03/05/2023
In many ways, marathons are a great metaphor for life: it is long, and there is often discomfort, but perseverance and a positive mindset make all the difference.
I have learnt that there will be setbacks, and that’s ok.
Having a knee injury from usage overload, blistered toes, fatigue from under-fueling and dehydration, or anxiety caused by an unmet training schedule. These obstacles all come with the territory, but I rest, I recover, I adapt and come back stronger than I was before.
Our response to the obstacles will always be more powerful than the obstacles themselves. Life works the same way. You must climb through the valleys to make it to the mountain tops.
I have learnt that I am capable of more than I know.
Sometimes we get so lost in the mentality that it's too hard or just not possible, that we forget that we are incredible human beings capable of achieving great things.
I have learnt that I will go further, grow bigger, and achieve greater with the support of others.
As the Maori whakatauki goes "Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini" - My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, it was not individual success but the success of a collective.
Thank you to everyone who supported me to achieve this goal. A big thanks to my best friend and husband Mike for being so amazing at home, thank you to everyone who supported my fundraising efforts, thank you to my adventure buddy Schreurs for inviting me along for the crazy ride, and completing the marathon with me, thank you to Nicola for showing the best hospitality in London, and thank you to all who encouraged and stood with me in prayer. I appreciate you all.
The 42.2km marathon is a brutal distance to cover, yet I showed up, I persevered, and I did it!!