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Fast Good For Age Start Facilities

The Ally of Not Enough HillsThe Ally of Not Enough Hills
in Spring Marathon

Morning all

I'm excited about next Sunday now we can talk in those terms about it.  We are down to single digits.  It is just around the corner. 

I've got a GFA place from my 3hr8min in Copenhagen last year so have been allocated a place in the Fast Good For Age.   The map has this annex outside Greenwich Park, in front of the rest of the red section.  However, the guide also instructs me to go to Blackheath with those heading to the blue section on the heath.

The map in the guide shows a tiny baggage area but no tea/coffee place (which I'll not miss) or toilets (which I very much will).   It'll be my third LM as I've done a charity place (red section) and a 6th-time-applying place (blue?), but I'd like to know a bit more about where I will be able to pee if anyone has experience of the FGFA section.  Will they let me into the red section or could I use those in the blue?  Like some illegitimate Victorian offspring, it seems that the Fast Good for Age are unloved by both....

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Comments

  • alan mcdonaldalan mcdonald
    Hi, There is toilet facilities in the FGFA, I think there is Teas etc also, If I remember correctly from 2 years ago.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    This is a very relaxed place to be compared to the other starts -enjoy it!
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  • SuperCazSuperCaz ✭✭✭
    You are certainly lucky to get to that start.  I seem to remember lots of facilities for not very many people, although that was from a marshal perspective rather than the runners.
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  • The Ally of Not Enough HillsThe Ally of Not Enough Hills

    Thanks guys

    As long as there is a portaloo, I'm a happy man. 

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  • piscatorpiscator ✭✭✭
    There are lots of loos although the queues still get long just before the start. The nice thing is that when we are called forward we go right to the start. If you still need to go then....well its all blokes in the pen (ladies with that time are on the champs start) and suffice to say the road/wall gets a little wet before the off...
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]

    I Have been given a FGFA, but i think there has been a mistake. This is my first marathon (hoping to finish in 4hr 30mins) and I've just looked up the meaning of FGFA and im now really worried that there's been an error with my number?! If im in the box with all the fast runners im not going to be able to keep up and worried that i will run to fast to soon.image

    Do you think i should try and get my number changes?

     

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  • Mr BoatMr Boat ✭✭✭

    Kelbel: If you wait at the back of the queue when everyone gets called into the pen you should be ok as you'll then be at the front of the mass charity start.

    It's not quite as quiet in the FGFA start as it was the first time started there since they've relaxed the qualifying time up from 3 hours.

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  • Beware Of The FishBeware Of The Fish ✭✭✭

    The Red GFA start is good, I was off there in 2012. There are two start pens as I recall and I would guess you'll be in number 2 (I was there after running 3:11). I waited until about 5 minutes before the start to make my final toilet stop by which time most of the runners had gone to the start so I could take my pick of almost any one of them, then I strolled over to the back of pen 2, waited about 2 minutes for the gun and then was across the start line in about a minute, and up to speed and running freely very quickly.

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