Things I never expected to learn from running a marathon

You know that feeling when you’re about to enter an exam and you know you’re not ready? That’s the exact feeling I have each time I’m about to join a new marathon. You see, each marathon is a different story, and even if you’ve joined one before, you don’t have an easier time doing the next one. It’s totally not like riding a bike.

Each marathon is an entirely different story, and every marathon begins with a zero. As in you literally start from scratch. No matter what you’ve learned or gained from before, once you finish the last marathon, you’re done; you’re basically as good as the next beginner about to sign up at the Rockwell Run Club. So unforgiving, so merciless, and so brutal, right? Exactly why people love it.

My marathon story isn’t about speed or how I became first. It’s about grit and determination, about pushing yourself to your limits, not allowing the world to say no because, in your mind, it’s just a YES. It’s about going for what you want—despite physical, emotional, and mental reasons to not push through, you still go for it, no matter what. It’s about championing the mind, and helping others and yourself in the process, too.

It was in 2019 when photographer Sara Black told me about the New York Marathon, how I would love the energy and the spirit. But please, she said, “Don’t be one of those people who get addicted and join all the world major marathons. Don’t be like that.” 

Fast forward to me now, six world marathon majors after.

Tried my luck in lottery

I started by joining the lottery for New York. I was so heartbroken not to be chosen, so I found a way to get in by raising money for charity. Did my first world major marathon in Berlin. Raised funds for Smile Train which is close to my heart because I had an older sister who died of cleft, and so it somehow has been a lifetime advocacy of mine to help kids with cleft. In the many years, I have raised funds for kids with cleft—not only did I get to run the Berlin, New York, Chicago, and London marathons, but I was also able to help hundreds of kids get their smiles back with Smile Train. It has been such a fulfilling journey raising funds and elevating the fun for them.

Berlin was my first time and it was wet and cold. I ran with a group from Manila, the same group I would run Tuesday and Thursday mornings with—people like Kim Atienza, Dingdong Dantes, Gilbert Remulla, Mark Gorixetta, and more—these people I have formed lifetime friendships with through running. Funny because the wives organized the post-dinner party and they happened to do it at a restaurant with so many stairs—it’s known that after a marathon, your whole body aches, and so we were like freshly circumcised men going down that flight that night. 

New York was tough, but it was also the most fun and the most cinematic for me. My New York marathon was full of surprises (some I didn’t appreciate) while others I just took in stride. My OG New Yorker friend Thea Robles told me the best way to maneuver the New York marathon experience: “Just think you’re going to a friend’s after party, from one borough to the next.” That sealed the deal.

London was long and hard, but meaningful and profound. As most of the runs were for charitable causes, while running, you see all the runners’ advocacies—from Alzheimer’s research to cancer to leukemia, people were raising funds for causes close to their hearts. One runner came as a telephone and the back of his costume read: “Kids, you might not know what this is, but this is a telephone as I am raising funds for a suicide hotline as my brother took his own life last year. Doing this for him.” At that point, I lost it.

The characters you’ll meet

All throughout the race, you encounter so many characters, many angels out there helping you finish what you started. There was this Mexican man during the Berlin Marathon right behind me, he looked like a good-natured, retired chairman of a company and each time I would slow down, he’d tell me, “Swabe Pilipinas….” Like a gentle nudge to go slowly but surely. You’ll meet so many people in the world and at that point, you have the same goal: to finish. 

So for the next few hours, you’ll see people from all walks just going for it, no matter what it takes. It’s a beautiful parade of blood, sweat, tears, and many more. Boston is feared for its “Heartbreak Hill” so what I did was to request Jose Atienza (Kim and Feli’s son) to drive me around the course so I’d know what I was about to face. I then realized that the heartbreaks in my life made me stronger, happier, and wiser. So nothing to be scared about. So, bring it on, Heartbreak Hill! I ran Heartbreak Hill without fear and passed the Boston cutoffs! 

The Chicago Marathon is touted to be an easy one, but let me remind you that in life, there really is no easy one. This one was particularly windy and I saw entire water setups all blown away by the strong winds of this aptly named “Windy City.”

And Tokyo? Since the beginning, I have been scared out of my wits about Tokyo—they have sweepers that’ll take you out of the course if you’re not fast enough. I was a bundle of nerves in Tokyo but one day during training… I just found it—my eureka moment. “I got it! I got it!” Which all of a sudden became “I God it! I God it!” I really just lifted it all up to the Lord. Which didn’t mean I got protection from the sweepers, who would always somehow come close to me. I didn’t want this to be a bad episode of Takeshi’s Castle.

But somehow, despite them coming close to me like dementors about to eat up Harry Potter, I would instead charge at them like a raging bull, and they didn’t know what hit them. I didn’t allow myself to be eliminated. I went all this way, trained this hard, for you to put me on a bus home? No way!

And so on Km 40, I was limping and my leg muscles were cramping but still Javi Martinez was able to give me the Philippine flag which I was able to wave proudly as I crossed the finish line, with bones about to break, muscles shivering and about to give up, and eyes filled with tears but heart and soul filled with pride. I have finally completed my Six Star World Marathon journey.

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Endless thanks go to my Coach Ige Lopez whose patience and love is like that of a father’s—unwavering and full of cool wisdom; Hammer nutrition for teaching me the right way to fuel—would not survive those long training hours without it; Hoka Philippines for the wings to fly; Rudy Project for the right protection; and Garmin PH for keeping this guy on time, finally. Special thanks to Capt. Stanley Ng of Philippine Airlines.