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Egyptian Marathon, Egypt - 2009

2/13/2009

What a great boy’s holiday. Chris Ping and I decided to visit Egypt for a week to do some sightseeing and take part in the marathon. We flew into Cairo and spent the next 2 days visiting the Pyramids, Citadel and other historic places in and around Cairo. The following day, we took the overnight sleeper train to Luxor and stayed at the beautiful Movenpick resort which was the official race hotel. On race morning, we were bussed to the Hatshepsut Temple for the 7am start. The race started just after dawn under beautiful clear skies and perfect weather. It was a low key event with most of the runners from abroad, including a big Japanese contingent. We met some interesting people, especially a couple from Australia (Mike & Marie). The race course was a bit boring, 4 rounds around the course that was set on the foothills of the Valley of the Kings. Every 2.5k, there was water and bananas on the course. During the race, a film crew in an open jeep was interviewing runners on the course and I had my 2 minutes of fame when I told them on camera that I’m a Canadian and had especially come for the race from Dubai. I ran the first half at quite a good pace but with the sun out, the temperature soared to around 30c and I began to tire a bit. Luckily I found a soda stand and stopped by to have a chilled Coke. That did the trick as I finally got some sugar into my system. I ran and walked the rest of the course and had to dodge a crazy donkey, idiot drivers as well as children begging along the course. Having read the reviews before coming, I knew this would happen but I was determined not to give up. By the time I was a few kilometers from the end, most of the cones were removed from the course but I was still under the cut off time. After 5 and half hours on the tough course, I reached the finish line and was greeted by the quite a few people, including the Aussie couple. Later I found out that Marie came overall 2nd in the women’s category. An hour later we were taken back to the hotel where we relaxed for the day. In the evening, there was a great gala dinner especially arranged for the marathoners. I was presented the finishers medal and papyrus certificate. The award ceremony was followed by sumptuous BBQ dinner and belly dancing show. If the marathon was a disappointment, the Gala dinner compensated for that. We made great friends there. A doctor by the name of Paulo from Brazil, the Aussie couple, a gold medalist figure skater from USA, just to name a few. The next day we went to Aswan and then took the overnight train to Cairo. After relaxing in Cairo for a day, we headed back to Dubai. It was truly a memorable experience and one of my best holidays to date.

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ING New York City Marathon, USA - 2008

11/2/2008

2 Comments

The mother of all marathons!! After 3 years of applying in the lottery, I got the guaranteed entry in 2007. However, as Nadia was in the later stages of pregnancy, I decided to postpone it till 2008. Little I knew that I would move to Dubai in 2008. So, we decided to fly all the way to NYC from Dubai for the race. We took the 18 hour flight from Dubai to Toronto on Oct 31st. On the way, Zara got sick and puked all the way to Amsterdam. Totally exhausted, we reached Toronto in the evening and drove straight to Kingston with Lala. By the time we reached Kingston and went to bed, it was already 2am. Next morning, I left alone for NYC as Nadia decided to stay back in Kingston with the sick kids. That afternoon on Saturday, I reached NYC and found a cheap hostel for $30/night in Manhattan (sharing with 3 other people). That evening after collecting my race kit, I went back to hotel and decided to call it an early night. With the excitement of running the NYC Marathon, I could not sleep till about 12am. At 5am my alarm went off and woke up the other 3 guys in the room. After changing, I took the subway to NYC Library from where we were bussed to Staten Island for the race start. It was a chilly morning and had difficulty keeping myself warm during the wait period. The experience was once in a life time. I was at the park with 40,000 plus runners, all waiting to take part in the race. They served hot coffee and bagels for the runners and everyone was in a festive mood. Finally after about 3 hours of waiting, the race started. It was a split start, with the first pack starting at 9am and the rest followed with a 20 minute delay. We ran through all the 5 boroughs of New York. The crowd support along the course was amazing. I have never seen so many people running and cheering along the course. Some of the runners were in costumes. Even though I was getting tired, the buzz on course got me going. The final few miles went through Central Park which in the middle of autumn was at it’s most beautiful. I crossed the finish line in over 5 hours and those were the best 5 hrs I have ever spent on a race course. After collecting my medal, I posed for some photographs and then walked for about 30 minutes to reach the gates of the park. I took the subway back to the hostel, had a nice Chinese meal and then drove 2 hours to Pennsylvania to meet with Nadia, kids, mama and Lala. So, 18 hrs of flying followed by 3 hrs drive to Kinsgton and another 8 hrs of drive to NYC, I completed the NYC Marathon. What more can I ask for!!!

