Since running my first marathon in Dublin in 2019, I’ve had the opportunity to tackle a few races overseas. They’ve been a fantastic way to explore new cities and experience different cultures through running.
With my upcoming travels, I looked into a few options for marathons, but I left it a bit too late for the ones in Japan—and unfortunately, no majors lined up. Tokyo would’ve been perfect, especially since it falls just a day after my birthday, but the registration closed months ago.
With a bit of searching I stumbled upon Da Nang. A charming looking run that starts at 3am to avoid the heat!
Last year, I ran the Seville Marathon and managed to squeak under 3 hours. I had signed up six months ahead of time, with plans to target a personal best, but as life often does, things got in the way. I didn’t start my serious training until January 1st, but I committed fully—no boozing, big mileage. At one point, I even considered dropping out, but since I couldn’t get a refund, I decided to make the most of it. Dooli came along and had the suggestion of taking the opportunity to check out the nature in Morocco after the marathon which ended up being the highlight of the trip!
This will be harder to train for, as I’m in a new place and don’t know the routes. But I may as well give it a proper go and now that I’ve signed up it’s given me something to train for. My travels are all going to be fairly loose but plan to be in Vietnam for a bit so hopefully it all works out.
I’m aiming to run a marathon in the spring and—fingers crossed—set a new personal best in the autumn. Not long until I find out my fate for Berlin, the holy grail 🙏
DavAI SummAIriser
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