Sunday, October 31st, 2010

First of all I would like to thank YOU to

Spiros, Didi & Miro, Holli, Lars, Miri, Olli & Dani, Thor, Mads, Henrik, Chris, Kostas, Elias, Marty, Magda, Eirini & Allan, Aggeliki, Sandra, Lino, Max, Paula, Joro and Tina

for taking your precious time and making such an unbelievable effort to support me. I have no words strong enough to tell you how honored I feel having you by my side.

The medal you made for me left and will always leave me speechless. I am truly overwhelmed and grateful. And to you, dear Didi - a very special thanks...

I wanted to run this race so damn badly after not being able to last year due to a meniscal tear in my left knee 4 weeks followed by an operation 2 weeks before the actual race. I said that I would return at the House Of Death Party. This year was a special race - a once in a lifetime race - because who ever will get the chance to participate in a race that celebrates its 2500th anniversary?

I had ran an extreme run in May (54.4 k/1256 altitude meters) and was injured during training afterwards. I had torn fibers in my left thigh and was forced to make a pause. I fully recovered until the end of June and was in great spirit to start my training in August for the Athens Classic Marathon. At first everything went fine although I didn't do many runs over 15 k. In September I ran 30 k and almost 200 k in total in two weeks. I felt a little pain in my right calf but - as usual - didn't give a shit...

On September 29th I wanted to run over 30 k and felt physically quite good. I still felt a little pain in my right calf but knew I HAD TO RUN. Well, fuck - after 8 k I strained the muscle in my right calf and had to walk home - but that wasn't the worst part of it, wasn't it!?!

I hadn't trained enough and knew that I wouldn't be able to train for at least 2 weeks. I also knew that the marathon was in 4 weeks. I felt like a piece of shit - not just for myself but for all my true family and friends I surely didn't want to disappoint again.

I paused for 2 weeks and then started training again. I still felt pain so I only ran 4.2 k (superstitious or what!?!) 5 times before I said to myself that my training wouldn't work. I started endless discussions with Tina telling her that I actually had only one option to be able to start the race in Athens - namely to rest. She pointed out that it would be sheer impossible to run a marathon without any decent training at all - I agreed but there was no other way. I did not want to strain my muscle or even worse tear delicate fibers and not be able to start at all. I guess not many people out there can truly understand what I went through - it was Hell On Earth...

In the last week I did decide to run 10.55 k, 6.66 k and 4.2 k (yes damnit - I am superstitious!) and it worked but I still felt a kind of pulling in my calf. I was scared shitless and so damn full of doubt but I knew I had to run. You can truly believe me when I say I was mentally a wreck.

We flew to Athens getting up at 4 am in the morning and arrived in the afternoon. Spiros picked Tina, Miri and I up and we drove to the hotel. There were already a lot of Brothers and Sisters there and it was great seeing them all. They even decided to join me on my way to get my starting number and chip - that was fuckin' awesome - I love these people.

Everything worked out smoothly and we walked back to the hotel. We went out for dinner and it was quite easy to have my traditional Greek meal before running a marathon. We shared a bit beer and an Ouzo together before we departed. The HoD went to party and Tina and I went to bed because I had to get up at 4 am - again! I slept quite well although our fuckin' hotel room was like a refrigerator. Tina got up with me and got me some coffee from the reception and I had breakfast in my room. We were both damn nervous because the question was....

Was I ready? Let's say I wanted to be...

Did I believe in myself? Well, Tina did and I sort of did... I just knew one thing for sure - I WOULD NOT GIVE IN!

Last preparations and despite everything else - my mood was good.

I got to the metro and then got onto a bus in Syntagma which would drive us all the way to the city of Marathon. Everything was perfectly organized - before, during and after the race - I'd like to send a great big hail to the marathon committee of Athens!

Arriving there at shortly before 7 am I started to walk around the stadium. It was quite chilly but the sun was rising and it was going to be a beautiful day - or was it really? I was nervous as hell and my doubts were still there - I'm not dramatizing this at all - it's just the honest way I felt.

Time went by and we got into our starting blocks - why the fuck they put me in block 6 will forever be a riddle. The temperature had risen to 15 ° C and they let each block start with an interval. I left the stadium at 9.17 am...

The first kilometers were easy going aside from the fact that I had to dodge my way through runners that obviously had only participated because it was an anniversary run. I mean I was slow but some of them were almost walking.

After 11 k the track started to ascent and it became quite strenuous. I had maintained a pace of 5:30/k and started slowing down. Would my leg hold or not? I felt the tension in my calf but kept on running. There was a steep descent after 17 k and then the hardest part of the race began. Uphill, uphill and again uphill. At 31.5 k my total pace had slowed down to 5:50/k. Sometime before the race I had said that I would be blessed if my leg held and I would be able to run 3:59:59 - which was actually quite utopistic to start with. At my present pace I would have crossed the finish line at about 4:07. The astonishing thing was that my leg was not only holding but the pulling almost stopped completely.

At that point - after 32 k - I didn't care any more and gave it everything I could - if the leg decided not to hold I'd walk the rest. So I ran like hell. The track went steady downhill and I felt like I had gained wings. It was amazing - I was flying. I drank a lot, ate magnesium, chocolate bars, gels and whatever just to keep the energy up - and up it went!

The fans along the roadside were brilliant from the beginning - a mighty hail to the Greeks - great sportsmanship! And now they were increasing and it was getting louder and louder - a sheer frenzy and an unbelievably fantastic atmosphere. The world was mine - this was my race and I was heading towards the stadium - a stadium with my true family and friends waiting for me. I wanted to make them proud and happy. I was not running away but outrunning my former doubts and uncertainty - and it felt good - damn good.

One of the many warriors on their way to the finish line!

The sun was shining and it was getting hot but we had a bit of tailwind (good thing we only had to run in one direction...) and I was in paradise. I turned the last corner and ran into the Panathinaikon Stadium. What a feeling. And there they were - my wife and my Brothers and Sisters screaming their lungs out - for me - what an honor. I waved and ran the last meters of maybe the best race in my life - not the fastest - but the most emotional and mentally hardest one I've ever did.

I crossed the finish line at 4:01:05 and my total pace was 5:41/k meaning I had cut 9 seconds during the last quarter of the race, running at 5:00/k. I was so happy and to be honest quite amazed of myself - I had finished number 2799 of a total of over 10,000 runners...

I felt like I had been reborn - again.

I gave back my chip and headed to the others!

Everyone congratulated me and Didi presented me my medal. I had tears in my eyes and didn't know what to say but I do know that I love you all. True moments of friendship and brotherhood.

AGAIN - THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING THIS DAY AN UNFORGETTABLE ONE!

I hail YOU!

"Fight With Blood
Fight With Steel
Die With Honor
Never Yield
Fearless Hearts
Filled With Pride
Into Glory We Shall Ride"

And as MANOWAR like to say - from a battle I've come to battle I ride...

See you next year in Prague! ;)