CAIN IS MORE THAN ABLE

Stable newbie Iain “the Hacker” Cain had a mere seven weeks under Coach Stazza’s tutelage before he tackled the most famous of the Marathon Majors—the highly coveted London Marathon. The IT man cracked the three-hour barrier like it was BBC BASIC, crossing the line in 2:51:54, and securing a 60” PR in the process.

Soggy feet couldn’t put a damper on Cain’s canter; the 43-year-old was well up the standings, finishing 1,663^rd overall and 322^nd M40-44.

The Stable News’ London correspondent, Ally “the Bodyguard” Smith, was in town (at the request of “Admiral” Alf Menzies), securing the city for the upcoming coronation of King “Formerly known as Prince” Charles. 

As luck would have it, Ally was milling about the Mall on his lunch break when the Hacker crossed the line:

Ally: I recognise that face; Stazza sends me all new recruits for background checks, hahaha. Iain, Iain! It’s Ally Smith from The Stable News!

Iain: Wow! What an honour! Only a few weeks in The Stable, and I get a featured piece, ha!

Ally: With a run like that, you sure do. Now tell me all about it.

Iain: This is my second London Marathon after running my first-ever 26.2 here in 2017. 

Having done quite a few other marathons (including Berlin and New York), London just hits different. It was a fantastic experience from start to finish.

Ally: There sure is some buzz here. How did you feel for the first 20?

Iain: I felt really comfortable up to about 18 miles and stuck to my race plan as instructed by Coach Stazza, so I was able to put a little lift in at 20.

Ally: Perfecto. I can see there’s plenty more to come from you. Anything else lined up?

Iain: Not sure yet. I only joined The Stable about seven weeks out from London, so Stazza didn’t have long to work his magic. Aim is to go through a full block of training for a spring 2024 marathon and attempt to go for a big PB. In the interim, I’ll be looking to get my 10K and HM times down.

Ally: Excellent idea. Bank as much training as you can, and I bet your HM pace will soon be your full ’thon pace, ha-ha. Congrats on a sterling effort, Iain. 

Iain: Thanks, Ally.

Coach Stazza had just finished up his daily callisthenics routine (google “Bruce Forsyth”—40 of those, and you’ll get the idea), when the Chin called up for a debrief:

CS: Is everything present and correct for the coronation? “Big Man” Menzies asked for our services personally. Although I don’t know why they put him in charge; he doesn’t know a flange from a rudder these days.

AS: Yes, sir; Admiral Menzies will not be disappointed. In fact, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say it’ll go as well as Iain Cain’s first race with The Stable. 

CS: Now that was a plan executed to the second. Easy breezy up to twenty miles, then he kicked on like a Kenyan. Loads more to come off that, too.

AS: Couldn’t agree more.