Rome marathon

Taking 'when in Rome...' to something of a personal extreme, I went along to Mass, this morning. The Minx said she was going and it seemed like an experience I shouldn't miss. (And I wouldn't write off the influence of re-reading 'Brideshead Revisted' recently.) 

We went to the Basilica Saint Clement, which you can see in my first Extra. The service was in Italian and Latin, so what was being said passed me by, but I particularly enjoyed the reverb in the building, especially for the handful of sung parts. 

Of course, having read the story of the good Samaritan at Dad's funeral, last week, where the priest is the first person to pass the poor victim by, I couldn't help but contrast the opulence of the church with the poverty of so many Catholics around the world. Plus ça change...

ANYWAY

Let's move on to the two characters in today's photo - Milly and her boyfriend, Andy - whose participation in the Rome marathon was our main reason for coming here (although it did then morph into a birthday celebration for Charlie, who is thirty-four, today). 

After the marathon had started we intercepted Andy and Milly after around six or seven miles, both looking very relaxed and comfortable. (I should point out that they were running separately as fitness is a big part of Andy's day job.) 

We were able to see where they were quite precisely thanks to the race app, which was absolutely outstanding. I'm still not quite sure how they managed it!

But having seen them both, it was time for a birthday brunch, so we met up with Hannah and Charlie, and set off in search of somewhere to eat. That's the three of them (plus an innocent bystander) in my second Extra.

We found a great little place, reassuringly busy but not touristy, and ate very well before heading back out for a mooch around and to make our way towards then end of the race. 

Andy made it in a shade under four hours, and Milly came in just over five. Excellent work by both of them. It looked like a nice course, too, and if I could rely on such lovely weather, I might think about doing it myself next year!