A Marathon That Did Not Go To Well

It was a decicion made within second. Saturday, 30.08.2008: I went to the centre of Puerto Varas which is about five minutes away from my house "Magouya 2". My mission was to find a telephone that worked and also could make international calls. Mission not completed-I went to a public phone booth and made the most expensive call ever 3500 pesos (appr. 5eus) for 6minutes and 9seconds. But it was worth it as of course I really wanted to sing "Happy Birthday" in Spanish to my beloved nephew-also known as the kamikazee kid that is not scared of anything. I reckon I could have taken him for a bungy jump in New Zealand ;) Anyway, while looking for telephone that worked and could make international calls I passed this huge tent in which the ambitious "runners" picked-up there number, chip, and the "Puerto Varas Marathon Shirt" and suddenly I felt something pulling me into that tent with the intention to as well sign up for the biggest Marathon in the South of Chile. And so I did, went home, skipped the saturday-night life, and got up at 6:30h on Sunday. The last bus was to leave at 7:30h and it was my goal to take the last bus. Being at the point of departure I once again had to realize that I am in Chile-there was not one bus waiting, it was cold and raining...Finally at a little past eight I hopped on the bus which took us the 21kilometers out of Puerto Varas. The windows were foggy and so, naive that I was, I told the guy next to me that the route seems to be simple-no ups and downs, a nice view, and simple. He told me that this would not be right but that there are 4 ups and downs-and God he was right...

After 1,5 hour we had to wait in the rainy cold (I waited in the bus, which to my horror played modern talking up and down) the 21km run could finally start. I felt well, ambitious to make it. Yet some background infos: for some reason not only my physical condition is far away from what it is in Germany. The air here is incredible humid, the houses not heated well and thus moldy in various places. Also I did not have a good chance to train and this office job is also not doing very good for my physical conditions. After I trained one day in August without any sign of succes I decided to quit drinking alcohol-and I did for 3,5 weeks. Do it, you feel better :)

I started the run somewhere in the middle of the field. In front of us the inclining street and yes, it did incline that I started falling back, and back, and back. After about 3km I was the last, after about 4km I could not see the runners in front of me-gosh felt I bad. I kept on creeping over the road for another 9ks and decided that a ride in a Chilean police car could be a nice experience...I gave up and decided to make this experience. For once I listened to my mom saying: "You are not trained, do not exagerate and stop running if it gets too much!" I enjoyed the ride and was lucky as half way to Puerto Varas I had the honor to also go on a Chilean ambulance. The last two km I jogged and after 1:59:59h I crossed the finish line. Even with cheating I could not succed to tie up with the time I needed in Melbourne without cheating: 1:48:31h. It was a marathon for different from the others I have participated in and it was an experience for me that I am still enjoying today. And that I did not make it does not bother me at all....

Now, I cannot wait to board the bus to Argentina on the 17.9.08. New impressions and out of Puerto Varas...