A Seven Continent Journey

Left the hotel around 5:45 a.m. and headed to the Town Hall Metro Station. From there it was a short ride to Milsons’ Point where the run was to start. I didn’t really have to ask anyone for directions as the trains were full of runners. Once out of the station it was a short walk to the the start point of the marathon. The run started with an uphill run. In the distance, the Harbor Bridge was visible along with the famous Sydney Opera House. Milsons’ Point is in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, which is a densely populated affluent neighbourhood. It apparently has the highest real-estate values in Australia. It also boasts some famous addresses including the Australian Premier’s residence. As you would expect there were throngs of runners getting ready going through their routine on my arrival. It was a little nippy in the morning so a windcheater came in handy. The drop stations for the clothes to be picked on the finish line were easy to access. In the process, however, I lost my earphones. Not to be too discouraged I was able to convince myself, that I should be able to complete the run without listening to music considering that while I had been running in Sydney I enjoyed the sounds of the city and I thought it may not be an issue. Fortunately, I had my cell phone with me. I e-mailed my friend, Ajay, asking if he would be able to get me a pair of earphones when I would be near his house at around the 11th or 12th mile. My thought was that maybe by that time I would need the assistance of music . The full marathon was the last to be flagged off at 7:15 a.m. after the 10K and the half marathon runners were sent off. At the starting lineup I asked a fellow runner about the steep uphill climb right at the start and he just grinned back mentioning that this was a better version as the event organizers had changed the course over the last several years trying to avoid similar hills. He assured me that it is not that bad as the run progresses. Soon we were on the way. Within a mile I was over Sydney Harbor Bridge. I made sure I took pictures. This was the first time I was carrying my camera/cell phone with me. I was happy I could do this. I have to say, however, this was a distraction. Now that I think about it, I was too casual starting off the race. Immediately off the Sydney Harbor Bridge we were in the area called the Rocks. This was the first area to be colonized when the First Fleet arrived from England. Running on the Cahill Expressway going downhill, a very beautiful view of the Sydney Opera House is seen and gradually we entered the city at Macquarie Street, then into the Royal Botanical Gardens. This is an expansive greenery right at the edge of Sydney Opera House and is an amazing place to run. At around the six mile mark, I ran past the Sydney Cricket grounds. Growing up in India, I watched many games on television played at this venue. The next few miles were run in the Centennial Park, which is a beautiful park in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. So far the run had been smooth, although not entirely flat, I was feeling reasonably well. Once through the Centenial Park we looped around into Allison's Street and close to around the half mark. As I had hoped, Ajay with his whole family was there. It was nice to hear my name being called from the sidelines and of course he had brought the earphones, which by now I badly needed. I also felt very touched that Ajay had found time with his family on a Sunday morning to come out and support me. I crossed the halfway mark in around 2 hours and 15 minutes, which was close to the pace which I wanted to be at this stage. I have to say, however, going up and down the hills was beginning to take it’s toll. I did not, however, realize that the worst part of the run lay ahead of me. The course headed back to the Central Business District of Sydney. I tried hard to keep up with my pace with the steep elevation that lay between the 14th and 16th mile. There were some interesting runners though who kept me company including a couple from Japan who were running the race in Mickey Mouse costumes. Minnie was getting a lot of compliments from the onlookers. The crowd support was sketchy. Maybe I was spoiled by running in Paris as I has assumed that most of the marathons would have huge crowd support. This crowd was proving to be similar to my previous experiences in Rio and Marrakech were the crowd support had been poor. The water stations were well manned , but there was no solid food like fruits available. I have to say while going through downtown Sydney for a moment it did come to my mind that maybe I should give up and just walk to my hotel and call it a day. I think this thought crosses the mind of a lot of runners once they are approaching the last third of the race and I was no exception. The next 6 to 6 ½ miles were very arduous. It involved a long loop into the western suburbs of the city over the old Glebe Island Bridge. This is a beautiful bridge, which links the Pyrmont area with Rozelle. On one side of the road there were runners going towards to the end of the loop and on the other side the people were returning after they had completed the section that lay ahead of me. It was quite sobering to know that there were so many of them folks at least four or five miles ahead of me, running strong and fast on the other side of the road. This was one tough portion for me. There was a lot of steep terrain. Many of us had to resort to walk the last few hills. In the latter part of the marathon one generally hopes for a flat course, which was definitely lacking here. Once this long arduous loop was over I knew the end was near. There were some runners still on the road and I was comforted by the fact that there were some behind me. After I crossed the 37th km marker I knew I wouldn’t be taken off the course as the city marathon has strict time limits to finish the marathon in a specified time. The last few kilometers were better , back into the beautiful part of Sydney Harbor running on Hickinson Road, looping around the circular quay onto a finish at the very inspiring Sydney Opera House. Total net time was 5 hours. This was my slowest ever run, but I was happy that it was over with. Hard work still lay ahead of me as the marathon chip returning booth, the medal collection, finisher’s tee shirt were all spread out. I got a picture holding the medal and then just walked up to the Royal Botanical Gardens and sat down on the very well manicured grass . I called my wife, Anu, informing her that I finished the run and then dozed off into a nap. The warm sun, close to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, served as a good anodyne.There were mixed feelings. I felt elated, that I had finished running on four continents, but also disappointed at my turtle pace.