Fernando: MADRID'S MARATHON 2009

I’ve been cycling since I was 18 and, about ten years ago, I started running as well. Doing sport on a daily basis makes feel good and full of energy. I must admit that running is sort of an addictive experience because, by an internal process, we liberate natural substances called endorphins, which are the direct reason why we feel good and relaxed. It is an increasing activity which attracts millions of people from around the world. As human beings we were born to run, so it is up to us to develop or not this skill. You can run whenever and wherever you want, alone or with other runners while enjoying and sharing the same feelings. At the same time it is a way of forgetting our everyday problems and finding out possible solutions to them. I have to say that my best ideas pop up into my mind while I’m running and also it is an excellent way of reflecting alone with your own thoughts. For many reasons running does have beneficial effects in both our body and our mind. 

The thing is that a colleague of mine persuaded me to take part in the capital's marathon. And running one for the first time is certainly a challenge. Therefore, I was completely aware of the target, but what worried me most were my real chances of coping with such a hard race. Nevertheless, the more I thought about the difficulties, the more determined I became to overcome them. I’m the kind of person who likes taking challenges in life, so accepting that new experience meant a stimulus indeed.

To start with, I made my own training plan and for four months before the race took place I was doing the following sessions; first day 18 km, second 10 km, third 18 km, fourth 10 km, fifth 18 km and, after that, two days of resting. Despite the fact that I did some really hard work in order to be fit, very often I asked myself the same question: “Will I be able to finish the race?“, and  sometimes while I was running I mulled over the idea. To answer this question somehow, one day my colleague Emiliano (the one who convinced me to join this adventure) came around where I was doing some stretching exercises and said “We need to test our strength and also  whether we are ready to face the race”. Consequently, we are going to do 30 km.”  It was a month and half before the race, and the idea of running this distance seemed to me reasonable and challenging at the same time. So on a cloudy morning my wife drove us to La Aldehuela de la Bóveda, and we came back to Salamanca running along the road. We did well, and, as a result, I felt a little bit more confident about the possibility of success during the big test.

April 29, 8.30 am, the critical moment had come at last. The weather was cloudy indeed but the temperature appeared to be warm. I was at the starting point at Paseo de Colón in a line of eleven thousand runners that stretched back almost into Atocha Train Station. And right now I can remember vividly how that morning I had mixed feelings about the experience I had to deal with. I was pretending to be calm; however, I felt nervous, excited and really disappointed as well because my colleague couldn’t take part in the race due to a ligament damage, precisely in that very moment when I needed his help and support. The smell of Vaseline came from the runners’ bodies; many of them were doing warm-up exercises, jumping or relaxing their muscles. I could feel the excitement, and everyone was looking forward to the start of the race. At the gunshot, the long crowded line of runners started to move slowly towards Paseo de la Castellana. To my despair, ten minutes later heavy drops of rain began to fall and, after four km under the rain, all the runners were soaking wet and running in such weather conditions can be the most unpleasant thing to do as well as extremely uncomfortable. Luckily, in the 10th km it stopped raining and immediately my spirits lifted as well as the rest of the participants’. 

For several kilometres I was running alongside a guy, so I decided to have a conversation with him. He was an   experienced runner, and therefore I told him my doubts about the race. He asked me some questions about my training, weight, lifestyle, capacity for enduring effort and so on. In the end, he simply wanted me to enjoy the race. That was what I did from the beginning, because running on the streets of Madrid without traffic is a real pleasure to those who love this fantastic city. The mood among the runners was excellent, as everyone was incredibly helpful giving advice on how to go ahead properly, how to avoid injuries, while also remembering events from other races, telling jokes or simply greeting onlookers. In this way, I continued running and talking with my new mate, who was a friendly guy and I immediately felt comfortable with. My breathing was good and my legs seemed to be all right.

In the 30th km we had to face a psychological barrier, where there is sort of a battle between your body and your mind. In this crucial moment, usually you feel worn out and it is your mind that plays the predominant role in this part of the race; this barrier is well-known to all runners as “The wall”. My excellent mate offered me some liquid energy food in order to get over “The Wall” but I refused because it was kind of heavy food that could damage my stomach. I couldn’t believe it, but I managed to get over it full of energy, and my breathing was still regular, as we went past “La Casa de Campo”. I kept drinking water during the whole race even if I weren’t thirsty, so in every provisioning post I drank part of the bottle in order to avoid dehydration. 

When we reached the 35th km, my fellow runner said: “We have seven kilometres to go, so now we are going to increase the speed a little bit. How do you feel? Are you ready to make an extra final effort?". And without thinking of the effects properly, I agreed. And we started to overtake runners, many of whom were really exhausted, some asking for medical assistance; others had stopped running and, to my astonishment, I saw a guy, wearing a white T-shirt covered with blood, who continued running with impressive determination. There were many people in the streets giving their support and encouraging us to go ahead by waving and gesturing. In the 40th Km, we got to “La Puerta de Alcalá”, so we were about to finish the challenge and very close to succeeding. I could see the joy of the runners, who were helping each other to achieve our target - at long last: to run 42 km. and 195 m. and commemorate the heroic effort of a Greek soldier called Philippides, who died after running 37 km. from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory against the Persian Army. As it happened, very near to the final point, I was able to see my wife and two daughters on the left side of the street. I was delighted so I waved at them by raising my right arm. Eventually, I could see the finishing line, and everyone increased the pace in order to get to our longed-for destination, and the very moment I crossed the line I felt a blissful man. It was like a dream come true. 

It took me 3 hours and 20 minutes to run the whole distance. I thanked my mate for his valuable help and I said goodbye to him. For me that marathon it was not only an excellent way of proving myself, but also of improving my mental strength, with really beneficial psychological effects. It was one of the things that has given me the greatest pleasure as an achievement and, above all, it was an amazing experience of endurance and perseverance, as well as discipline and effort.


Thanks Fernando! I've always looked up to long-distance runners for their effort and unwavering determination, and I still remember some truly epic scenes during the marathon event at the Olympic Games: Athletes crossing the finishing line almost agonizingly, in such physical and mental pain. You can't help but admiring them for their courage (and amazing stamina!). So I'm sure that marathon you ran in Madrid is an unforgettable memory, which makes you feel so so proud of yourself. Congrats!