This update is thanks to Andy who like many others was inspired/peer pressured into completing his first marathon with Neil.
Sat April 26/08, HsinChu
I got up at the ungodly hour of 5am plus 10 or 20 minutes or so of quality snooze time and after packing as light as possible and tying up my seldom used running shoes I proceeded out the door without my cap and sunscreen not realizing I was about to bask in the brilliance of a beautiful, sunny day. My next job was to get to the train station without the benefit of the MRT aka the underground rail service. Was my masterful Chinese up for the task, of course not, so fortunately fellow runner and friend Kiwi Chris although much closer to the start line was already up and at it and guided the taxi driver to my destination after accepting my phone-a-friend request.
I linked up with Colin and Serena in the station as expected, a few minutes shy of 6am, and met Chris on the train when he boarded at Tao Yuan. The colorful cast of characters ranging from runners, to cyclists to interested and helpful spectators was beginning to assemble and the sunshine lifted our mood immediately.
It didn’t take long for our group to come together outside the HsinChu train station and shortly afterwards the Marathon Man himself and guest of honor Neil accompanied by Alice, the robin to his batman, appeared on the scene.
And how does somebody look after 25 or is that 26 days of consecutive Marathons run not to mention living life on the road, and the various stresses that entails, and not sleeping in your own bed. Well, when I first laid eyes upon the pair they looked pretty darn tired to be honest. However, let’s not forget that Neil usually starts his runs around 3pm in the afternoon and must finish by midnight yet due to the group event and blazing sun it was a 9am start which meant almost no recovery time. I was a little concerned but deep down, just like when you’re a kid you know the superhero will rise to the occasion and overcome the dark forces, I was confident that the Neil ‘the Second Name Nobody Has the Slightest Clue How to Pronounce Never Mind Spell’ (his unusual surname was discussed as we ran by the way) Lennon would live to run another day.
After Chris commendably explains to a local Taiwanese lady that we aren’t a visiting sports club (the Mighty Shane FC not withstanding) and several attempts later to convey the concept behind the run(s) and spell the charity website in English we gather the group and we’re off!
For some reason that is unbeknownst to Neil and I, a group of 5 or 6 individuals charge off as if they are carrying the Olympic Torch and are afraid random missiles might be coming there way if they don’t maintain a frantic pace.
The number of runners is the largest it will be all day as Mozza Andy, Rachel and Charlotte opt sensibly to do part of the Marathon on foot and part of it on a bicycle. The sensible choice is supposed to be my decision too yet moments prior to heading off whether motivated by my own personal pride/drive or inspired by the words and presence of the Man, the Myth and the Legend of Neil M. Lennon I begin to push thoughts of coasting on a bicycle farther and farther from my mind.
I start to actually believe that I can run 42 km or 26.2 miles without training. ‘Heck if he can do it 25 times consecutively I can do it once’ seems to be the sentiment shared by the rookies, most of whom have actually done the necessary roadwork in advance, and either encouraged beyond all comprehension by Neil’s exploits and/or personal energy or fueled by vanity and vainglory I cement in my mind the mantra ‘Thou Shalt Not Walk’, banish the idea of cycling to the furthest regions of my mind and glide along peacefully on my own two legs.
As we exit the city proper and its traffic and noise I accompany Neil and he reflects on what he’s experienced while running across the beautiful island and while the overwhelming impression is of the generosity of the human spirit embodied in the Taiwanese people there is sadly ‘the despicable incident’ to report.
The vast majority of onlookers and local residents along the road have been friendly and supportive yet sadly one disturbing event does make you wonder about human nature; Neil was hit from behind by an aging man on a motorcycle and in his own words ‘left for dead’ as he lay on the side of the road and while his odyssey has built many bridges between people an incident like this one clearly shows there is more work to be done.
While Alice has been an integral part of this journey of inspiration in terms of navigating, carrying supplies, supplying moral support and writing this blog commentary her value went beyond those things at that moment and demonstrated the importance of company on such a demanding trek.
After the first 10km I feel great and bask in a compliment about my effortless style of running and even get in on the act myself letting everyone within earshot know that years ago I was a competitive distance runner and remarkably describing myself as having a runner’s body type. Clearly at this point like everyone else, I am underestimating the length and difficulty of a Marathon. After we regrouped at the Fisherman’s Wharf in HsinChu and took many photos and shared a few laughs it was time for the second leg.
