Shota’s First Paris Marathon Part 2

The Wall, and the Finish Line

Shota’s Marathon Moment

At around 35 kilometers, Shota hit a wall.

The Bois de Boulogne was no longer beautiful. It was brutal. A 1.5 km uphill climb greeted him at the forest entrance. His calves began to spasm. Every few hundred meters came that sharp jolt the warning of full-on cramps.

He watched runners he had passed earlier now glide past him. Doubts flooded in. Was he even going to finish? Was this the end?

Just when he was ready to give in, the 4:00 pacer appeared. A runner holding the time marker that symbolized his goal of sub-4. He thought he had left them behind long ago. Seeing them now, catching up to him, flipped a switch in his brain.

He couldn’t let it end here.

He picked up the pace. No thinking, just running. Luckily, the path turned downhill. He kept going, past 38, 39, 40 kilometers. The Arc de Triomphe came back into view. The crowd got louder at 41 kilometers. The energy surged.

Then came the green gate. The finish line.

He raised a fist and crossed it. Done.

Final time: 3:52:41
Sub-4 achieved.

More than the time, it was the overwhelming emotion that stayed with him. That strange, explosive sense of joy and exhaustion. He swore he’d never do it again.

And yet, a few days later

He signed up for the London Marathon.

Next goal: Sub-3.5