Track And Field
‘CONGRATULATIONS to Freddie the tortoise who has taken up our challenge to see if he can move quicker than an ambulance responding to an emergency call with his customary gusto.
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| Apparently, Freddie was the wrong kind of tortoise |
So far hes ahead of the game, and the Mail says that Freddie has been spotted plodding long the M3 towards Southampton Hospital. To date hes covered a distance of some one-and-a-half miles from his home in Winchester, Hampshire.
Averaging a speed of 0.0034mph, Freddie was due to arrive in Southampton in late August 2010, a full two minutes ahead of the ambulance.
Hes now back at home, limbered up, energised and ready for a fresh challenge. And that could involve seeing if he can beat the new Eurostar train that runs at an impressive 186mph on the Channel Tunnel rail link.
The more sensational news, again brought by the speedy Mail, is that the train is galloping along on this side of the tunnel. For an entire 46miles between Folkestone and Fawkham Junction, Kent, the train will fairly zip along.
It would appear that Flyin Freddie has his work cut out. But hed do well to remember the parable of the hare and the tortoise.
And so it is that the Sun brings news of Freddies ever-narrowing odds of victory. The race gets more interesting when the trains approach London and slow down, even stopping for a nap.
Indeed, the Sun takes a gander at what happened in Kings Cross station only yesterday, when one of those hasty speeding trains came clean off the tracks.
The 07:00 GNER service from Kings Cross to Glasgow left the tracks at an earth-shuddering 15mph. The Sun has a picture of the machine being worked on by teams of crack engineers.
While those with a keen eye can see the mottled shell of our hero in the background. Come on, Freddie, were right behind you as is the 12:46 from Sheffield…’
Posted: 17th, September 2003 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
