Fred Tracks Them Down
It began, weeks ago, as a bit of fun. Today it almost became a grudge match. The producers and researchers who work on the MacAulay and Co programme decided they'd run a mile for Sport Relief. They wanted to do it in under four minutes and figured that this might be possible if they split the mile into 12 managable chunks, with each team member training for a sprint. All was well until a team from Sport Scotland agreed to provide the competition and from then on things began to get a bit serious. So serious, in fact, that the male members of the MacAulay team deicded they would all grow moustaches for aero-dynamic reasons. Don't ask.
Today, at the Scotstoun Leisure Centre in Glasgow it was crunch time. Fred MacAulay led his team - now augemented bvy comedian Des Clarke -onto the track. Richard Gordon provided live commentary. Fellow presenters Clare English and Bryan Burnett turned up to cheer them along. There was even a Government Minister on hand in the shape of Nicola Sturgeon.
I was there too. A young journalism student called Lorraine interviewed me and demanded to know why I wasn't part of the team. I explained that I had wanted to give Fred & Co and good chance of winning but that I was more than happy to offer my services to the Sport Scotland team as a form of sabotage.
And the result? Well they did beat Sport Scotland. They did raise hundred of pounds for Sport Relief but they missed out on the four minute mile by just ten seconds.
You know, maybe I should have run after all.
To read comments on this post, click here