The HRC Week or….

The HRC Week or….

Would the Royal Mail lie to you?

This week has been a little bit Harry Potter themed. Now that is something I rarely say and… Hold on, let’s take a pause so I can admit that the first three books I did kind of enjoy, but was too embarrassed to read on the train, so read them in the dust cover of, and so disguised by, my 1929 copy of the Comedies of Chaucer. (Pretentious I know, but it was the only dust cover that fitted). I stopped after 3 as book 4 was a house brick that I was bought as a present and prompty dropped in the tub. I then lost interest. Same with the movies, losing interest that is not dropping them in the tub. So I really have little idea what went on post book or movie 4 or 5. But all this is besides the point.

I have already mentioned in earlier posts that I chanced upon the Hogwarts Running Club Platform 9 3/4 K virtual race. This was to commemorate the first day of term (September 1st) and the pupils of the school getting the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross station in London, and platfrom 9 3/4. Now the medal was pretty nice and what was attracted me in the first place.

Pretty Nice, Huh?

And me being me meant that I had to pull out the stops to enjoy this one. So, I rounded up a few runners, got them signed up too and the plan was to run the 9 3/4K run on the day (September 1st), finishing at Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross station. I mean, come on!!! Oh, the reason why you can do this is that the station realised the tourist potential and have put up a sign between platforms 9 and 10, and under the sign a baggage trolley, complete with owl in a cage half way through it. And so that is exactly what I did but first…

I ordered this wonderful t-shirt from Garment Deli. The idea was to wear it on the run and so I ordered it with plenty of time.

Will run for butter beer!

But ordering with plenty of time to spare and it arriving in plenty of time of the race are two very different things. It came to the day of the race, I chased up the supplier who then gave me the tracking number, with which I chased Royal Mail.

Royal Mail then told me, and I quote “Thanks, our records show it arrived at Acton Delivery Office on 22/08 but it was badly addressed so it should have been returned.” This pissed me off royaly, I used a few choice expletives of a medical nature to describe them and complained to the supplier. Although you can only be pissed for so long and so I decided to search through my running shirts to find the most suitable.


From the Adidas Dementor Range

And off I went to Kings Cross platform 9 3/4 down over Primrose Hill, around the running track, around Regents Park, stopping off by 221B Baker Street for any Sherlock fans, out along the canal to the back of the station and voila!

Job Done.

It was at a dreadfully slow place, but I did wear the new Clouds and I did not warm up at all. So all in all I was happy with the outcome and now look forward to the medals.

Oh yes, medals? Yes, two as this week I also completed the Road to Hogwarts Challenge too.

Which was surprisingly easy with the training I am completing for Berlin. 52 miles was barely a fortnights training. And so, along with the 9 3/4 medal I also get this one. The 52 miles being the distance from Kings Cross station to Hogwarts.

And I do trust them both to arrive. Why? Because today, Wednesday 2nd September, the day after the race, the day after Royal Mail said “thanks, our records show it arrived at Acton Delivery Office on 22/08 but it was badly addressed so it should have been returned” guess what arrived? Go on, I dare ya, I double dare ya. Yup, you guessed right.