WRP Tours - London Marathon

The weekend programme: Sunday - Post-race facilities back at your hotel

As the hotels we use vary in location, size and facilities, the “Final Details” packs issued to guests in late February are individualised so that you will have precise details of what happens in your hotel.
The general programme in each hotel is almost identical and is outlined, below.

Duration

Full facilities are available from 14.00 hrs when the sub 3 hr runners begin returning.
It would be nice if we could then say that they were then open indefinitely but the reality is that our contract with each hotel stipulates that the hire of conference rooms etc. terminates at 18.30 hrs. (At this time we sometimes find conference erectors arriving to work through the evening – even the night in some instances) to build the conference/ show arrangements ready for another show to arrive at 07.00 hrs on Monday.)

This timing should be fine for 99% of our guests as even someone run/walking the marathon in 6 hrs should still, after processing and a walk back to the Underground, reach their hotel by 16.30 hrs.
Neither WRP, nor the hotel, have the resources to operate “open all hours” post-race facilities.

Additionally…
… the masseurs,
… and 90% of the WRP staff team all have to travel home on Sunday evening – often with a 3 hr drive and leaving the “core team” in each hotel to supervise overnight.
By 09.00 next morning all those 90% will be back in their full-time roles until marathon weekend next year.

Massage facilities

In an ideal world every runner would like their own masseur. However there is a lot of competition for this limited resource; because both London Marathon and many of the charities contract a huge number of masseurs so availability of qualified staff is very limited.
We have a superb volunteer team from Luton who are bussed in for the afternoon. We normally have sufficient to supply a minimum of 2 in all hotels (1 at Novotel ExCeL) with more generous staffing at the larger hotels.
Although WRP cover all costs, we and you are dependent upon people who volunteer to give up their Sunday. If someone drops out at the 11th hour there are no reserves upon whom we can call.
Year on year they provide a superb service much appreciated by our runners and their aching muscles.
As our main team has to travel back by coach to Luton, the massage service at each hotel has to end at 17.30 hrs. by which time the masseurs are even more fatigued than the runners!

Showers

WRP and Novotel provide showering facilities at all the hotels which include fresh towels, soap and shampoo. As more guests stay on Sunday evening or take a late room check-out, the requirement is reduced but there remains a significant demand. At Novotel London West, with 300 WRP rooms, the facility is run by the Housekeeper and her staff. Elsewhere WRP staff oversee the arrangements.
Whether people shower, or return to their room for a bath and soak, the advice is constant- keep the water as cool as you can bear it for this will greatly improve the recovery of torn muscle fibres.

Post-race light refreshments

After a marathon some will feel hungry – but not that hungry as you want a large meal. In each hotel there will be a buffet providing sealed packs of assorted sandwiches (useful if you have to leave to catch a train or coach), cake, crisps and three types of salad plus tea/coffee and squash. All guests, be they adult or children, have individual tickets for this buffet plus an area to sit and enjoy it and reflect upon your achievement. These buffets are open until 18.00 hrs.
Due to hotel “clear-down”, any runners returning after 18.00 hrs should see the WRP staff for their food.

2011 Race video

“Who won?” “Was it a close finish?” If the winner of the men’s race runs a sub 2.10 race (a 99% certainty), they will finish at 11.40 GMT. Joe Allsmiles, aiming to run 10 mins mile and finish in about 4 ½ hrs will only just about have reached Tower Bridge/ half way when someone in the crowd helpfully shouts to him “Keep going – the winners just finished” – possibly in a world record.
Joe has seen his bit of the race but nothing of the elites of the other 99.5% of the runners – who just so happened to be in the same race as him!
He has made arrangements to video it back at home to view on Monday - but it would be great to see that finish sometime today.

Sunday afternoon we will start replaying our recording of that BBC broadcast so that early returnees will be able to see much of the elite men’s and Women’s races but we try to time it so that the finish of both races should be replaying in each hotel at about 17.00 hrs - real time
By then the vast majority of runners will be back at their hotels and enjoying their post-race refreshments prior to boarding coaches (that leave at 18.00 hrs) or catching trains, planes etc. or just relaxing before their celebrations in the hotel that evening

Immediate post-race recovery

In WRP’s “Marathon jottings” we give a number of “Do’s” and “Do not’s” aimed at ensuring that runners recover from the event as quickly and uneventfully as possible. Shortly before race weekend WRP will place these tips on a password protected section of our website for WRP guests to download.

A few points for the slower runner/ late returnee to consider.

1. With the race starting at 09.45 hrs, a 6 hr runner should finish at 15.45 hrs (3.45pm.) Then, on top of that they should allow:

1 hr for processing and return to your hotel it would still be possible for such a runner to be back at the hotel by 16.45 – say 5.00pm latest
Then allow a further 1 hr giving time for a shower and some refreshments

Add to that the fact that when you are very fatigued you will do things much more slowly than normal!
All of this is very likely to make the slower runner far more conscious of the way that time is passing on their watch – especially if they are attempting to catch either a coach or train back home Sunday evening.