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Clarendon Way Marathon, England - 2007

9/30/2007

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This was the only marathon that was taking place in UK at that time of the year when we visited Scotland. So I flew from Glasgow to London Stansted and after renting a car at the airport, I drove straight to Tata Mamu’s place. I stayed with him for 2 days. On Saturday, I visited my cousin, Fahd in London and spent some quality time with the family. Nadia and Zara didn’t accompany me to London as Nadia was expecting. On race day, I left London for Winchester (an hour and half journey). At the starting location in Winchester, we were taken by bus to the neighboring town of Salisbury. On the bus ride some of the runners were quite surprised that I came all the way from Canada to run such a low key event! About 10 minutes before the race start it started to rain quite heavily. Since the course was all country side trails, it became really slippery. There were some down hill stretches where it was even difficult to walk. There were a lot of hills along the way which took a big toll on me. However, the scenery was breathtaking. The biggest challenge was at the 18 mile mark, where we had to run up a hill that continued for the next 3 miles. That was when I decided to quit, and I almost did. But then I realized that I still have to climb the hill to get to the finish line as I was in the middle of nowhere. As usual, I had the mental strength to continue and so I did. About a few miles from the finish, there was a beautiful golf course which helped me take my mind of the pain and move on. I finally finished the race under 6 hrs and there were a sizeable number of people at the finish line to greet me. I stayed back for the post race massage and by the time I left Winchester it was already 6pm. My flight from Stansted was at 9:30pm which I thought was enough to get me to the airport. Little I knew, I was stuck on the M25 for over 2 hours and by the time I reached the airport, it was only 30 minutes left for the flight to take off. I didn’t even have enough time to fill the gas, so just left the keys at the counter and rushed to the terminal. The final twist came when I went to the wrong gate and with 10 minutes left before take off, I was stuck in the tram and didn’t know where to go. Luckily, an airport attendant came to my rescue as she called the airline to wait for me and then took me from a short cut to the plane. I just got there in time before the doors closed. This was a close call. Had I missed this flight I would have to wait till next morning and would have surely missed my flight back to Toronto. All in all, a great adventure that had a happy ending!

2 Comments

Mississauga Marathon, Canada - 2007

5/13/2007

6 Comments

The 1st run of 2007, that too without any training. A week before the run I went for my yearly medical and found out that my cholesterol is much higher than usual. So, taking into consideration a) lack of training, & b) the new illness, I decided to take it easy and run at a very slow pace. Throughout the race Nadia kept calling me to see if I’m ok. The race temperature was ideal, sunny, no wind and 13c. Nothing interesting happened along the way apart from desi volunteers at the 30th Km eating samosas. I was so tempted after being offered one, but then decided not to have one as I couldn’t risk going to the washroom! I finished the race quite comfortably in a little over 5 hrs. After the post race massage I met up with Nadia, Zara, Mama & Lala at Square One to celebrate both Mothers Day and Mama’s B’day. We had dinner at Bombay Bhel in North York. In the end, it just goes to show that with no training, I can still finish a marathon comfortably:)

6 Comments

Istanbul Eurasia Marathon, Turkey - 2006

11/5/2006

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What a trip! Lala and I had a really nice time in Istanbul. The marathon however, can be forgotten for numerous reasons….snowy conditions, poor race organization and a cut off time of 5hrs. I finished the race in little less than 5 and half hours and by the time I reached the stadium, they had taken the timing clock off. Luckily I finished the race with a few locals and they fought with the race organizers to give us the medal and certificate. Other than that, Istanbul was truly memorable. Great food, beautiful historic buildings and friendly people, what more can one ask for. Will definitely go again but not for the marathon.

