Running a marathon
Main website: www.treks.org
So far I collected 5 of the 6 Abbott World Marathons Majors. New York will be number six and, I hope, final.
Running
a marathon
Runners who tried a marathon know that after one marathon you better stop and most do. Past 30 km your legs risk a “total break down”, with injuries that could last for months. However, when you can run your first marathon below 3.5 hours, it is tempting to try a few more.
All runners had a painful PR run and a run with an easy autopilot setting which differs only a few minutes. For me, the 3h22m PR was very painful, but 3h27m – 3h35m, depending on the course, relatively easy, but the last 12 km remains a struggle. A marathon is simply 12 km too long. A 4 hour target pacing for a friend was a much better plan, now running a marathon was fun, but again not the last 12 km.
After around 10 marathons you better stop, given the wear and tear. Even most top runners drop out after some 10 marathons as they never manage to run close to their PR run anymore. Haile Gebrselassi is a rare exception.
Abbott World Marathon Majors
Below 3.5 hours, I qualified for the Boston Marathon entry in the male age group 50+. Boston is a prestigious run as only 15% of marathon runners qualify.
With the Boston marathon, I entered the Abbott World Marathon Majors league established in 2006 when Tokyo joined.
The devastating 2015 earth quake in Nepal one day before my 2015 London marathon, motivated me to advertise charity projects.
Wall of fame (Berlin September 2018)
Over the past 10 years, some 100 Dutch runners ran all six, and are now listed in the so-called “wall of fame”, advertised on boards during a marathon expo. The numbers should increase by 10-20 each year.
With four runs outside Europe, the costs are high but, luckily, KLM always sponsored 80% of the air travel.
So far I collected 5 of the 6 Abbott World Marathons Majors, see the blogs:
Boston in April 2014 ( “a must run as you qualify”),
London in April 2015 (charity run, one day after the 2015 Nepal earthquake),
Tokyo in February 2016 (exotic charity run)
Berlin in October 2016 (overambitious as berlin is the co-called PR course)
Chicago in October 2017 (an easy pacing run in 4 hours)
My five results of the Abbott World Marathon Majors
After 11 marathons, also four in Amsterdam and one in Rotterdam, I should call it “Schluss, done, fini, finito, terminado, acabado, समाप्त, 完成”, as I feel I should be able to “keep on running” until late in life.
Sponsor a charity project in Nepal
To celebrate the final one, you could sponsor my NY Marathon run by supporting one of the health projects in Nepal of Sponsortrek:
The Disabled Rehabilitation Centre in Kathmandu, see [1], also damaged by the 2015 earth quake.
An earthquake proof health post in the Sherpa village Gairamudi [1], being build using a using a lego system reinforced with steel rods [1], badly needed as shown by the devastating earth quake in April 2015 which destroyed many buildings. It also destroyed the health post we built in Tamang village Keronja in the late nineties.
You could donate around € 5-10 per marathon.
Alternatively, you could motivate me to give around € 1 per minute below 4 hours of all six marathons, currently around 75 minutes.
The excess minutes may go down in New York as our pacing time is now 4 hours and 15 minutes. NY is a slow marathon due to three bridges and also many undulations in the streets with a height of around 15 m, see below.
Please send me an e-mail, to info@treks.org, if you wish to donate. You could transfer the money to:
Sponsortrek Nepal, bankaccount number NL81ABNA0861147545, Bic (swift): ABNANL2A. ABN – Amro Bank, Amsterdam.
More information on the New York Marathon
NY Marathon Course map: [1]
App to track runners (by name or BIB number): [1]
Previous marathons, in Amsterdam and Rotterdam:
07ma_amsterdam.htm: The first one, a surprise 3h27m
Rotterdam 2008: Going for 3h15m, a disaster
Amsterdam 2008: No comments
Amsterdam 2010: 3h22m09s personal record, very painful
Amsterdam 2012 : 3h26m (a different mindset, 70% effort, an enjoyable "Walk in the park", until the 30 km mark)
Charity Project Photos
Disabled
Rehabilitation Centre in Kathmandu: http://www.drcnepal.com/
Design
of the new health post in Garimundi.
Lego
stone blocks with holes for steel rods for the new health post in
Garimundi.
Example
of an innovative earth quake proof building, using lego stone blocks
reinforced with steel rods.
2015 Nepal Earth quake
Buildings
destroyed in Keronja during the 2015 earthquake. Blue tarps replace
the collapsed roofs. Village will not be rebuilt due to land slide
risk.
Keronja
Health Post we built in the late nineties in Keronja, destroyed by
the 2015 earth quake. Will not be rebuilt as the village will be
moved.
NEW YORK MARATHON
NY
marathon course map
NY
marathon course profile