From the get go I noticed two things, firstly Steve and Alex had done a terrific job of designing and mapping out the route which carried us along the boardwalk by the sea and provided a panoramic backdrop (to what would later become my very own theatre of pain) and secondly the pace had noticeably quickened from the first leg. It seemed that Neil was either peeved by the jackrabbits bounding off ahead and was getting down to business himself or he was beginning to wake up and naturally hit his stride or perhaps, the thought occurred to me, I was already starting to slow down. In my mind the second leg was the ocean vista part of the journey and also an opportunity for the lads to come together as a group to bond. The 5 Mighty Shaners plus Steve from the Celts and KiwiChris blasted around the panoramic seascape at a quick clip and this heady pace was already starting to take its effects. I was starting to lag behind a bit and by the time we got to the central boardwalk meeting point to eat bananas, use the bathroom and splash cold water on ourselves Amy and Tommy were starting to feel the toll of the lightning fast pace and the scorching hot sun.
After taking a quick break to refocus physically, mentally and spiritually it was time to enter into what I’ll call the rural circuit legs of the HsinChu Marathon. I still felt pretty good after phases 1 and 2 and with KiwiChris powering on ahead in an effort to set a personal best marathon time the core group consisted of the two Steves, Neil, Goughie, myself and Tommy. The idea was to now run the country back roads circuit 3 times and then take it on home back along the ocean boardwalk to the finish line where the lukewarm Taiwan Beer longingly beckoned. We wound past an industrial dump and a golf driving range and then there was long, straight endless road that finally arrived back at the central rest and refueling centre. The turning point for me came profoundly upon reaching the golf range for the first time. I felt a twinge in my left knee sometime after dodging the dried carcass of a legendary 100 Pacer(in my mind anyway), the snake named after how many steps you have once bitten before dropping dead; the conversation at this point got interesting as the lads rallied around each other in an effort to keep going. Although I was a bit hobbled after the first of 3 back country circuits I handled it pretty well and figured I would just shake off the left leg discomfort and keep going.
Quickly refueled and ready for round two of the back roads circuit. I start to lag behind again and believe that mind over matter must prevail so upon arriving at the golf range I gather myself for a surge and catch up with the lads then the competitive juices from Provincial Championships (albeit 25 yrs ago heehee) gone by kick in and I blast past the lads and almost catch KiwiChris in the process. I lap up the praise for my moment of glory thirstily and we prepare ourselves for the final rural circuit.
Having lost track of the fact that this is a ‘Marathon not a Sprint’ I recognize with one rural circuit to go that I’m in a world of hurt now as the left leg is practically dead and if I ever had visions of emulating the great Terry Fox who inspired Neil and this entire adventure here was my chance as I would have to finish the job virtually on one leg. I don’t bother trying to keep pace with the lads and experience the loneliness of the long distance runner firsthand (imagine multiplying this by 100 and you’ve got Neil’s experience) and the only thing that keeps me going is reflecting on the similarity between the scenery here and where my Mother lives back home and dedicating the run to my deceased Grandmother Violet and pleasant thoughts of living loved ones. As I embark down the endless homestretch to the refueling centre Neil joins me with encouraging words. Chalk up an extra mile to the 1000s he has already run ladies and gents! We get back to the recharging zone and Aston Andy not to be mistaken for Bolton Andy or Canadian Andy, who had trained briefly as a Sports Therapist, kindly offers to massage my calf and I gratefully accept (which later buys me 2 or 3 extra miles) and although the main problem is probably scar tissue on the hamstring/thigh (thanks anyways mate) his healing hands are as therapeutic to my soul as they are to my body!
I suck it up now and know I am in for one hell of an ordeal as we need to ramble along the scenic seaside pathway and back to Fisherman’s Wharf (I think but my sense of direction is appalling just ask Kiwi Chris) where the finish line awaits along with our various newfound friends and savory tepid Taiwan Beer, the regular stuff; Neil is the only one privileged enough to drink ice cold Taiwan Beer Gold Medal Edition by special request and rightfully so as believe you me there is absolutely nothing lukewarm about this man, he’s as passionate about life as they come as surely you’ve discovered by now.
Neil and Charlotte (thanks to Rachel and Tommy too) accompany me but really it’s all about my own will to finish at this point and to be honest for the final 6 miles as my body gave out long ago.
After coming this far I don’t care how slowly I have to run I WILL NOT WALK and I WILL NOT STOP I’m just too stubborn and too proud for that my friend! At long last I see the finish line off in the distance (just check out my Facebook picture if you don’t believe me) and the sense of euphoria I feel at this point is overwhelming.
A warm Taiwan Beer has never and will never taste as good as this one does… I made it!
As I thoroughly enjoy my not so cool brew I reflect on the collection of aches and pains that Neil must have felt along the course of this massive undertaking (or at least you would think so) yet watching him during the last 2 miles you would have thought he was jogging over to the Fish and Chip shop to get his order in before it closes rather than tackling this feat of Biblical proportions! Are you having a laugh?
Ultimately, do I recommend running a marathon, definitely.
Do I suggest, training beforehand… abso’bloody’lutely!
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