Update: 9/10 I was able to finally complete this event! It ended near the Marine Memorial in Washington, DC just before 6pm. That means that it was 6 marathon distances on 6 continents in 4 days and 21 hours! Many more details to come! In the meantime, please consider donating to the WWP at the link below – thank you for the encouragement and support!
Well, it has been quite a ride the last couple of days! It seriously feels like it has been a week since I took the first step in Greece of this crazy adventure. This is the first chance I have had to sit down with my computer but I wanted to give a little update on how things are going.
These are just brief updates – I will have more detailed ones later as well as photos and details on how I booked the trip. Just haven’t had time yet!
Also, if you have donated yet to the Wounded Warrior Project, please consider doing that. This event is being used to raise money for this very worthy cause and if you donate, you will be giving me a major boost (of energy, not money!). Donate here on WWP’s page
Marathon Run 1 – Thessaloniki, Greece (Europe)
This run was supposed to start at 2PM local time (7AM ET) but because of some scheduling conflicts, I actually had to begin at 4:15AM (9PM ET day before). This also allowed me to beat some of the heat that would have made it much more difficult in the afternoon.
Since this was the first one and I did not have to rush it, I took my time with it. I knew I would need to save up for Abu Dhabi, so I took this one slower than I normally would have liked. That really helped because my legs were not actually sore at all!
Time: 4:45
Pace: 10:52 per mile
Start Time (ET): 9/6 9:14PM
Due to some other things, (including needing to book my return ticket to Greece after it is all done because United messed up) I left for the airport pretty close but with still enough time. I had no baggage and knew I could get from drop-off to lounge in all of 5 minutes (counting security).
The problem was heavy traffic that slowed down the trip substantially. To make matters worse, as I pulled in the airport road, I forgot that I had left my Nexus 6 phone (for Google Project Fi) charging! This was supposed to be my link with anyone I needed so I had to go back.
I ended up getting to the lounge for the bus to the plane, only to find it already left (the bus). They called another bus and I made it, panting, on the plane. Number 1 done!
Marathon Run 2 – Cairo, Egypt (Africa)
This run was actually going to take place on the airport hotel’s (Le Meridien) treadmill. There were no safe roads to run on near the airport and I would not have been able to locate water either since it was in the middle of the night.
While it may sound like this was the easy way, it was actually a very difficult run. If you have not run a marathon on a treadmill, don’t worry – you are not missing anything fun!
The hotel, while beautiful, did not have moving air in the fitness center and it made for a very humid environment. I ended up having to switch out shoes and finally take them off to prevent the bottom of my feet from shredding.
Time: 5:13
Pace: 11:58
Start Time (ET): 9/7 8:30PM
Marathon Run 3 – Abu Dhabi, UAE (Asia)
This was the run I was most afraid of. Not only were the temperatures and humidity going to be really challenging, but it would be my 3rd marathon run in just over a day. Also throw in the fact that I had slept for 2.5 hours since the beginning of this thing.
I was thrilled to have some of the hotel staff of the beautiful Hyatt Capital Gate join me for the first 1.25 mile. It was nice to have some company, even for a little while, and to get some encouragement. Since I started this run in the afternoon, it was hot enough that I knew I needed all the help I could get.
This run was brutal. I had to really push because my flight had arrived a little late and I needed to make the 20 minute journey back to the airport. No second flight if I missed that one!
Time: 4:57
Pace: 11:19 per mile
Start Time (ET): 9/7 7:35AM
Marathon Run 4 – Sydney, Australia (Oceania)
This run I was totally looking forward to! Not only would it be following 14 hours aboard the beautiful Etihad A380 in their Apartment Class cabin but it would also be the first time in months that I have run in temps under 75 degrees.
The problem was that we ended up taking off over an hour late because of congestion over Muscat, Oman. That meant I was starting a little over an hour later than I had originally planned.
Still, the weather felt great! I did run into some problems – like night-time construction where they help me in place a couple of times for several minutes because of the work (no fun) and something messing up on my lower leg. It left me limping in the last 8 miles and hoping it will hold up for the rest of the time As a result, it was my slowest yet but this is not for time but for finishing!
Time: 5:22
Pace: 12:17 per mile
Start Time (ET): 9/8 6:25AM
Going On!
And that brings me to right now! I am getting ready to head to the airport for the flight to Santiago via Auckland. Only two left! Thanks for following along and I promise the post-action posts will be much better and include photos. 🙂
What is left? Santiago, Chile tomorrow and the grand finale in Washington, DC on September 10. If you are around, I would be honored to see you someplace in the city – even maybe running a few steps/miles with us! All the details about that run are on this post.
