9:05: People are throwing off the sweatshirts they used to keep warm in the starting gates. Men on the side of the road are collecting these in large plastic garbage bags, no doubt to sell them at the nearest flea market. While passing the 1 km marker, someone shouts, “Only 41 more to go!” There is a collective chuckle amongst the crowd of runners.
9:45: Am now passing the 10 km marker. Only 32 to go. Only? There is music and cheering from people lining the road. I silently curse the man cooking rotisserie chicken. I think about stopping for a snack.
10:15: Just over 16 km in I notice a sign pointing towards Mάτι. Mati! An entire Greek town named after me! Legend tells of a mighty warrior named Mati who once fought off the entire Persian army with a spear in one hand and a fist in the other. Or at least that’s the story I made up in my head as I ran by.
10:45: I pass the half-way mark (21.1 km) at 1:43:17. I’m feeling good. I can do this all day!
10:48: I pass the naked statue commemorating Pheidippides, the original Marathon runner 2501 years ago. Tricia and I have a small argument about the placement of the statue. “So, the statue was halfway through the race. No, the statue was between the halfway mark and the 22 km mark. So, at the halfway mark, then. No, it was after the halfway mark, at least 1/2 a kilometer. Why do you have to be so literal all the time!”
11:11: The winner crosses the finish line. Boubker Abdelkerim from Morocco. I’m still plugging away somewhere near the 26th km mark. Only 16 kilometers behind the leader.
Stay tuned for more marthoning!
I just think that you need to learn the beauty of using words like “about” and “around.”