Run if you can, walk if you have to; crawl if you must, just never ever give up. – Dean Karnazes
What is the best thing to do after a twelve-hour flight? Run a Marathon! Yes!
November 3. I just arrived from Manila to Kuwait trying to make it to their first ever marathon. I am just glad to reach the starting point in at least good condition not dizzy, not hungry, just really sleepy, but what can I do? The hard way is the option that I choose. I can just quit on this race and never show up but my heart told me that I should run (or probably walk) this race.
With only 16 runners at the starting line, to be honest, it’s really surprising that it was pushed through. It started at 9:30 AM. It’s autumn time now anyway so the heat is not really that dreadful, but there is an ample amount of heat that could give us sunburn though, not to mention that the humidity was totally dry.
Right from the start of the race, I was part of the last pack. 15th runner; and I don’t care. There was hard sand, soft sand, a little pavement sometimes and gravel; that is how the terrain was composed of. Hydration can be spoted only at 5K, 10.5K, 21K, 27K, 32K and 37K. The half-marathoners were already overtaking me (I’d be to slow if the 10K will also do) and that’s fine until I felt totally alone and deserted at after their turning point at 10.5K mark. The extra 10.5K before reaching the turning point is like going on forever and when I reached there, there were only 15 runners left and when I reach Km 27, I am the only runner left at 11th position. The moment I reached 32K mark, no one was there anymore but only the remaining water bottles (good thing it was left unopened).
As what the organizer had mentioned, the cut off was 8hrs; It was not really an awesome time for a marathon, but I was lucky he was lenient enough for me. I finally end up at 7:15 with just the two of us in the finish line, I was the 11th finisher of the race.
It was tough. But I didn’t quit, no matter what…
The Argonaut 