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Five for Fun
10TH APRIL Club Football: Real Madrid V Barcelona (Spain). Quite
simply the biggest game in Spanish football. With both sides battling it out
to win La Liga, stars like Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham will
dazzle at the fantastic Santiago Bernabeu.
10TH APRIL Rugby Union: Powergen Cup Final (London). The home of English Rugby,
Twickenham, plays host to the domestic Cup Final.
11-17TH APRIL Tennis: ATP Masters Series (Monte Carlo). Last year's
men's winner Guillermo Coria steam-rollered Rainer Schuettler in three
sets. Will this year's final in the principality be so one-sided?
20TH APRIL If you're hooked on the thrill of two wheels, get yourself
booked on a flight to Valencia where you can catch the best of the World Superbikes.
Alternatively, Jerez—not far from Malaga in the south of Spain—hosts
MotoGP on 10th April, where local favourite Sete Gibernau aims to defeat Italy's
world champion Valentino Rossi.
Challenge of the month: Marathon madness
April is a month of marathons around Europe, with Rotterdam, Paris and London
opening their streets to the masses. For most of us, just the thought of running
26.2 miles is enough to bring out a case of the sweats. But now more people are
running marathons than ever, from profes- sional athletes to those raising money
for charity clad in Pink-Panther costumes and leotards.
All of which makes the marathon such an awe- inspiring and ridiculous race
to watch. The sheer numbers of people; the atmosphere; the sight of young and
old doing something apparently insane: it is all strangely addictive viewing.
What the laidback Dutch make of the 10,000 competitors grunting their way
around Rotterdam you can't tell, but the event—held on 10th April—is
now Holland's largest one-day sporting event. Paris holds its marathon
on the very same day. Supposedly first held in 1896, it is super-popular, with
35,000 hardy souls pounding French tarmac. The London marathon has been hard
to beat since its inception in 1979: 572,174 have run it, with another 50,000
intending to this year. Go along and compete if you must, but, whether runner
or spectator, it's a great month to see a great event in some great cities.
easyJet In-flight's practise-in-your-seat guide to dipping overÉ the
winning line Sit back and feel the satisfaction of completing the gruelling race.
Just close your eyes, pump those arms and legs and 26.2 miles later (or towards
the end of this flight), dip your head forward and stretch for the finish line
(but remember to avoid firm contact with the seat in front or risk sending your
face crashing into your lunch). Even if it has all been in your head, the thought
of it will certainly make you feel tired.
Dust off your... binoculars
Take a trip to Liverpool and Aintree for the 158th Grand National on 9th April.
Have a flutter, back a winner, or watch in horror as your horse refuses to budge
from the starting line—this race is an institution.
Last year was a perfect example of the magic of the Grand National. Ginger
McCain, trainer of the legendary Red Rum (the horse that won the race three times),
won his fourth National when Amberleigh House, ridden by Graham Lee, became another
chapter of racing folklore.
Watched by 10 million people in the United Kingdom and 600 million worldwide,
everyone takes a punt on the Grand National—even your gran, who toddles
along to the bookies to bet on the horse with the catchy name.
And in offices up and down the country, people will be writing the horses' names
on scraps of paper and letting colleagues pick one for a quid in the annual sweepstake—because
everyone gets Grand National fever.
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