Lessons from World Marathon Majors

Kimbia Rupal Kimbia, which translates to Run Rupal Run, was a sign made by my childhood friend Swati for the London marathon, my sixth and final World Marathon Major. As I completed the race in April 2017 and finally received my World Marathon Majors medal, one key thing crossed my mind…. each marathon has taught me a different and very important lesson. In this piece, I’d like to reflect on all those lessons.

I ran my first marathon in Chicago in 2008 and at that time I had no idea that I would run so many more marathons. I ran the marathon because I felt strongly about the team I ran with, TeamAIDAsha, an organisation that raises funds for developmental projects in India. One of the most valuable lessons I learned during that marathon was from a 62 year old man who had run over 30 marathons.

While my goal at the beginning of the marathon was to keep at his pace, half way into the race, I bid him goodbye as he continued to run past me and I had to slow down. He told me one very important thing: Be patient but determined and you’ll surely get there! He was right. Time and time again, that quote has helped me during my races. Additionally, I continue to incorporate his advice in many other aspects of my life.

In November 2011 during my second marathon in New York City, I had the chance to participate in the Parade of Nations. The Parade of Nations is a parade that takes place before race day to feature runners from various countries. Runners have the opportunity to walk with their country’s flag and of course, I signed up to represent Tanzania. When the New York Road Runners wrote to me, they had decided I would walk with other runners who carried the flag of the Commonwealth of Nations, since my country did not have a sizeable number of runners.

That began a trail of e-mails as I made a case to walk with the Tanzanian flag and not the Commonwealth flag. We may be a part of the Commonwealth but our country has long gained independence and it should be fully represented with a flag of its own! Needless to say, the final decision was for me to walk with my Tanzanian flag. I learned another important lesson from that experience. If you truly believe in something, be persistent enough to fight for it.

Walking with the Tanzanian flag has, to date, been one of my proudest moments. It gave me the opportunity to represent my country and more importantly, meet runners from neighbouring countries who walked with their flags and who I still keep in touch with!

My third marathon was in Boston in 2013. This was one of my favourite races as it is now my home city and I had several friends who joined me on the race course during the last five miles. As a team, they were ready to help me cross the finish line. Unfortunately, the race ended differently. As I was one mile away from the finish line, I remember a police officer yelling for everyone to go home. I was speechless as all I could think of was how close I was to the finish line.

You see for a runner like me who has already been running for five hours, when you’re getting close to that finish line, you’re already out of this world. It wasn’t until the police finally yelled that people are dead, that I realised how serious the situation was. Thoughts of confusion and sadness crept in as I realised I wouldn’t cross the finish line and even worse, that lives were lost.

As everyone dissipated, a beautiful thing happened. My good friend Ashok grabbed my hand and ran with me, away from the marathon, for a mile to ensure I would complete 26.2 miles! Ashok knew how much it meant to me and as a local who knew the roads well he turned that tragic moment into something memorable. I learned: Never undermine the power of a community.

On race day itself, not only did people reach out to me, but many people all over the world, reached out to my parents and siblings to check on me. For my family who couldn’t get in touch with me for hours after the race, the experience was nerve-wrecking. Days and weeks after the race, I saw the community come together and show support for one another. It made me realise that even though one act of hate shook our community, many acts of kindness ensued, such as Ashok’s gesture, and built the community back to make it stronger.

My fourth marathon was in Berlin in 2013. This was my first international marathon and my first marathon, traveling with my good friend, Catherine. When I decided to go to Berlin, I was going to be there to just run the race. My friend Catherine convinced me to go for a week and travel around Berlin and Munich. From that entire experience, I learned one thing: If you have one good friend, you have a lot! Catherine was there to cheer for me at several spots during the marathon, she was there to meet me at the finish line, and she was there to celebrate with me after the marathon.

She made sure I got home safely and made sure I was well-taken care of days after the race, as I recovered from the marathon. Days later we toured the city. Together, we not only learned new things about Berlin and Munich, we made some great memories that will last forever! Additionally, since then, Catherine has accompanied me on several overseas marathon trips!

I came back the following year, in April 2014, to run the Boston marathon again. All those who didn’t complete the marathon had the opportunity to register and run again. Some of the people who lost limbs during the bombing also came back to run the marathon, a sure sign of strength and resilience. One thing that was evident from the marathon was: People get stronger through trials and tribulations.

Apart from running and completing the marathon, most of them have continued on to do great things after overcoming that tragedy. The energy not just among the runners but throughout the city of Boston was at an all time high! There was positivity, there was happiness, and there was a sense of camaraderie amongst everyone. As runners crossed the finish line, many would yell ‘Boston Strong’, and many were crying. Although I didn’t cry during that race, I was definitely emotional.

I ran the Tokyo marathon in February 2016. Truthfully, I wasn’t prepared for it at all. The previous year had been a difficult one for me and the only reason I didn’t cancel my plans was because I knew I wouldn’t get my money back. Somehow, although I wasn’t confident about finishing the race in good time, I was convinced that I would be able to cross the finish line. I have to admit this is the closest I have been to the sweeper bus as I certainly saw it a couple of times during the race. My personal difficulties the previous year had taught me that emotional pain is real. It also taught me that I have a lot of mental strength and will power to overcome such pain. This helped a lot on race day as I crossed the 40 km mark and was having a hard time getting to the finish line. I listened to my inner voice and listened to my mind. All along I knew I wanted to run the Tokyo marathon, so I had to finally complete it. Soon enough, I was at the finish line. The lesson I learned from that race is: Mental strength is everything. Even if you have the physical ability to do something, it won’t be possible if you don’t have the mental toughness!

My final World Marathon Major was the London marathon in April 2017. Since I have completed all six of the World Marathon Majors, I have a new goal to run a marathon in each continent.