Nick’s #Runspiration

Abbott WMMajors
Aug 28, 2017 · 4 min read

In 2007 I saw a documentary on TV. It was of a guy finishing an Ironman in less than 13 hours, after only 12 months training. He had no sports background at all. Being in the second half of my 40s already, I told myself that I needed a goal as well. However, after some serious research, I admitted that Ironman was not the right goal for me ;)

Instead, I targeted running a half marathon in less than 2 hours. After 10 weeks of training, I finished my first half marathon in 1 hour and 42 minutes. I was so happy and proud of my performance that I stopped exercising for the next two months. When I started again, I realized that my performance had dropped to the level of when I began.

I needed a new goal! I decided to run a full marathon in the upcoming spring, which was in 4 months, in less than 3:30. I trained hard and finished in 3:26. I was exhausted and gave myself a good 10 weeks rest before starting to exercise again. As you might imagine, performance wise, I was almost back to the same level I was before training for the marathon. Shocked by this, I immediately signed up for my next marathon in autumn. I think I overtrained for this one because I got injured. However, I still ran the marathon, but my time was not great and it was not much fun.

I needed a sustainable plan for my goals, so I signed up for an online training plan and searched for marathons I wanted to do in 2009. I selected my home marathon in Zurich, Switzerland to start with and also put NY marathon on my bucket list to close the year. With a perfect training plan and motivation, I managed to finish Zurich in 3:07, which allowed me to register for NY with a guaranteed entry with qualifying time. Running NY is an awesome experience in itself, with more than 1 million spectators and incredible scenery crossing all 5 burrows of this fantastic city. Finishing in 3:03 was the cherry on top.

Now it was time to make my dreams come true: to become a six star finisher. I knew this would be a longer project. The second Abbott World Marathon Major race I planned to run was Berlin in 2010. I was now in my 50s, but I still wanted to improve and possibly crack the 3 hour marathon mark. And that’s what I set out to do. It was terrible rainy conditions on race day, but I felt well prepared and highly motivated on a track that is as flat as a pizza. I crossed the line in 2:59!!!! What a feeling! It’s hard to express. I remembered thinking of the the famous words from Emil Zatopek “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon”. That is what best describes crossing the finish line.

In 2011, I ran a marathon in the Alps, which changed my training quite a bit towards trek running. But, as soon as that was done, I was scheduled for Chicago in 2012. In preparation, I run my home marathon and also a night marathon. Accompanied by my son, we did the man thing and discovered the wild side of Chicago. Lucky as I was, the conditions were perfect and I managed another PB: 2:57. I found my son celebrating my race almost right at the finish line!

2013 did not start quite as as well as 2012 had closed. I got into Boston with my qualifying time, but due to injury, could not prepare well for this marathon. This was also the year of the terrible bombings causing 3 deaths and inuring hundreds of innocent victims. I still feel sad when it comes to my mind.

For the Tokyo marathon, I traveled with a group of running peers. We spent a whole week in this fascinating city, having a great time together. Visiting Tokyo Tower, Yasukuni Shrine, Nakamise market, the 500m high Tokyo Skytree as well as Imperial Palace & East Garden. I highly recommend spending time with other runners for an event like this. It was great. There is not much to say about the marathon itself, other than this is the funniest one. An incredible amount of runners wearing costumes of all kinds — this is the number one reason to participate.

The last one on the six star list was London. As we exited the buses in Greenwich, the weather was typically English: cold and drizzly. Nevertheless I felt good and lined up right near Paula Radcliffe! Needless to say, I couldn’t keep up with her, but I still finished with my all-time best of 2:56. This was the moment I became a six star finisher!!!

Since then, I’ve done other gorgeous marathons around the world, such as Jungfrau marathon, elected as the most beautiful in Europe, or the great wall marathon in China, another unforgettable marathon. I have now done 32 marathons in 5 continents, but there are more to come. Running makes you very passionate and once you’re addicted, you never look back!

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The World Marathon Majors include Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago & NYC. We promote the world's top pro runners, wheelchair athletes & everyday champions

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