When we arrived in Miami It was like we were coming home from a war

The recent World Marathon Challenge presented a new kind of barrier for the veteran endurance athlete and Boston Marathon director, Dave McGillivray. Despite the enormous amount of training, Dave’s concerns were many. There was his age (63), his health (heart disease), his lingering injuries (back, knee), weather, meals, sleep deprivation, and much more. All of that came into play, he said...“The first marathon was the highlight of the trip,” he said. “Why would I ever go to Antarctica? Yet, here I was at the end of the earth, running a marathon.” While McGillivray believed he was prepared physically, the mental part was the bigger challenge. Most the marathons (seven in total in seven days) were run in places where the natives went about their days unaware of the “challenge” taking place...They got the opposite reception at the Miami International Airport. The runners’ families and friends met them with balloons and flowers. “It was like we were coming home from a war,” he said. “The only problem was we weren’t done yet. We had one more marathon left.” Dave was the 11th male finisher overall and averaged 4:37:59.

posted Saturday February 10th
Epic Running Adventures