I'm on my way to run my first marathon. People always say that the destination is not the important part of a dream, it's the journey to get there that makes the difference. Many runners would disagree. They would say the finish line is the most important part of a marathon goal. But I think you learn a lot about yourself on the journey to get to that finish line which when you start training seems to be way farther than 42.2km (26.2miles) away.

Back in January I decided to run the 2003 Maui Marathon. My reasons back then were a lot different than they are today. I wanted a challenge, I wanted to test my endurance and I wanted to be a part of the small percentage of the world who has actually crossed the finish line of a marathon. My training took me through many emotions, challenges, aches and pains, triumphs and failures. There were good training days, and training runs that ended in tears and disappointment. But I learned something from every one of those runs. About half way to my ultimate goal, I ran the
Vancouver half marathon and finished quite well. I was half way to the marathon in both time and distance. The closer the marathon date got, the more it seemed to be a trivial goal after all those miles of training. Trivial or not, I would finish the marathon to prove that it could be done and it could be done by someone like me.

The plan was pretty clear up until three days ago when my father passed away of Shy-Dragger Syndrome (a rare form of Parkinson's disease). He struggled so hard in the last few months he lived, he struggled way harder than I ever had in any run. To loose your Dad when you are only twenty-three
years old is something that is very hard to deal with. I had less than a week to decide what to do about the marathon. Should I run it or not?

Everything I have ever read about marathon training says to avoid stress the week before the race at all cost. This was about as stressful as it gets. I decided to run the race for my Dad. He was proud of me that I was going to run it and he would have been devastated that I didn't run it on his account.

So that brings me to where I am today, flying to achieve something great in honor of my Dad. I just want to finish the race for him, that would be an achievement in itself. Dreams do change with time, and this marathon has become more important to me than ever before.

It's the morning of the 22 of September, the day after the race and I'm in bed paralyzed with an unbelievable amount of pain. But it is a pain of satisfaction and success. It's a pain that few have had the opportunity to achieve. I crossed the finish line four hours and fifteen minutes after the start. It was four hours and fifteen minutes of the most incredible ups and downs I have ever had emotionally and physically. It's definitely true that this race is more about your mental attitude than your physical ability. The camaraderie along the way was phenomenal, the way the runners pulled each other along the way through the mental struggles. The final 6.2 miles took all I had emotionally and physically, I think my Dad was looking over me that final stretch because there were points that I really don't know how I kept going. The heat was unbearable (92 degrees Fahrenheit at the finish line) and many people went down without finishing. It was hard to see someone loose their dream so close to the finish.

The pain will eventually go away but the memory of every second of that 26.2 miles will always be with me. As well as the memory of the unbelievable pride that came over the faces of everyone crossing the finish line. Everyone runs a marathon for different reasons. That day I ran for my Dad. I
think I have found a sport that will follow me throughout my life, this definitely won't be my last. But I will never forget my first marathon in Maui that I did for my Dad.
 

Stephanie Sleen,  Calgary, Alberta, September 2003 

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