Well done, you’re almost there!
Newsletter #8
I’ve stood on dozens of start lines as a runner, not a very good runner, but a runner all the same. But I’ve now stood on one as a photographer too.
The week before last, fellow Photo Club Devon member Dan asked me if I’d like to be the race photographer for the local Exeter City Community Trust 5 miler, which is run in combination with their Exeter Marathon. I’d never been paid to photograph an event before, and it definitely felt outside my comfort zone, but when it comes to running events, I figured I could probably work it out.
Having done a fair few myself, I was confident I could tell a good story of the day, so that was my focus. On these two start lines, I don’t think there were many thoughts amongst those runners which I haven’t had myself, at one race or another. For example, what goes on in a runner’s head in the final few minutes before the klaxon tends to be a combination, or more likely all, of the following; Do I need a poo? Do I need another poo? Do I need another wee? If I need a wee on the course, where can I stop for one? How much time will that cost me? Have I eaten enough? Have I eaten too much? I feel a bit sick, is that hunger, the result of having eaten too much, or nerves? Is it too early to get my watch ready? Which button on my watch means “start” again? What’s the race director saying? I can’t hear him. Should I tie my laces again? That guy is wearing some nice shoes. They look faster than me. They also look faster than me. And them. I haven’t trained enough for this. Some of my training went ok, I guess. A PB is in the bag here. There’s no chance I’m PBing today. I can’t wait to start. I can’t wait to finish. How much did I pay for this again? Which joker in the crowd is going to be the first one to shout “Well done, you’re almost there!” 400m into the marathon?…the list goes on.
However, as I stood on the start line as a race photographer, my list looked very different. It essentially came down to; am I standing in the right place? Are my settings right? Don’t fuck this up, you can’t make them start it again.
Below are 22 of my images from the 5 mile start line, finish line, and some of the marathon crowds in between. I’m hoping they reflect the emotion, cadence and story of the events. I was very grateful for the opportunity to do this, it was a wonderful experience. One of my favourite crowd signs read “I bet this felt like a great idea months ago”, and for once on race day, I could honestly say yes, this was a great idea after all.
16 May 2026
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