2. The following remarks might be seen as an attempt by WRP to persuade all slower runners to stay Sunday evening. They are not – merely observations based on 20 years experience.
All we ask is that you consider them.

If you have a train, plane or coach to catch with not much spare time, there is an inevitable tendency to try and run a little faster in the early stages – to gain some spare time after the race. In a marathon this tactic simply depletes energy stores more quickly with the result that you go even slower / walk and then come under even greater pressure still. Be realistic with your timings and build-in a block of EXTRA time to cover for a bad / slower than expected run; 8 out of every 10 first-timers finish slower than they had hoped to achieve.
Will you still have sufficient time to catch that train if this does happen?
If you have come down on a WRP coach then, because of tachograph regulations on the driver (for your safety) the coach HAS to leave at 18.00 (6.00pm) – and will do so. It is a fact that virtually every year one person misses their returning coach as a result of under-estimating their race time. It’s those last 6 miles that are the difficult ones! Every year we have a number of coach passengers come down with WRP on Saturday morning but stop-over Sunday night and go back later on Monday on National Express or by train. Works fine.
Going back by train? Remember that you have to add-on the time it will take to get from you hotel back to the station – when you may not be in a position to rush. If there is a later train would it be more prudent to book that second one?
Though more expensive, a taxi to the station (rather than the Underground) might be quicker/easier!
Driving home – on your own – late Sunday? Unless you are both fit and fast – please don’t!
We get particularly concerned with potential late returnees who then disclose that they are then planning a long drive home….. on their own. Frankly we believe this is dangerous as they are very likely to fall asleep
at the wheel.
Either consider sharing the driving with another driver or think about staying overnight.
Worth noting that the WRP couriers on our returning coaches report over 80% of their passengers fall fast
asleep within 20 mins of departure on Sunday evening!

(We heard from one car driver who left us at 7.00pm, felt so tired that he stopped at the motorway services near Swindon, fell asleep and was woken at 10.00pm by his mobile with a frantic call from his family worried about his whereabouts. “Should have listened to you advice and stayed overnight” he said – then added “In the end, with three more stops, lots of coffee and cold water I got back to Cornwall at 02.00. Not very clever, was it!”)

Sunday evening – a time for some gentle celebration and self-satisfaction

You can always recognise those who ran the marathon – firstly by the way they walk, secondly by the fact that they are proudly wearing their medal and thirdly by the high level of excitement and pride at their achievement.

Needing to sit, needing a little food and the chance for some celebration – and following some suggestions after last year, in 2011 this year all of the hotels will offer the chance to go into their restaurant, select any one of their main courses and enjoy either a glass of wine, beer or soft drink for an inclusive price. Many others took the opportunity to enjoy some excellent bar snacks.

Last year it was fascinating to watch complete strangers join others and share memories of one of the great days in their life. Lots of separate tables began to merge together as more joined.
The offer is available all evening though WRP staff will be there from about 19.30 until 21.00 ….when they too will collapse!
Naturally, the wearing of your finishers medals is considered compulsory!

Sunday night – why it can pay (literally) to think ahead

If:

you think now, or nearer the event, that you are going to be a late finisher and so late returnee to the hotel or
you know that you definitely want to go to a post-race reception with your charity after a fairly slow time
and know that you are not going to be back at your hotel until after 18.00 hrs …

… then staying over on Sunday evening may be a sensible choice.

However please bear in mind that
… if you make this choice at least 3 weeks before you go and talked to WRP then they will be able to change your reservation and so secure that room for you at their contract rate.
As you will see from our price list adding an extra night (especially a third night) can be surprisingly inexpensive.
The key point is that this has to be secured via WRP on their main, pre-event, room booking.

On the other hand, if you make a late choice – during marathon week or on the day then

WRP cannot help and so you cannot get that room extension at the rates we negotiate
If you go to Reception, and they do have a room, then they will charge you the one-night, one-off, rack rate which may make your eyes water when you compare it with what we could have got it for you!

The reason is simple – WRP work through a central Groups Contract division which do not work at the weekends. Once WRP have signed-off all late changes about 10 days before then that’s it. A little forethought and a call or e-mail to WRP could save you not just hassle but also quite a bit of money!

So, what if you do stay?
Such a decision means that you can return to your own room for a shower, come down later for a celebratory drink and a light meal in the hotel, have a good sleep and then travel home, well rested, at leisure the following day.
An extra nights stay, via WRP, includes full buffet breakfast on the Monday and a 12.00 hrs room check-out.