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Toronto Marathon, Canada - 2006

10/15/2006

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Not a bad Autumn day for running...in fact it was sunny this year compared to horrible weather the last 2-3 years. Another half marathoner collapsed and died. The race started from Mel Lastman Square and it was my first one as a daddy. As usual with no training I started off with a 2,000 odd runners and felt really good through the first 20k's. I called Nadia as I was approaching yonge/steels. By the time I got to Yonge/Finch, Nadia and 5 month old Zara were there waiting for me at the half way point. We took some pics, kissed Zara (who looked totally uninterested) and then off I went. The latter part of the race was nothing unusual. A nice jog down Yonge st to Forrrest Hill, Rosedale Valley, Distillery District, Lakeshore and then back up towards Queens Park. There I was greeted by Nadia and Zara again. I finished the race in under 5 hrs (my expected time). The post race party included some left over bagels, bananas, and a great massage. The medal was huge! All in all, a good feeling of completing my first marathon as a daddy !

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Mississauga Marathon, Canada - 2006

5/14/2006

1 Comment

The race that I wasn't supposed to run. The due date for Nadia coincided with the Marathon. So I waited till the expo to register for the race. Even on race day I was praying that she doesn’t go into labor. That morning I drove down to Mississauga and checked up on Nadia a few times before race start. Knowing that everything was OK, I started the race with the cell phone in my back pocket. Throughout the duration of the run, my mind was more on North York General Hospital than the race. It was a blessing in disguise as I completely forgot about the race pain and finished in a pretty decent time. I even came across a Chinese runner who was running in PT shoes (crazy!). After the race, I enjoyed a nice massage and drove home to find Nadia completely normal and no signs of labor. I’m glad I ran the race as Zara was born 2 weeks later!

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Scotiabank Lakeshore Marathon, Canada - 2005

9/25/2005

2 Comments

It was my home marathon but got there late. By the time I found the parking in the exchange tower, the race had already started. The good part about starting late was that the photographers took numerous shots of me! The race was up and down lakeshore avenue, the route I’ve already run during the half marathons a couple of times. However, after the 21K the course took a turn towards the spit which is a lonely causeway down the southern most part of Toronto. (The picture is taken from there, highlighting the entire Toronto skyline). The sun came out midway through the race and it got quite hot and boring. It took me over five and half hours to finish the race and I was happy to finish it my mind wasn't in it in the latter part. The medal was nice but couldn’t get a massage. The good thing was that I didn't have to drive far to go back home!

2 Comments

Montreal Marathon, Canada - 2005

9/11/2005

2 Comments

This was the 2nd year in a row that I took part in this marathon. The best part about this year was that the finish was at the 1976 Olympic Stadium. I drove to the race in the morning from Kingston where we stayed the night. I took Yasser’s car with me as my rental car was not insured in Quebec. I got lost as I entered Montreal but found a metro station in the outskirts where I parked the car illegally and got onto the subway, I did reach the Olympic Island on time and had to make a dash to the starting line. The race start was as usual quite impressive with the wheelchair division getting a head start. The course went through the Formulae 1 race track. This time I stopped a bit to view the pit lane. It was a good feeling running on the same course where Schumacher won so many races. The remaining race didn’t have that many interesting things as I ran through the industrial parts of the town as well as some nicer areas as well. However, the end was great as I entered the Montreal Olympic Stadium and there were loads of people there. There was a live video of me on the giant screen as I jogged my way to the finish line. My name was announced on the PA system when I crossed the line and it was a great feeling. The medal was nice and I even got a post race massage. After the race, it took me about an hour to head back to the station where I parked my car. Luckily the car was fine and I drove back to Kingston. On the way I stopped over at KFC for a well deserved meal. I picked up Nadia on the way back and after some rest, we headed back to Toronto.

2 Comments

Conquer The Canuck Marathon, Canada

7/30/2005

3 Comments

This marathon was part of the 92.2K Conquer the Canuck Challenge. I only decided to run the 42.2K that was on the 2nd day of the event. It was a tough ultra marathon course held on the Niagara Escarpment in Milton. We had to run up and down the escarpment 4 times to complete the course with the highest point been 300 ft above the starting line. I hiked all the uphill and tried to run most of the downhill but had to be careful due to uneven surfaces and sudden drops. I met some interesting people along the way as most of them were hard core ultra runners in mid fifties and sixties. It took me quite a while to finish the race but was greeted by a cheering crowd when I crossed the finish line. The medal was amazing, a maple leaf with Canada inscribed on it. At the presentation ceremony, I was surprised to find out that I had finished 2nd in my age category and received a bottle of wine. The proceedings finished with buckets of KFC ordered for all the runners!!!!