running free n 41
r
unning any marathon is a special
and unique experience but
there are some events that are
truly extraordinary. Prague,
without a doubt, is one of them.
As the plane broke the thin blanket of
cloud cover to reveal the Czech
countryside, the familiar pre-marathon
sensations of nervousness and excitement
began increasing at the rate of my training
mileage � but without the taper.
After running the London Marathon as a
`warm up' less than a month earlier, there
were a few doubts in my mind. Did I have
another marathon in my legs? The fasten
seatbelts sign came on. I turned to my
extremely patient `marathon widow'
girlfriend, Jessica. She squeezed my hand
giving me the `you can do this' smile that
had got me through London. On separate
flights I knew my friends James and Dan
would be wrestling with similar emotions. I
Prague International
Marathon
Andrew Satchwell, founder of absoluterunning.com on breaking through the
wall in the magnificent city of Prague.
looked forward to getting together with
people who faced the same challenge.
I was met at the hotel by more familiar
faces � my parents. Mum's experience of
Breast Cancer was what had spurred me to
run my first race for charity and she and
dad are always a great support. Later, after
James had joined us, we ordered the
obligatory pre-race pasta and chatted
about tomorrow's big day.
Breakfast frenzy
The next morning the hotel was packed
with excitable runners from across the
world, each taking on as much `fuel' for the
run as they could stomach at 6am. In the
breakfast room I sat with some Italian
runners. Even with their limited English
and my non-existent Italian we still
managed to whip ourselves up into an
enthusiastic tiz. It reminded me of
something a good friend said once:"Every
marathon runner has a special bond with
the other people in that event." Each in our
own corner of the globe, we had trained,
planned, thought and dreamt about race
day, and now, today, we had come together
to share our passion for running.
Whenever someone says `running is a
lonely sport' I think about the atmosphere
of a marathon morning and the friends I've
made.They couldn't be more wrong.
The Volkswagen Prague International
Marathon has been voted one of the most
beautiful marathon courses in the world.
As we arrived at the start/finish point it
was instantly apparent why.With a
backdrop of brilliant blue sky the 11th
century Old Town Square looked simply
stunning.
James had gone to meet Dan. I looked at
my watch as � only 30 minutes to go before
the start, where were they? Suddenly, the
penny dropped - apart from `the start' we
RACES

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