"When shall we three meet again?"

No, I did the Macbeth jokes last time, so let's try and be a bit more original!

It's the Wedding Day 7k - unusual name, unusual distance - but it's very popular. Despite little or no conventional advertising, they have nearly 700 runners, and many of them - including Amanda and friends - are repeat entrants.


Let's start with the permanent park residents: they've seen it all before and they have better things to think about!


Aha! Pat says this is the only smile I'll get out of her - she succumbed once during a race, but she's not going to do it again!


"Hi Steve!" somebody shouts, and it's only afterwards I realise it's Merilyn. We knew she'd signed up for this race, but hadn't seen her before the start and didn't know if she'd actually come along in the end. But there's 670 of them and one of me, so she's got the easier spotting task.


I spot Amanda easily enough, though. Of course, I am looking for her, knowing that she's there.


Like I said: I once got a smile from Pat in a race, but she isn't going to repeat that moment of weakness.


And this time, I'm a bit more prepared for Merilyn.


For technical reasons (ok, a cock-up on my part) I can't quite get the shot I wanted with Diana in the background. She is there, but you have to use your imagination a bit.


And at the finish, it's Merilyn first to cross the line, looking happy but knackered. Or do I mean knackered but happy?


Pat is no longer too busy racing to enjoy it.


And I-have-no-cartilage-what's-your-excuse woman comes home well ahead of most of her contemporaries, and indeed, plenty half her age!


Merilyn models the so-called 'small' t-shirt, which is basically a minidress.


And it's goodnight from Diana!


But the very next morning, Diana sees off nearly a thousand Parkrunners!


Amanda will be easy to spot in the distinctive blue of the Wedding Day t-shirt... Only there's hundreds of the buggers!


Some people think they've cunningly disguised themselves by not wearing the t-shirt, forgettiing that the headdress labelled "Bride" is a dead giveaway!


That's it! Ten Parkruns now! Sure, we had the first person to complete five hundred addressing the crowd the other week, and I think the second is here today, but they'd better start looking behind them!


And then... Illyria's Ruddigore which is also all about marriage...ish.

If you've seen an Illyria show, you won't need to be told, but if you haven't, then you probably do. In that latter case, go to http://www.illyria.uk.com/ now, find your nearest production and buy tickets. Don't be put off by the fact that some of their productions may seem a bit highbrow - just remember that in his day, Shakespeare was writing for the common folk who wanted entertainment, not A-level English students wanting exam grades!

So there we are, a tenuous thread of links, but a thread nonetheless. I may struggle to create plausible associations with the Reykjavík Marathon coming up, but we shall see... I'm sure I'll think of something.

Love to all,

Steve.