This left Tony Martin with a concussion and a contusion on his left lung, and Geraint Thomas with a fractured pelvis. The carnage also prevented Mark Cavendish from taking the first yellow jersey of his career, leaving Marcel Kittel to take the first stage. Froome and Team Sky's consistency ensured that Froome rose from his initial classification of 41st after stage 1, to 7th after the team time trial stage 4. Stage 5 saw the Manxman Cavendish take another stage in his career, with a convincing sprint finish to win. Froome had to wait until the 8th stage to take a victory, simultaneously claiming the yellow jacket for the first time. An emphatic 51 second victory gave signs of what was to come, and set Froome up nicely for the mid-part of the Tour.

                              Froome maintained his lead over the next four stages, giving himself a three minute overall lead by the end of stage 11. Stage 11 will also be memorable for Mark Cavendish. Neither the Tour, nor the Olympics, has given Cavendish the success that many believe he is due, with the Manxman the only British rider in 2012 not to take a gold medal home from London. This year was unfortunately no exception to that pattern, with his most memorable moment coming in the cycle between Avranches and Mont-Saint-Michel. After being blamed for a collision in the previous stage, Cavendish recieved whistles, boos, and most seriously, was sprayed with urine by a spectator as he rode in stage 11. A shameful act, which threatened to derail an otherwise enthralling Tour. Cycling as a sport does not need further controversy, with the doping scandals still hanging over the athletes heads. Further questions were to be raised after the announcement by Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, stating that they had been found guilty of doping. This led to questions over the conduct of Tour leader Froome, to the extent that some of his blood was sent off for analysis, and tapes of his previous Tour performances were reviewed, in order to determine whether it was 'humanly possible to improve to that level without doping'. Fortunately for both the Brit, and cycling as a sport, the tests concluded that Froome had not been doping, and was able to continue his assault on the rest of the field.

                                Over the next couple of stages, Froome's lead began to be eaten away at, losing a full minute in stage 13, and finishing 7 minutes adrift of the stage winner in the following race. His grip on the yellow jersey was beginning to look tenuous, and he will have undoubtedly been looking nervously over his shoulder. However, he responded in magnificent fashion, taking stage 15 on the backdrop of one of the most iconic mountain climbs of the Tour, and extending his lead to four minutes over the chasing pack. Surely it was his to lose now? A further victory in the individual time trial stage 17, saw the Brit practically confirmed as the Tour winner, as only a crash, or a serious incident, could prevent him from taking his maiden Tour victory. The win was confirmed in the final stage, finishing safely in the peloton to ensure that he followed Bradley Wiggins's lead, and became only the second Briton ever to win the historic event. The final stage also saw the incredible run of Mark Cavendish come to an end. Having won 4 successive stages on the Champs-Elysees, the Manxman failed to emulate his previous successes, being pushed out by the sprint king of the 2013 Tour, Marcel Kittel. But the day belonged to Froome, who stepped out of the shadow of Bradley Wiggins's sideburns, and showed that he is a fantastic rider in his own right. I am certain we will see many battles, both on the road and the track, between the pair of them over the coming years. British cycling certainly seems to be in good hands.

                                   Traditionally, Britain have always been successful when it comes to cycling. In recent Olympics, this has been magnified, with names like Victoria Pendleton, Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Laura Trott and Mark Cavendish becoming household names. There was certainly reason to be concerned that this was just a 'Golden Era' for British cycling, as these 'eras' often only last a decade or so. If we look at other sports, England's dominance in rugby lasted less than that, and England's 'Golden Generation' in football never really materialised. So concerns were certainly raised when it began to look as though Beijing would be Chris Hoy's last Olympics, and Pendleton began to look past her best. However, firstly Wiggins, and then Froome on the men's side, and Laura Trott on the women's side, seem capable of picking up the mantle, and certainly seem no less talented than their pre-decessors. Credit must go the British Cycling coaches, headed by Dave Brailsford, for managing to consistently nurture such fantastic talent. As for whether we will see British dominance in the Tour de France, I think we would optimistic to predict that. However, I wouldn't mind betting that both Froome, and Wiggins, will be considered amongst the favourites every time they take to the hallowed streets.

Rugby League’s ‘Magic Weekend’ 2013: Back With A Bang

             Rugby League’s ‘Magic Weekend’, hosted at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, sees all 14 rugby league giants in action on the same pitch over two days of bone-crunching action. Huge credit must go to the ground staff of the Manchester stadium, as I remember our school rugby pitches after a PE lesson, as it was never a pretty sight! So to have men twice the size, hitting each other twice as hard, for twice as long, must be a gruelling 48 hours without sleep! Once again, the ‘Magic Weekend’ threw up some extraordinary ties, and some fantastically competitive matches, ending with a bang on each days with truly show-stopping games. On Saturday, we had St. Helens vs Warrington Wolves, and to end the weekend, the champions Leeds Rhinos vs the league leaders Wigan Warriors. How can you top that?

