A Seven Continent Journey

Ran a 7 mile course today as part of Prevea training runs. I had initally planned to run 12 miles with the group training for full Cellcom Marathon, but the bitter cold (7 degrees F) changed my mind. I have to admit once the run started I felt quite good. Of course you have to deal with some skidding on ice and eyelashes sticking to each other due to ice. The training runs are very well supported by water, Gatorade during the course and Coffee with bagels at the finish. Achieved a landmark today click here.

I have been struggling with a delimma, which now is resolved. For a few days I contemplated running The North Pole Marathon, yes on the North Pole, 90 degrees North, the only marathon run entirely on water. The temptation was to be part of multinational representation in the centenial year of first ever exploration to North Pole. Better sense has pervailed, I am not running the treacherous path, this adventure is for some other year and for now I plan to stick to my initial goal of running a marathon in each continent. The next Marathon would be in Sydney, Australia, on 20th September. This would be followed by Chicago Marathon, on 14th October. And then if I still have it my legs will attempt the Ice Marathon, Antarctica, on 14th December. This leaves me with spring and summer to train, "get better". Much of the training will be working on speed, and learning to run efficent runs. I will do some races including the Cellcom Half marathon, in Green Bay and the Bellin Run (10 K). I think this schedule should keep me motivated for the year.

Finish time 4:46 hrs

I have finally come around to give my first hand experience running the Marrakech Marathon. Contrary to the last marathon, I ran in Rio De Janerio, arriving at the start lineup was relatively easy, a short yellow cab ride from my hotel brought me to Mohammed Hasan road, located behind the grand Sofitel Hotel. It was slightly cold, although for me going from Green Bay, this was a perfect weather to run. The sky was overcast, rain was predicted for later in day. Yes rain, unusual in Marrakech, apparently it has been a wet winter. The backdrop to the run were the snow capped Atlas mountains. Planning for the run I had not envisioned such a beautiful sight. I had not recovered from the cold, and every now and then coughed, hoping that it would not be an issue during the run. The start was on time at 8.00 am, few thousand runners, common start for Full and Half Marthoners, it seemed almost every second runner was French. The first few miles were a gentle downslope, a run towards the International airport and then a swing towards the Atlas mountains, the initial jitters seemed to be gone and I settled into the run. I have to admit that I did'nt feel as strong in the first half , as I would have liked too, probably the effect of the cold, I was recovering from. The long sleeve Sport Hill top was perfect. I wore gloves, at least I had opted for the right gear. Getting through the half mark I knew that second half was going to be tough. The course is well planned, we ran through some very varied neighbourhoods. There was some feel of running in Africa, camels and a small patch were I got a feel of running in a desert. Crowd support was good, traffic crossings were very well manned by the local police. Water stations were well stocked. The last miles were hard, made only tough by a gentle incline towards finish, there was a gentle drizzle and a winds to tackle, I have to say I was glad to cross the finish line........ 3 down, ....4 more to go.

Recently planning for my Antarctica run I have been in touch with Richard Donovan, who is the Director of the Ice Marathon, Antarctica. He recently sent an email as shown below. He presently is trying an amazing feat of running 7 marathons in 7 continents in less then 6 days. His web site, link below, lists that he successfully ran the Antarctica Marathon today. I wish him all the luck, Lets hope he is able to complete this challenge.

" I may have only occasional access to email from tomorrow until February 6th. Hence, I will have little opportunity answer emails quickly. Many apologies in advance.
I will be travelling to Antarctica and from January 30th - February 4th I hope to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 6 days. In other words, I'll be taking the long way home!
You should be able to follow the challenge at http://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/. The website will be in operation over the weekend.
Best wishes,
Richard. "

Woke up a little late in the morning and after having a quick Morroccan breakfast in the morning headed straight to meet Peter at Riad Yasmine, right in the heart of Medina in Marrakech. This Riad (an traditional Moroccon home which is now a hotel, somewhat like a Bed and Breakfast concept) was very beautiful. We then started our journey through the very complicated alleys of Medina. Every few yards you come across Souks ( shops) were tradional Moroccon handicrafts which includes and amazing range from pottery work, leather product, tanneries are in abundance here, carpets etc. are sold. Prices are always quoted to be very high and then you have to haggle the prices. Part of the conversations with the shopkeepers are where we were from. The mention of America/ President Barack Obama invariably brought glitter to their eyes. The shopkeepers to push their prices would claim "this is a good price, a Democratic price". Learning with our experience last night we were very strict in not letting any one follow us pretending to help us. Palais Dar Si Said (Museum of Moroccan Arts) was our first stop .The palace is very opulent and beautiful with a lovely courtyard. The museum's displays are well laid out and include jewelery, costumes, ceramics, daggers and other artifacts. After a pasta lunch at Djemma el Fna, the large square, visited Ali ben Youssef Medersa and Mosque. The Medersa was built in the 16th century by the Saadians and could house up to 900 religious students. The architecture is beautifully preserved and you can explore the tiny rooms where the students used to live. The mosque is adjacent to the Medersa. Being non Muslims we could not get into the mosque. Soon there after returned to Medina to continue exploring the city. The spice shops are very well stocked, there were some spices which I could identify, bought some saffron to bring back home. Dinner was at Marrakeshi Resturant, a nice somewhat opulent place, of course the carb load continued, it was pasta again.

Came down with a cold soon after posting the last post, I had boasted how

good I felt, obviously that jinxed me. As expected it was tough week

to get through cold coupled with a hectic pace prior to leaving for Marrakech.

Plane ride from Chicago to Paris was easy, plane was half empty so I got good

sleep. The flight from Paris to Marrakech was aroumd 3.30 hrs, landing around 1.00pm. The most obvious first impression was the amount French influence here. Situated at the foot of the Atlas mountains, the imperial city of Marrakech is large, noisy, polluted and smelly. The Snow clad Atlas mountains is an amazing backdrop to the city. But Marrakech is also seems fascinating, full of history, and is the cultural center of Morocco. After checking in the hotel and a brief nap I headed to the Djemma el Fna which is really the heart of Marrakech. It is a large central square in the old city (Medina) and during the day it's a perfect place to grab a freshly-squeezed orange juice and a handful of dates. At the end of the afternoon the Djemma el Fna transforms into an entertainers paradise -- if you're in to snake charming, juggling, music and that sort of thing. Snack stalls are replaced with stalls offering more substantial fare and the square comes alive with entertainment that apparently hasn't changed much since medieval times. Video

Djemma el Fna is surrounded by cafe's overlooking the square so you can just relax and watch the world go by if you're tired of jostling the crowds below. I met up with Peter Sayer a runner from Atlanta who I had met initially in Rio De Janerio, where he ran his first marathon. We soon mingled with the crowd, we were asked for money we took photos of the performers and stopped to watch the entertainment. We walked through the alleys that lead into heart of Medina, and honestly speaking there were some scary moments when crowds of young and old would insist on helping us and demand money. The Medina is the old, walled part of town where life continues much as it has for hundreds of years. Mopeds battle for the right of way with donkeys in the narrow alleyways filled with shops selling steel, wool and live chickens. The main thoroughfares are crammed with shoppers, tourists and playing in small alleys. Once out of the old city, you feel quite safe, and nobody bothered , infact I walked back to my hotel. I was pleasantly surprised with amount of popularity of Indian Music and movie stars here.