I did the timing at BSE parkrun.
Although the other volunteers were lovely, and welcoming, I found it a really depressing experience. I feel like I'll never be able to run it again. Even standing round with a stop watch (intermittently calling 'well done' to those who looked like they'd appreciate it) hurt my knee. I was worried the 'boss' would make me walk round the course and pick up markers, I'm not sure I could have managed it.
Anyway, interesting fact from the other side of the finish tape (Pippa & Els take note) the first 4 ladies to finish were all wearing makeup- lippy, mascara, eyeliner, the works. Well, maybe not a full face, but obvious make up. The other 34 ladies were not. Now, correlation does not equal causation, but it's certainly thought provoking. None of the men were, maybe we'd have had a sub 18 minute finisher if they had?
The course has been a mud fest since about October, and this week dried out a lot, so as well as the undoubted pleasure of Nowton Park in full daffodil glory, there were a lot of PBs achieved.