1157th Place

I participated in the Marrakech Marathon January 31st, running the half-- 13.1 miles (21k) with three other PVCs and my friend and training partner from Amizmiz, Abderrahim.

It all went by in a blur for the most part. It was a beautiful morning-- sunny and cool, perfect running weather. Memorable moments include when our route diverted into an olive grove where people darted off the trek left and right behind trees to use the "facilities", and the walls of honking buses, angry taxi drivers and revving motorbikes, barely restrained by policemen as we cut through the city.

Thanks to a few previous weeks of pretty strict training and a fortuitous lack of any injuries, aches or pains on race day, it wasn't very difficult. I didn't have to stop to walk or rest, and was able to finish in the time I had roughly shot for-- 1h, 55m. (http://www.racetimer.se/sv/race/resultlist/298?rc_id=1984, http://www.racetimer.se/sv/runner/show/792956?race_id=298) It helped having the crowds of supporters (and hecklers) lining the streets, and the exhilaration of finally participating in the race I'd been imagining for weeks. The first runners finishing the full marathon were coming in just 10 minutes or so after me. I seem to be seriously lacking those Ethiopian genes.

There's another marathon in Casablanca this October. It would be nice to train for it and run the full thing, though I'm not sure what will be happening as far as work or other PC-related business. Training for that would mean not fasting for Ramadan, which I was also hoping to do this year, so....we shall see.