. . as I was saying . . plenty of cake . .

lots of activity at Race HQ . . with last minute preparations for the race taking place in every corner . .

 . . and although all the official were working hard, some of them had time to raise a smile . .

 . . a good way of getting a very important message across . . and now, despite the prospect of the 14 tough miles that awaited the runners, many of them just couldn't resist the opportunity to warm up . .

 . . but by now it was almost 10 o'clock . . and time for the pre-race briefing . .

 . . I couldn't get round to see all the marshals but here are a few of the volunteers that helped make the event possible . .