Anika Keswani

Austin Motorola Marathon

February 16, 2003

I think running the marathon was the single most challenging undertaking of my life so far. I can't believe how much it taught me about myself, as I set out to accomplish a goal I set for myself four long years ago, a naive little freshman who had no clue about what it would *really* take to complete this goal.

Sunday, 4 am - nervousness got me out of bed in a hurry and into the kitchen. I was determined to down 1 bagel, 2 bananas, a glass of juice, a powerade, and water, before 4:30. Done, and then I got dressed in my favorite racing gear... one of the lucky socks went on inside out, though. What can I say, it was 5 am. I waited anxiously for my ride... finally in the car, what better way to get pumped up than by listening to U2?

And we were off... Lee and I ran for the bathrooms and warmth of Taco Cabana. Before we knew it it was 6:45 and time to jet to the start... too late to catch our friends, so we just found a decent starting spot and heard the gun... the next thing I knew, we crossed the starting mat and it finally hit me. I was running a marathon!

Miles 1-10 were among the most fun 10 miles I've ever run. I found fellow UT Marathoners as well as a much older, friendly half-marathoner (lucky!) to keep me entertained. I was 3 minutes under pace, despite one bathroom and a few water breaks. My pace quickened as I ran up 45th Street... soon I'd see my parents who had JUST driven in that morning, and the Oak Park crew. As I got closer, I could see them.. I smiled, high-fived, and dove straight into the Sunrise Super Stop for bathroom break # 2.

I was ready for the next 10 - this time, with companions. Laura and Scott jumped in and we caught up with Diana and Kinsley, building a strong and steady pace. I felt good but insanely jealous of the half marathoners. Right after they finished, we had a huge uphill and 13.1 more miles... where is the justice? It got pretty windy on Lake Austin Blvd and the pain in my ankles flared up again. Scott and Laura never gave up on me though, despite their own fatigue - instead they pushed me through for a full ten miles (!) until the next set of friends would take over at mile 20.

Mile 20, the Four Seasons: Rekha and Andrea took over for Scott and Laura. I felt pretty delirious at this point... the carb gels were wearing off. I saw my parents again, and really thought I smiled, but they later told me I looked completely out of it. Mile 21 - that would be the Wall - my mind registered only a few things - I heard Rekha and Andrea telling stories and singing "all my pride", trying to keep me in the moment - but all I could think about was how much my body hurt. What felt like hours later, we saw Sarah and Lauren shouting and jumping at mile 22... together we jogged past Juan in a Million (I never thought my stomach would turn at the thought of a plate of Don Juan), and my breathing quickened. I couldn't think clearly - each step was such an effort. I was ready to finish this already.. I nearly burst into tears after mile 23. My brother ran the last 3.2 with me, and I was just overwhelmed by the support of so many people I love, the pain I felt, the inner struggle to keep going, and ... oh the pain!

I hardly remember the last five miles, but I remember Sarah saying something about how I was like the President, with my five(!) bodyguard runners all around me. I'm so lucky!! It's amazing what a difference having such strong support makes. Oh, and I do remember seriously avoiding the beer at mile 25. At last, the run was almost over. All I could think about when I saw that finish line was Bob, this 40-something year old chauvinist who had too much pride to let a 21 year old girl beat him in a 9 mile training run a few weeks ago (I had him... and he edged ahead by a hair... I think that will bother me for the rest of my life). So I sprinted (or maybe it was lunging), determined to finish strong and take some sort of small revenge for that. I crossed the finish line in 3 hrs, 59 minutes, and 57 seconds... achieving my goal of under 4 hours (that's some pacing, hey?)

Was it worth it? Well, for the delirium, the pain, the complete lack of an ability to think clearly and the struggles for breath, the chafing, the dehydration, the hunger, the dizziness... did I mention the pain? It is pretty cool to be able to say I did it. I'm so grateful for everyone who braved the crowds, the cold, and the pain of running by my side, to keep me going and make sure I finished. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see my parents as I was when I finished - what a moment.

-Anika Keswani