BACKCHAT has heard some pretty lame excuses in its time from would-be marathon runners but the one from British Airways’ Carol Dray topped the lot.
It seems Dray, leader of the 25-strong team that is running the London marathon in April in aid of the Family Holiday Association, was on the verge of pulling out recently – because she felt a bit tired.
No niggling back pain, sprained ankles or pulled muscles, just pure lethargy.
The lacklustre feeling she had while training was combined with another health phenomenon, however; she began to get decidedly pimply.
Nothing to worry about, she thought, just an adolescent blip.
Then the lethargy got ridiculous.
“It was just too tough,” admitted Carol. “I thought, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ It’s been fairly stressful at BA these past few weeks but as most people will tell you, I’ve normally got loads of energy.”
It was only then that Carol mentioned the spots to a doctor, almost as an afterthought.
“I wasn’t going to mention it,” she said. “I just thought I was reborn and returning to my teenage days.”
Not so, said the quack.
“It was chicken pox and I’d had it for about four weeks,” said Carol sheepishly.
“It was no wonder I had no energy.”
Carol is now back pounding the streets but others are dropping like flies. Of the 25 who did the inexplicable and put their names up, four have pulled out.
So if you fancy filling someone’s running shoes, here’s your chance.
Fax your name, company and contact details to Carol on 020 8738 9729.