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Team Alligator Complete the Edinburgh MoonWalk 2010
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Team Alligator Complete the Edinburgh MoonWalk 2010
Posted 22 June 2010
Well, Team Alligator managed to complete the Edinburgh MoonWalk on Saturday night in a very respectable 7hr 20min, with NO blisters. The night was one of the most amazing experiences ever and the effort that went into the organising of this event was phenomenal.
The night began at 8.45pm when we arrived at the “pink city,” in Inverleith Park, Edinburgh. We were greeted by the smiling crew members who were easily recognisable in their day-glow yellow & orange shirts. There was a sea of pink ladies and a vast amount of flesh on show. It instantly became apparent the sheer volume of work that had gone into the creation of the bra decorations – some of them even had lights!
We found our spot in the main tent and set-up camp to enjoy the entertainment on the main stage – Samba Celtica were the main band of the night to get everyone in the mood for the Mardi Gras theme of this year’s event. Carnival music and dancers, drums, maracas, singing, and general hilarities on the stage got everyone in the spirit.
Grant Stott & Arlene Stewart from Forth One were the hosts for the evening and were wearing pink kilts to show their support. Arlene, although not completing the walk, had gone to the effort of decorating a bra for the night – a very fancy number with lots of exotic flowers!
Not long before the warm-up the organiser of the event brought on some special guests and showed some films on the big screen to remind everyone where their hard earned sponsor money was going and how it was benefitting several breast cancer charities around the UK, including a new Maggie’s Centre currently being built. There were some heart melting stories to be heard during the evening as the majority of entrants had been affected directly or indirectly by this debilitating disease: many of the entrants had “I’m a survivor” written on them and it made the whole reason behind completing this event even clearer!
After a very energetic group warm-up, we all headed to the start line where Grant Stott was on the loudspeaker getting everyone in the spirit of things – he was an ideal choice to carry out this task as his humour kept the crowd going (a very long start process when you have to squeeze 10,000+ individuals through a gap approx 4m wide!).
Once through the gates of Inverleith Park we made our way through the city centre, being cheered the whole way by the support crew, members of the public and even Lothian & Borders’ finest; some had been standing at their stations since 9pm so they were doing well. The sight at the bottom of Dundas Street (those familiar with Edinburgh will know this is a very long straight road heading up-hill!) was spectacular – a giant snake of pink balloons, bras & hats as far as the eye could see.
Edinburgh City Council & local businesses showed their support by lighting up the National Galleries, Edinburgh Castle, Camera Obscura, the council buildings, in pink; even the Airlink Bus Service had pink lights on the go. Once over the Mound and behind the Galleries, we passed along Market Street where we bumped into Susan’s Motorbike Policeman neighbour who ran after us and gave us all a hug (made me very happy, nothing to do with the uniform of course!). After negotiating this part of town, we entered Holyrood Park and began the climb up Arthur’s Seat. At this point casualties started to occur – apparently not everyone had accounted for hills when completing their training!
Once round the “Seat” we headed up the Royal Mile, where we were all greeted by many a drunken reveller cheering us on. It must have been a bit of a sight to see if you happened to be in the city for the first time in your life and were unaware of the event – “heck of a big hen party.” Through Haymarket, over Ravelston Dykes and we neared the half-way point. The Half-Mooners left us around the 11 mile marker and with only 2 miles for them left to complete, the Full Moon was starting to feel like a very bad idea.
Once the 2 groups had parted company, the walk did actually become easier as we all had a bit more space to get into a rhythm and maintain a steady pace. This was essential as at 3.30am on a clear night the temperature had dropped significantly and the space blankets had to be donned. One of the most spectacular sunrises was witnessed by all when we arrived through Blackhall and down onto the waterfront; for a short while the cold and pain was forgotten and we all appreciated the stunning sight before us.
As we made our way towards the 23 mile marker the pain of the task in hand became very apparent and the struggle to the end began. Everything was put into perspective when the reason “why” we were all completing this event was brought to mind and the realisation that this was “one night” - those receiving treatment have to suffer much, much more.
After a very long 7 hours we began to approach the finish line. The support from the well wishers, crew members, security staff and police was unbelievable. The lady standing at her front door handing out jelly babies at 3am; the flat owner in Portabello who opened her home to let the walkers use the loo; the drunken revellers shouting support; the police keeping the traffic (& some drunken revellers!) away from the walkers; the security staff on their motorbikes; the water-stop crews; the medical staff looking after the casualties; the organisers and admin staff for the event: all deserve the biggest thanks possible – without these hard working guys, the event just wouldn’t happen.
