Diamond League Athletics 2017

Back in August Alessio and I went to the Diamond League Athletics Night in the Letzigrund, this was our second time and it was again really great! Last time we saw Usain Bolt run and this time we saw Mo Farah!

Our seats were not the best this time, we were seated behind the starting line and last time we were at the finishing line. We saw the pole vault quite good, but the other events were too far away to see, apart from on the large screen.

I like the races the best and how the whole stadium really cheers on the runners. Just before the starter gun it is so silent you could hear a pin drop!

At the end there was a firework show and Amy Macdonald sang a few songs, which was a bonus as I have not seen her live before!

Have a good start to the week!

Youth Training in Letzigrund

Alessio got a chance to meet and train with some of the athletics stars who were going to be at the Diamond League in Zurich on 1st September.

It was quite by chance that he got chosen, I registered him and he was randomly chosen to participate. He was quite excited to go and a little nervous too!

We got there on Tuesday 30th August around 5pm and waited for the gates to open, once through we waited for the stars to arrive. All the children were put into groups and were able to train with two of the athletics.

The first training session was with Jenny Spanovic Serbian the triple jumper and the second one was with Ajla del Ponte Swiss relay runner. He enjoyed both sessions.

Afterwards all the kids got chances to get the autographs from the athletics, Alessio was on a mission to get them all. He got 10 autographs and was a bit miffed he could not get them all.

This was a fantastic chance to meet some of the Olympic champions from Rio 2016.


This weekend I was in Geneva with my parents just for the weekend and it was a lovely time, but sadly nearing the end of the weekend I tripped going down a ramp and hurt my foot. Now I have to wear an ankle support when I walk around and have two weeks off work for it to heal!

Goodness the things that happen to you! Wishing you all a great week!

Ironman Weekend

Last weekend was the Ironman and I went along on both days with friends as we knew two people taking part. On Saturday was the Triathlon, Markus Galli was participating and the distances were 500m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run. As you can see from one of the photos Markus did all this in 1.30.08, there was a small group of us gathered to cheer him on!

Sunday was the Ironman race and David Winterbottom was participating in this, again group of us gathered to cheer him on too and wait at the finishing line. The distances were 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and finally 42.2km run (yes a freaking marathon). I believe David did his race in 11 hours 35min. (don`t know the seconds)

Well done to both of them! What an amazing feat!

I also want to wish my sister Elena the best of luck on her first triathlon Wee Beastie Triathlon at Loch Lomond (such a great name). I do wish I could be there to cheer her on, but I know she will do well!

For me this weekend I am going to see the F1 race in Hockenheim, this is a first for me and really looking forward to it!

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Holmenkollen Ski Jump Oslo

Our trip to Oslo, Norway in April was a busy 5 days and we managed to see lots of the city and the surrounding area. We took a train up to the Holmenkollen ski jump which opened in March 2010 it towers above Oslo and it boasts the name of the world´s most modern ski jump and

It also houses the ski museum which we did not visit, it is quite impressive to see it and imagine someone jumping off it! Of course I think it would be much more impressive covered in snow, completely busy and some ski jumping going on!

Anyway it also offers some amazing views of the Oslo fjords and while we were up there, we stopped at the Frognerseteren restaurant and had some wine. We were still able to sit outside albeit with our coats still on. Alessio amused himself playing on the grass.

Diamond League Meeting Zurich

On Thursday 29th August Alessio and I had tickets for the athletics diamond meeting in Zurich, this was the first time I had ever been to a sporting event. We were really lucky to have front row seats and were able to see the athletes very close.

The events we saw were the pole vault, long jump, high jump, javelin, shot put and of course many races. Just before the races started it went deadly silent which was quite amazing to witness, and then the cheering started. The highlight being the men`s 100m race which had of course Usain Bolt, among other well known runners.

He won and since we were seated near the tv crews, he gave lots of interviews for the telly and we saw him up close. He did the lap of honor, much to the delight of the crowd, his race was nearly the last of the evening. A few more races and then we had the end ceremony, which was rather spectacular, wonderful fireworks and then lots of balls were let loose for the crowd to catch and pass on. Alessio really wanted to get one, as you can imagine, but sadly they did not come to us.

We headed off home, with a very sleepy boy, but he did say he had had a wonderful time, and it was a really great experience and brilliant atmosphere. If you are able to get tickets for next year so, I would recommend it. Also next year is European Athletics Championship in Zurich from 12 to 17th August, tickets are now available.