Rachel Norager

I know the training is grueling. I know to anticipate sore knees and tight hips. It’s supposed to be nearly impossible; after all, the race gets its name from the story of Philippides, a Greek messenger who ran the 26-ish miles from Marathon to Athens to announce his army’s victory over the Persians, and then died right after. Yikes.

My greater fears, however, run much deeper.

What if I can’t actually do what I set out to do? What if I’m just not good enough? What if I never was? Failure is a valuable opportunity for growth and self-knowledge, and let’s face it, it sucks.

Nobody wants to fail, or fall, or give up, or be forced by paramedics to give up, and for sure nobody wants to do those things in front of hundreds of spectators.
A marathon is a challenge, a real challenge, and real challenges are terrifying. There’s just no getting around it.

But my soul craves the experience of completing a challenge in December that I could not possibly complete in May. We need these things. They keep us growing.

And besides, I’ve already committed to Richard Vines that I would run my first (and only, believe me) marathon in the heat and humidity of Singapore in December, and raise some cash to go towards Rare Cancers Australia’s efforts to support patient groups in Asia Pacific at the same time.

As a woman of my word, there’s no turning back now. The only available exit is on the other side of the finish line. I am going to have to do the damn thing.

Any tips from seasoned marathon runners and/or donations are warmly welcomed!