Team Alligator would also like to thank the many supporters for their kind donations, all towards a fantastic charity providing help and support to those affected by breast cancer, not to mention Alligator Self Storage who has been the main sponsor for the team, along with Simpson Packaging.
The night began at 8.45pm when we arrived at the “pink city,” in Inverleith Park, Edinburgh. We were greeted by the smiling crew members who were easily recognisable in their day-glow yellow & orange shirts. There was a sea of pink ladies and a vast amount of flesh on show. It instantly became apparent the sheer volume of work that had gone into the creation of the bra decorations – some of them even had lights!
We found our spot in the main tent and set-up camp to enjoy the entertainment on the main stage – Samba Celtica were the main band of the night to get everyone in the mood for the Mardi Gras theme of this year’s event. Carnival music and dancers, drums, maracas, singing, and general hilarities on the stage got everyone in the spirit.
Grant Stott & Arlene Stewart from Forth One were the hosts for the evening and were wearing pink kilts to show their support. Arlene, although not completing the walk, had gone to the effort of decorating a bra for the night – a very fancy number with lots of exotic flowers!
Not long before the warm-up the organiser of the event brought on some special guests and showed some films on the big screen to remind everyone where their hard earned sponsor money was going and how it was benefitting several breast cancer charities around the UK, including a new Maggie’s Centre currently being built. There were some heart melting stories to be heard during the evening as the majority of entrants had been affected directly or indirectly by this debilitating disease: many of the entrants had “I’m a survivor” written on them and it made the whole reason behind completing this event even clearer!
After a very energetic group warm-up, we all headed to the start line where Grant Stott was on the loudspeaker getting everyone in the spirit of things – he was an ideal choice to carry out this task as his humour kept the crowd going (a very long start process when you have to squeeze 10,000+ individuals through a gap approx 4m wide!).
Once through the gates of Inverleith Park we made our way through the city centre, being cheered the whole way by the support crew, members of the public and even Lothian & Borders’ finest; some had been standing at their stations since 9pm so they were doing well. The sight at the bottom of Dundas Street (those familiar with Edinburgh will know this is a very long straight road heading up-hill!) was spectacular – a giant snake of pink balloons, bras & hats as far as the eye could see.
Edinburgh City Council & local businesses showed their support by lighting up the National Galleries, Edinburgh Castle, Camera Obscura, the council buildings, in pink; even the Airlink Bus Service had pink lights on the go. Once over the Mound and behind the Galleries, we passed along Market Street where we bumped into Susan’s Motorbike Policeman neighbour who ran after us and gave us all a hug (made me very happy, nothing to do with the uniform of course!). After negotiating this part of town, we entered Holyrood Park and began the climb up Arthur’s Seat. At this point casualties started to occur – apparently not everyone had accounted for hills when completing their training!
Once round the “Seat” we headed up the Royal Mile, where we were all greeted by many a drunken reveller cheering us on. It must have been a bit of a sight to see if you happened to be in the city for the first time in your life and were unaware of the event – “heck of a big hen party.” Through Haymarket, over Ravelston Dykes and we neared the half-way point. The Half-Mooners left us around the 11 mile marker and with only 2 miles for them left to complete, the Full Moon was starting to feel like a very bad idea.
Once the 2 groups had parted company, the walk did actually become easier as we all had a bit more space to get into a rhythm and maintain a steady pace. This was essential as at 3.30am on a clear night the temperature had dropped significantly and the space blankets had to be donned. One of the most spectacular sunrises was witnessed by all when we arrived through Blackhall and down onto the waterfront; for a short while the cold and pain was forgotten and we all appreciated the stunning sight before us.
As we made our way towards the 23 mile marker the pain of the task in hand became very apparent and the struggle to the end began. Everything was put into perspective when the reason “why” we were all completing this event was brought to mind and the realisation that this was “one night” - those receiving treatment have to suffer much, much more.
After a very long 7 hours we began to approach the finish line. The support from the well wishers, crew members, security staff and police was unbelievable. The lady standing at her front door handing out jelly babies at 3am; the flat owner in Portabello who opened her home to let the walkers use the loo; the drunken revellers shouting support; the police keeping the traffic (& some drunken revellers!) away from the walkers; the security staff on their motorbikes; the water-stop crews; the medical staff looking after the casualties; the organisers and admin staff for the event: all deserve the biggest thanks possible – without these hard working guys, the event just wouldn’t happen.
Team Alligator would also like to thank the many supporters for their kind donations, all towards a fantastic charity providing help and support to those affected by breast cancer, not to mention Alligator Self Storage who has been the main sponsor for the team, along with Simpson Packaging.
0 Comments | Posted By Alligator in Staff
