This was my first race (well, after high school and longer than 5K), and it no doubt will be one of the most memorable. I did the 21 kilometer event (half-marathon) in the Great Wall Marathon. The course is notoriously difficult - 5 km of running uphill to the wall, 6-7 km on the roller coaster ride through the treacherous steps of the Wall (which you're at times climbing or slowly descending more than running), and the rest of varied terrain throughout neighboring villages (and then double all that if you're running the full marathon).

No one but the insanely fit qualify for the Boston through this event; finish times are about +40-45% one's usual finish time. However, since this was my first official race, I joked that I had set a PR for myself.

Exposition

I'm pretty stoked that this all worked out, especially considering the supreme disappointment of fracturing my ankle only two weeks before the St. George Marathon last September. I went through a period of denial (for a week after the longboarding accident, before the doctor realized it was actually fractured, I believed I would still run that race) and then discouragement, as for months after recovery, the pain in my ankle prevented any distance running.

Considering that my running was still limited before I left, I wonder how much China was a part of the healing process. I suspect that the daily biking - part of my lifestyle here - strengthened my ankle and served as the physical therapy I wasn't able to recieve.

And of course, I wonder how long it would have taken me to get back into running had it not been for the running club. Informal and jokingly called the "What if it Rains Running Club" (it used to be a common question people asked, as our first meetings were during the rainy season), a group of 5-10 of us foreigners met one evening a week (and turned a lot of heads as we ran). There I talked with Paul, who had already registered for the race and helped me contact the organizers. Luckily I was able to register as an "expat" after deadline. I had barely two months to train, and the deadline really crept up quickly, but throughout that time my ankle gradually strengthened to the point that I barely noticed it during the race.

The Wall

I was probably one of the few (if not only) runners who hadn't seen the Great Wall before at all (besides the limited view from our hotel the evening before), and many runners come from outside China as part of a tour package which includes an inspection day of the course.

So it was interesting to see the Wall for first time as I ran on it - having my "wow" moments amid aching muscles and strained lungs. While running is usually a time when I usually zone out the world, I had to focus very very hard on the immediate world - precarious steps and trails that, if I slipped, I could take a couple others out with me. I have to admit, it gave me mixed feelings about the Wall - there were moments when I was certainly hating those steps...

Photos of the course (from www.great-wall-marathon.com).

Aftermath

Its funny, because my Chinese friends didn't seem to have much of a concept for marathon events. They said things like "I hope you will win!" or "Hope you will get first or second place!" before I left. Their first question when I returned: Did you win? And when I excitedly shared that I placed 16th out of 138 men in my event, there was a hint of disappointment in their face.

The marathon bug has certainly bitten. I am itching to train and would love to do the entire grueling 42 km next year. Either way, I'll for sure be hitting up a full marathon this fall.