I volunteered to marshal for the Martinshaw (nothing to do with The Professionals actor…) Woods XC race, part of the DRXC league, and hosted by West End Runners.

I had a great spot seeing runners across the M1 bridge for the small lap in Ratby, then directing them through the small gap back onto the larger loop in the woods itself, and to the finish.

This year I was sensible and took a chair, as we are positioned over an hour before the race start. I had the benefit of ‘Duvet Coat’ to keep me warm (an almost full length padded coat I bought to stop me from freezing whilst watching Leicester City. Who knew that this would be the solution to not freezing?)

Guiding runners over the bridge was not a problem, but getting them back through the tiny gate was interesting, especially when the field became more crowded and runners were jostling for position. Although there were no incidents for the runners, I was shocked to hear what sounded like several cars crashing on the M1 below the bridge!

I had to then marshal runners whilst trying to see if I needed to call the emergency services for the car crashes below! As a race marshal, members of the public seemed to think I knew what to do but this is not something that was covered in our brief.

Thankfully nobody on the XC course and the motorway was seriously injured on the day, and I can now relax.