We Did it . . . Tears of Joy and Happiness

I've been voicing my increasing opinion that I’d rather “walk” a Kiltwalk, rather than be part of the organisation team at an event. A Kiltwalk weekend starts with very early mornings and end with very late nights, where things like eating and sleep are done when or where you can, just to keep the body going.

Kiltwalk day itself, tends to be an 18 hour day, with lots of lifting and shifting and hours of standing around marshaling people here, there and everywhere, the result of which is “Kiltwalk Back”, although to be fair it could be an age thing with me.

Kiltwalk Day is an electrifying day where there’s “Magic in the air”.

There’s the “magic” our Kiltwalkers bring to the event, where those who haven’t walked before tell their stories at the end, which start with “I’m in so much pain, but I’ve never experienced anything like this. We loved the pit stops, the volunteers, the stovies, the masses of snacks on route, the clapping, the cheering . . . the beer, it was wonderful”.

Then there’s the enthusiastic “magic” that our volunteers bring to the day. They stand and clap, cheer and shout and encourage for hours on end not leaving their post until the last man, women, child and dog have passed through. We appreciate all their efforts enormously, as without them, there would be no Kiltwalk Day.

Then there’s the “magic” of the finishing line and to be honest, despite “Kiltwalk Back” I’d stand there for hours on end just to watch people’s faces and reaction as they see our Kiltwalk flags flying high and our Kiltwalk team standing on guard cheering them over the line. One of our walkers said of our guard of honour that it made them "feel like celebrities". It was a nice thing to say, however you’re far more important than that. Celebrities come and go, but your all Kiltwalkers and you’ll NEVER lose that status.

It’s when I see Oor walkers cross the line, I remember I am in fact in the best place on Kiltwalk day, as I have the pleasure and honour of watching every single walker come over the line.

No two Kiltwalkers react, or pull the same face as they cross the finish line. The early walkers tend to be looking at their watch as they’re keen to know how long the 26 miles have taken them and we all stand there and think “how can you walk that quickly?”

Regardless of where or when you finish, the finish line is always an emotional rollercoaster, which results in either smiles, or tears of joy as they realise what they’ve just completed and what they’ve just raised money for.

What happens next is quite remarkable as at the point they have that medal thrust into their hand, and the enormity of what they’ve just done hits them, they immediately utter the words they thought would never pass their lips and those words are “see you next year”.

Which brings me onto today’s Blipfoto picture.

The picture was taken at approximately 19:30 on Sunday evening and captures the final two walkers, Rhiannan Mercer (Smiling) and Lynne Morrison (tears) just after they’ve crossed the finish line.

I love this picture and it’s now one of my favourite pictures of 2013 as it clearly captures the two emotions I mentioned earlier. Those tears of joy or smiles at completing The Kiltwalk, are not only an achievement for the walkers, it makes that 18 hour day absolutely worth it.

For the record, when I asked Rhiannan and Lynne if they’ll be back next year, then Lynne couldn't speak, but Rhiannan managed a resounding NO. However I’ll eat my Kiltwalk Hat if we don’t see them take part in another Kiltwalk, sooner rather than later.