My trek begins in East London at the Olympic Park, home to no less than nine London 2012 venues including the impressive Olympic Stadium. The most sustainable ever built, it has a capacity of 80,000 and will host the Athletic and Paralympic Athletic events as well as the opening hurrah and grand finale of the Games.
A walk through Victoria Park and past quirky Camden Lock takes me to Lord's Cricket Ground. Today, when I peer through the Grace Gates, all I see are a few pigeons taking flight across the stands but next summer arrows will swoosh through the air in front of a 6,500-strong crowd as the archery events take flight.
Onto Little Venice, then a meander through Maida Vale to Hyde Park where 110 athletes will be put through their paces in the triathlon event starting with a 1,500m swim in the Serpentine lake, followed by a 40km bike ride and 10km run. Mallards and moorhens will make way for marathon swimmers next year as the 10km swim takes place on the Serpentine, too.
In seven months the Mall is set to draw hordes of spectators. The Cycling Road Race begins from here at the end of
July, with the Olympic and Paralympic Marathons following suit a few days later.
Ordinarily a place for political ponderings and the Trooping of the Colour, Horse Guards Parade will look more like the Caribbean than the central London I see — 3,000 tonnes of sand will be laid down to create the temporary Beach Volleyball arena during the Games.
Heading east along the Thames Path, passing the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, eventually I reach Greenwich Park. My legs are aching but this is a walk in the park compared to what competitors will take on during the Modern Pentathlon and Equestrian events here next year.
I've never been so happy to see the arched dome of the gigantic North Greenwich Arena in my life. This venue, which will see gymnasts pirouetting and slam dunks landed next year, marks the end of my trek. Twenty-six miles later
I feel I deserve a gold medal of my own...
The London Stadia Trekathon takes place on
13 May 2012, 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013. discoveradventure.com
