FARAWAY, SO CLOSE!

Stablemate Helen “Flying” Finn obliterated 24’51” off her PB at the Golden Ball 20 in Lancaster, England. The 64-years-young movie buff completed the out-and-back course in a stellar 3:12:45 and bagged age category gold in the process. This little turn tied in as her final long run before bouncing over to Berlin for the second time.

Marathon-mad Finn ran her first-ever full ‘thon at Edinburgh (age 59) in 2019, achieving “Good For Age” places for Berlin, Chicago, and New York—subsequently pocketing three of the majors in six weeks! 

The next three stars wouldn’t be so easy to come by, through no fault of Finn’s. She qualified for Boston in 2020, but we all know what happened next—lockdown! 

Not to be deterred, Finn got her fourth star at London in 2021, when we were barely allowed back out the door. 

Boston would prove elusive for her once again, as she contracted COVID in 2022, and so had to go through it all again for this year’s edition. 

Flying Finn finally bagged the Six Star Medal in April of this year after bashing Boston in 4:26:06 and totalling Tokyo in a PB time of 4:01. What a woman!

As Ally’s Berlin bender was coming to an end, he staggered into Finn and got us an inside scoop: 

“Howzit, goin’ Hewen? A’ve had a few too many steins … Geez the goss aboot a’ yer marafons … Hic.” 

“Pleased to meet you in person, Ally; I can see you’ve had a great weekend as well. 

Started the journey in 2019, when I got ‘Good For Age’ for Berlin, Chicago, and New York when I ran my début marathon in Scotland, so I did three stars in six weeks. 

After London in 2021, I did Tokyo in March 2023 for the fifth star (and PB’d); then did Boston six weeks later and got my Six Star Medal.”

“Sheesh! You rrreally like a twinty sixz point two mile canter, eh? Am awfa impressed … An’ as a’ve said to The Stablemaster ‘afore, age is no barrier to getting involved. Whit’s next, hen?”

“Yes I do like a 26.2, ha-ha. In fact, my next outing is the Dublin Marathon in about three weeks.” 

“Help ma boab! Ye must be aff yer heed; well, in a gid way, ken.” 

“Hahaha, thanks, Ally. I’ll hopefully see you in Dublin in a more sober state.” 

“Ye can count oan it, Mrs; see ye then.”

The Stablemaster was enjoying a massive bowl of homemade tattie soup the Chin had shipped over to Mauritius: 

“Oh, that’s the business, I tell you … Tattie and leek and chock full of square slice … Just the way I like it! Legendary … Just like our very own Flying Finn: a Six Star Medal, a 24-minute PB, and more marathons in the bag than I’ve had hot dinners … Really, really well done, Helen … You are what The Stable is all about!”