 

                The weekend started in fantastic form, with Catalan Dragons beating the London Broncos in the opening fixture. Though the 46-18 final scoreline suggests a thrashing, it was far from it in the first half. Whilst Catalan started strongly, with two quick tries, London quickly regrouped to level the scores just before the break. The second half was a different story, with Catalan half-back Scott Dureau coming back from eye surgery to inspire his team to a resounding second half victory, keeping them in the hunt for the playoffs. A quick turnaround, and the Etihad was ready to grace its second game, Castleford Tigers vs Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. The first derby to be staged at the grand stadium, and the pre-cursor to the Hull derby, Castleford came out of the blocks quickly to establish a 20 point lead by half time, leading 32-12. Their dominance continued into the second period, where, despite an early scare, they finished as comfortable 49-24 victors, handing new boss Daryl Powell his first win.

 

                Next came the Hull derby. In a fiercely competitive match, Hull FC started the brighter, scoring the opening try through Richard Whiting. Hull KR hit back quickly, with two quick scores to lead 10-6 at the break. A second half penalty and an Alex Brown try looked to have settled the game, as KR led by 10 points with only 8 minutes left on the clock. Hull FC fought back, with late tries from Tom Lineham and Kirk Yeaman levelling the scores. Then came the controversy. Hull FC prop Chris Green ran the ball in after KR misjudged the bounce of the ball in the last minute to win the game for FC, despite replays showing he was clearly in an offside decision. The RFL quickly acted, suspending the video referee and stating that a full enquiry would be held into the event. Nevertheless, the game provided us with just the tension and drama we needed going into Saturday’s headliner.

 

                St Helens vs Warrington Wolves, another derby in its own right, started at breakneck speed, with Warrington’s Chris Riley going over in the first minute. Wire soon doubled their advantage, as Ryan Atkins collected a chip to score, but Saints hit back quickly with two tries to move within two points of the Wolves. However, three rapid Warrington tries before half time knocked the stuffing out of St Helens, and gave the Wolves a comfortable cushion going into the break. Early second half tries from Jordan Turner and Lance Hohaia gave Saints hope, but three more tries late into the game from Warrington settled a pulsating tie, and ended an invigorating opening day.

 

                12 hours or so for the ground staff to go to work, before the opening game of today was on: Salford City Reds vs Widnes Vikings. Another intriguing and close encounter, which began with a scoreless first half hour, before Salford’s Lee Gaskell broke the deadlock with a 90 metre try. A quick second soon followed, with Jordan James going over. Widnes responded with two quick tries either side of the break, with Joe Mellor bursting through the Salford line on both occasions. In a game which ebbed and flowed throughout, Salford once again re-established control, through Martin Gleeson’s try. Once again, this would be short-lived, as Mellor claimed his hat-trick of tries to leave the contest tied at 16-16 with 12 minutes to go. With tries being exchanged regularly, Salford’s Theo Fages thought he had won the game for his side, before Kevin Brown cancelled out his try with only 5 minutes remaining. But in the final minute, up popped Jordan James once more, to clinch a thrilling contest in the Reds’ favour.

 

                Huddersfield Giants vs Bradford Bulls followed this encounter, and in a bit of a mismatch, the Giants comfortably saw off a disappointing Bradford side by 42 points to 6. Three tries in the first half ensured that the Giants held a comfortable lead by half time. A lead that was only extended after the break, as Dale Ferguson, Shaun Lunt, Brett Ferres and Anthony Mullaly all went over in the second half, boosting Huddersfield’s title charge. Next was the big one: champions Leeds vs rampant league leaders Wigan. Leeds, prior to the game, boasted a 100% record at ‘Magic Weekends’, whilst Wigan were looking for their 11^th consecutive Super League win. Something had to give.

 

It was Wigan who started the brighter, with last year’s Man Of Steel Sam Tomkins going over to hand the Warriors an early lead. A vicious shoulder charge by Wigan’s Michael McIlorum gave Leeds skipper Kevin Sinfield the chance to reduce the arrears with a penalty, which he duly took. This signalled a change in momentum, as the Rhinos took the lead soon after, as Sinfield touched down after work from Zak Hardaker. Unfortunately for Leeds, their lead only lasted a matter of moments, as journeyman Pat Richards went over in the corner to regain the lead. Whilst Kallum Watkins responded for the Rhinos, a late first half Charnley try left Leeds with some work to do in the second period, trailing 20-12. But it was the Warriors who started the brighter, nearly adding to their lead. Leeds did eventually awaken, with Joe Vickery going over to reduce the deficit. A breathless end to the contest ensued, with the pitch still looking in mint condition, allowing for free-flowing and fast rugby league. Danny McGuire thought he had won it for the champions, but he saw his late try chalked off, leaving the Rhinos too short on time to respond.

 

            A fantastic end to a thrilling weekend of rugby league action. Much has been said about the merits and pitfalls of the ‘Magic Weekend’, but I think it is a fantastic advertisement for the game. To play in a nigh-on 50,000 seater stadium is not a chance many of these rugby league players will have all too often, and as the pitch does not make for a worse game, I see no reason why these weekends should not continue. The drama, controversy and passion are all part of the modern game, and taking that into larger stadiums will only attract more people, which can only be good for the game.