There was never a time in my life through my more youthful years that I ever thought I’d ever run in a marathon I used to express to people I would run a marathon on the twelfth of Never. In fact, I believed marathons must be an acquired taste, much like chicken pox is an acquired sickness. I hated the idea, nay, even the believed of running a marathon. It seemed masochistic. Nearly insane.
However, a single fateful summer my cousin, Jeremy, bet me a very, really large sum of cash that I could not finish the Utah Valley Marathon. He didn’t say I had to finish it inside a certain amount of time. No. He taunted me by saying I could not even FINISH the marathon.
Certainly, never one to turn down a bet (or cash) I took him up on it. And I’m so glad I did.After training for several months, the day of the race came. I’m not going to lie to you; I still had my lingering doubts about marathons. Actually, my general strategy was to start off working slowly and then taper off. I figured as long as I completed the race I would be able to collect for the bet and also the cash and nevertheless have a scrap of dignity left to spare.
When the race started my whole world was never the same.
It was so weird. It was like my inner competitive alter ego took over. I didn’t want that girl in the red jersey to beat me towards the finish line. Or that guy with the mismatched Asics shoes. I was on fire! There was just something about running with all those other people and having crowds of people cheering you on. It was an adrenaline rush!
There was just some thing about feeling like you were accomplishing some thing that really mattered. There was something about getting in shape for a certain event like this. There is just something about running a marathon that resonated inside of me.
I was hooked forever.
I love marathons now.
Now, truth be told, when you operate a marathon, you occasionally feel like you’re marching into battle. Nevertheless, depending on how well you trained for this “battle” you’re going to feel like Napoleon or you’re going to really feel like Custard.
By the time I completed the race, I felt deeply and hygienically disturbed. But I also knew I had discovered a new passion in life. It’s such a great feeling finding new types of exercise routines and ways to compete that you enjoy.
My goal now is to run in a number of marathons worldwide. I wish to run the marathon they hold on the Great Wall of China. I wish to take a boat towards the Arctic Circle and run the marathon they hold up there in the snow. Then I wish to run the marathon they hold at The Dead Sea. I wish to run in the Boston Marathon. My appetite for marathons is insatiable.
All thanks to my cousin and his stupid dare and bet. You can also run the Utah Valley Marathon this year and experience the pain and the fun! Learn more watching the included video about the event.