26.2 Miles – A Life-Changing Experience!
Cyprian Dalli
I am in my brother-in-law’s car, on agrey, windy, uninspiring Sundaymorning, as he is driving me up toMdina. This is no ordinary day! This isTHE day! It is the day of reckoning! Theday to seize the moment – the Carpe-Diem-kind of day! Lost in my thoughts, Iam, hopefully, in my last minutes as anon-marathoner. In around 300minutes, I will be that which I alwayswanted to be, that which I thought I willnever be! I will have conquered theMarathon – that most openly-public,challenging, possibly-humbling andpotentially-embarrassing of all athleticendeavours!I treat the word ‘Marathon’ withreverence and a sort of mystic devotion!I rarely use it if not to refer to what itactually means: A footrace of 26 Miles395 yards that tests the humanphysiology in a way unlike any other!I am thinking of how much I hate itwhen people abuse the word‘Marathon’. I hate it when people call a‘Marathon’ a 10K race. I even hate itmore when they call a 5K race a‘Marathon’. I hate it when I hear thenews talking about a fund-raising‘Marathon’, or a football ‘Marathon’!I get upset when people ask me: ‘So,how long was that marathon lastweekend?’ or ‘I think the marathon inMalta is shorter than the one inLondon’. Absolutely not! A MARATHONis a MARATHON! In China as inIceland, in New York as in Guadalajara!In Greece as in Malta! A Marathon is26.2 Miles or, if you prefer, 42KMs and195 metres! No more! No less! It is not26 Miles and it is not 42 KMs! It is26.2M or 42.195KMs. Period!It was a word which used to put me onanxiety-mood! 26.2 Miles! 42.195 KMs!!I remember ever since I started running,a ‘Marathon’ seemed to be the ultimatetest - the Holy Grail – the momentwhere I will transcend myself from a‘basic’ runner into a ‘marathoner’! Butobtaining this seemed a pie in the sky –something which I dearly wanted butwhich I was convinced was onlyreserved for the really resilient athletes!But thanks to my ‘insanity’ and love of the sport, I am here now – ready to facethe monster!After so many miles, most of themalone, in the cold wind and rain of aharsh winter, here I am – facing mydreams, my fears, my insecurities, mydetermination! I have the same feelingin my stomach of when I used to haveexams way back in my primary schooldays! That feeling of do or die, fight of flight! But I am resolute to fight thismorning! Bring it on! Let’s see who’s thetough guy here!Oh, finally! Here they are! The other guys from St. Patrick’s! I am relieved tosee them and share the last thoughtswith them before embarking on thevoyage! Carmen, Renato, Martin,Marisa, Emile, Jude! I took refuge in thefact that they seem tenser than usual –ergo, I am not the only one on the vergeof a nervous breakdown! And there’sTonio too! And Charles and Paul, andDrew! Hey, we Shamrockers are thebiggest bunch here!Martin comes to me and repeats whathe has repeated to me every time hemet me in the last two months –“Remember this – you are not a trueathlete unless you do a Marathon.Today’s your chance, man!” Martin –such a motivator!On your marks! PUUM! Here we go! Ihastily press the Enter button on myGarmin and I start the long journey. Ilook around me! Some of my friendsare already a good 50 metres ahead!Bye bye guys, I’ll catch up with you inSliema! Most of the persons around areforeigners. Some have the shape of seasoned athletes! Some others Iwould never bet €1 that they arerunners! One of them impresses me –he is holding a handful of gels in hishand! Another has a handkerchief tiedup to his head like a typical Maltesebennej! Runners – such a funny bunchof human beings!I press the play button on my I-PodShuffle! Soon enough I hear the voiceof the Bellamy Brothers instructing meto “Let The Love Flow”! I think “Better have my legs flowing this morning!” It’sa nice song to start of a voyage in! Putsme in good mode!I begin to make a reality-check analysis!I am not happy with the flow of my legs,they seem to go all by themselves! Ok,maybe it’s the tension and it will soonebb away! But the feeling persists! 5K!7K! 9K! Wish I can settle in my usuallong-run pace, but my legs are naughtythis morning! Ok! No panic! Sooner or later, they’ll adjust! They have to adjust!And they do adjust! The downhillleading to the Mount Carmel Hospital isnice and easy, and finally, I can controlmy legs! I am not trembling anymore! Ican hold on or push as I feel like it!Finally! Let the show begin!In Mosta now! I remember that mysister was planning to meet me alongsomewhere in Mosta. A couple of minutes afterwards I see her, and her husband. I wave to them! I want to seethem that I am in good shape! I guess itis their first ever sporting event they areattending! They give me a bunch of jellybabies! I love them! I tell them thateverything is under control!Out from Mosta we head towards Ta’Buqajna hill. Not a steep hill by anystandards, but after 100 minutes, it canbe tricky! And indeed it is! I pluckcomfort from the fact that I know thatthis is the only hill on the route and Ibrave my way up. It is soon over andthe road turns downhill now. The milesare running fast now. I am at the half-way mark and am feeling fine and allrevved up!Back into Ta’ Qali. I have the strangefeeling of going around in circles as Ihave already passed this road twicealready earlier on. I am at K26 – and I
Renato Caruana, Jude Zammit, Charles Darmanin, Martin Agius,Emile Vassallo, Cyprian Dalli, Paul Grima & Tonio Privitelli
The Shamrock
June ‘09
12www.stpatricksac.info
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