20th January 2017 marked the date of Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, a run that made all the difference in my lifestyle 7 years ago. If I haven’t shared before, here is the story of my running life in brief… In 2009, during Ramadan days in my first job, few of us around the table came up with this bright idea of running a marathon, doing something interesting in our lives and before we knew, we were at the start of Safa Park then 3.4 kms. I had never ran in my life and stopped more than I jogged, every 50 metres and with the encouragement from others I would start again. Then before I knew, I finished one round in weeks and started building from there. With no professional chats or training, we were determined to run the marathon in January 2010 and to ensure we had it all covered, we decided to sign up for Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon in December 2009, a month before the full. For anyone who asks me today if that was a good idea, I would probably say ‘no’. Then, it seemed like another challenge to complete the original challenge that we signed up for.
Fast forward to 2017 and for the first time since the start, I decided for once not to run instead support my group Dubai Creek Striders who were running in huge numbers. After our group picture at 5-45 am, I took my bike and starting riding towards the 16 kms mark where our group table was. And as the clocked ticked past 6-30 am, we knew the ace runners would come in shortly. There is one more benefit of not running, you get to see the ace runners and yes indeed we saw them. One by one racing past by us and the team putting out water in their hands while the others clapping as hard as they could. Then after a while we saw our people, familiar faces and soon we started shouting, taking pictures, offering drinks and the fruits & chocolates that we cut earlier for all the runners. I think we screamed so much, I actually thought I would lose my voice.
After the last bunch of familiar faces passed us, I took my bike and started pedaling to catch up with them, to check if they needed anything. As I approached the first batch, after few chats and less pedaling next to them, I moved on to the next one and so on and so forth. When I went onto the flyover that had the most amazing views of the Dubai Skyline, I looked back and instantly felt this noise of wind cross my ears and I realized for once, I had no thoughts in my head unlike when I used to run and that itself felt so so different. It almost felt like a scene from a movie, where you pedal full speed and suddenly come to a stop and watch the others. Once back to the moment, I pedaled my way down to the bridge and back into the present. At one stage, I became the girl who sprays runners with deep heat spray 🙂
I started liking my new role and soon that feeling changed as I saw some few struggling to continue. What was it about us, that with all the pain that’s no longer hidden, we still want to make it to the end. The determined looks said it all, as they held some strength inside them to finish strong, everything about my first marathon came flashing back – biting my lip in pain, still sprinting in the end when I saw the finish mark and stopped before crossing the finish, that led my friends to scream and shout at me. All of that feels like another life now, yet so connected as no matter how many marathons I run, the butterfly feeling always will be there at the start and the anticipation to finish strong. Hats off to some as they were running the second marathon in a week, after Mumbai; something I did last year too. Seriously what’s wrong with us (lol) and if that wasn’t enough some were doing the Muscat Marathon the week after. At one stage, I looked up and saw this helicopter taking circles, it was a beautiful day. I thought, while everyone is watching this amazing race from the ground level, how different it was to be from high above, in the sky where you can see everyone who is running, supporting and watching?
Soon I stocked my bag with water bottles and started giving them out between 34 and 40 kms as that’s always a killer. They say marathon starts after 30 kms, that’s only the half way mark not 21 kms and rightfully so. You need as much energy from there once you reach 30 kms. God bless each of us to believe in ourselves, to be so determined that nothing shifts us from the focus of running a marathon and receiving the well deserved medal in the end.
