Paris Marathon 2017

It’s been over a week since we ran the Paris Marathon and I’m still not sure how or what to write about the race. It’s all a bit of a blur to be honest with you, but it was definitely one of the best but hardest experiences of my life!

Nothing went according to plan for this marathon… From my ankle injury that disrupted my training to the extreme heat that messed up my race strategy – it genuinely felt like my whole journey to run Paris was an uphill battle filled with obstacles.

As you can imagine, running 26.2 miles is hard, but running 26.2 miles in 25 degrees and sunshine is even harder, and the heat was definitely the most difficult part for me to cope with due to my “overheating issues”.

Despite running in every bit of shade I could find, hydrating at every water station, pouring water over my head and arms, trying to keep a slow and steady pace, and having my own cheering duo following me around the course, I remember passing the 10K mark, smiling to myself and thinking “Oh shit Orsi, you are so incredibly fucked!!”

But luckily for me, I had the best race partner who encouraged me to keep on going when I thought that I couldn’t and together we managed to get through it all with a big smile on our faces. It wasn’t pretty at times and it definitely wasn’t fast, but we started and crossed the finish line hand in hand and I couldn’t be prouder of our accomplishment.

It took me 5 hours and 19 minutes to complete the Paris Marathon and even though it was almost one hour slower than my London Marathon time, I remember passing the 37K mark feeling so incredibly proud that despite not being able to walk properly four months earlier, I was now running a marathon and the running wasn’t even the hardest part of it all!

For a person who hates running, feeling and thinking like that was an incredible confidence boost and all I can think about since is: “So when are we running the next one?!”

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