"Has all my life been leading up to this moment?" I ask myself the morning after. Sure, it had all the trappings of victory - the raising aloft of the yellow space-hopper and the exultant cries of the Ops Team, "We won one at last." But like Ben Cross in "Chariots of Fire" it feels like a hollow victory.

It was the next instalment of the Octopus Group Office Olympics, and it was time for the Olympic Hop-OFF. The event itself had been fantastic - Abi, Helen and Sophie had proven worthy opponents, but had just been unable to make it out of the heats.

Showing the true international flavour of the event, and indeed the Octopus Group, the final came down to the oldest of rivalries; England vs. Slovakia. Ingrid laid down a fearsome pace, recording a time that almost ducked under the legendary one minute barrier that doctors had said was physiologically impossible.  A truly awesome opponent who deserves most of the credit for the exciting sporting spectacle the crowd had to witness on the day.

Reminding myself of every wet Thursday night training and the long weekend runs gasping for breath, I summoned up every ounce of my MAMIL (middle aged man in lycra) being, and bounced my way to victory.

It was all over…I was the Octopus Group, Windsor Office, Hop-Off Champion 2012.

But in my heart, I know it's not right. You see, I had an unfair advantage….I was the only contestant who had owned an original 1969 orange kangaroo space-hopper….life had prepared me for this event in the back gardens of West London in a way just not available to anyone else. "Ingrid, you are the true champion. You can have my chocolate medal, but I'm keeping the space-hopper."

David @rebelruns