Despite the fact the YEP had published the route and the times diversions would be in place, I still found myself momentarily stranded in Moortown.

Horror of horrors, my last-minute dash to get candles for my dad's birthday cake was thwarted.

I was unable to get to Sainsbury's.

I admit it caused a grumble as I turned the car round and headed for Tesco instead but that's about it – it was hardly the stuff of nightmares.

But from what I've heard, not everyone seems able to put it in perspective.

I'd heard a few mumbles but was particularly surprised by one reader's vitriolic letter.

He complained people shouldn't be inconvenienced by "runners on an ego trip".

He added: "You can go into Leeds after the race and there they will all be, walking around in their free T-shirts, saying 'I ran the half-marathon', stinking of sweat.

"If they want to run why not use Roundhay Park so no-one will be affected?"

Wow!

Why does setting yourself an impressive physical challenge like running 13.1 miles amount to an ego trip?

Is that what he thinks of our Olympians, that they're all ego-maniacs?

For plenty of athletes this is an important training and competitive event in the sporting calendar.

Others do it for charity.

Are they egotists too?

As for suggesting you can't move for smelly runners afterwards – why should they stink?

They're runners, not muck-spreaders.

As for mentioning their "free T-shirts" – they've each paid around £25 to enter the race so they're not strictly free.

And seeing as you often get free DVDs when you buy a newspaper these days, would anyone begrudge them a T-shirt that doubles up as a souvenir and a means of promoting this city?

This man doesn't want his motoring to be affected but thinks it's a good idea to divert around 3,000 runners to Roundhay Park?

I hate to shatter his illusions but the hundreds of dog walkers and families that visit the park every day are people too – not the "no-one" he claims would be affected.

Why don't we hold next year's race at a council leisure centre and they can just run round and round and round the sports hall?

I'm sure people will be queue ing up to enter that race.

This gentleman isn't the first I've heard whingeing and clearly he won't be the last.

People like him are part of the reason this year's event nearly didn't go ahead – combined with the council's misguided view that the city couldn't cope with both the Jane Tomlinson 10k and the half-marathon.

It was only thanks to a campaign by the YEP and hundreds of irate runners it was reinstated.

Leeds likes to think of itself as a cosmopolitan, forward-thinking city.

Organisers have already downgraded the race from a marathon to half-marathon, if we lost it completely what would that say about Leeds?

And what hope is there of becoming an inspirational city if residents object to public events because they can't get to their local supermarket on one day out of 365?

Has this chap never been caught up in match traffic near Elland Road?

Shall we ban football too?

After all, if we're talking super-sized egos surely soccer players top the league.

I wonder if he's ever heard the phrase "you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs"?

How about "live and let live"?

I imagine most of these moaners don't mind watching the Great North Run on TV or the London Marathon, it's fine when it's happening somewhere else.

It's classic nimby-ism.

Every one of those runners deserves our respect, as anyone who's ever tried jogging a few miles knows.

It takes a lot more than ego to get you over the finish line.


On your Marx...


AFTER raising a glass or two at the glamorous launch party for Alea casino on Friday we met up with some pals at another bar.

To our amazement we ended up hanging out with Howard Marks – once one of the world's most wanted men.

To anyone who has read his incredible autobiography Mr Nice – and that's most 20 and 30-somethings – he's an absolute legend.

He studied at Oxford, became a drug smuggler, was recruited by MI6 as a spy and was finally busted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

As his book title suggests, he's impossibly likable.

Before we knew it we'd booted up the karaoke machine and were belting out tracks together like Sweet Caroline and Wonderwall.

The next day my slightly hungover friend said: "I can't believe I was singing Born Slippy with Karl Marx."

Now that really would have been surreal!


Join the scrum


FORGET Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, there's some hot new talent on the pitch.

In case the off-pitch antics of players like Ashley "idiot" Cole haven't put you off, it's time you realised – footballers are so last year.

The hottest arm candy a girl can dangle now is a rugged rugby player.

Forget Super League, I'm talking super hot.

If you don't know what I'm on about, you obviously haven't seen Kelly Brook and Dannii Minogue's new boyfriends.

Manly

In second place is the delightfully dishy Danny Cipriani but man of the match has to go to Dannii's man, hunky former Leeds rugby league player Kris Smith.

They're both delightfully easy on the eye, and more manly than a whole team of footie players.

Come on, girls, it's time to make the conversion.