First one in the books

Just finished the marathon in Auckland. Felt good, and tried to take it easy especially in the last six miles or so. The people were absolutely lovely and really supportive, which helped a lot. 

Finished in 3:45 or so, which I think is faster than my first ever marathon in Dublin. Thinking I need to slow down for the next one though. We are off to Perth after we wolf down some food and do it all again tomorrow. The following day is Singapore which is the one I’m most worried about considering the heat and humidity. 

I should have more pictures and a video or two to post after I get them. 

Pre-event thoughts

So I made it to Auckland. I have a few days here before the first race so I can get adjusted. One immediate observation is that nothing seems to open early here on Sunday mornings. I was about to sit in a park and wait until 8am for Burger King to open for some coffee when I spotted the only open cafe behind the park (which thankfully is fantastic.)

At the risk of sounding all New Agey, which I’m definitely not, I’m going to use this event as a way to learn more about myself. If that doesn’t sound like a midlife crisis then I don’t know what does, but I just looked up the definition and it seems to begin at age 45. Since I am 44, either I’m ahead of the class or this isn’t a real one, in which case that’s all ahead of me. Dammit. 

One thing for sure, the positivity around this from so many people has really had a big impact on me. Stanford Children’s put out the blog on social media and I have had so much buzz from folks, and people whom I don’t know generously donating. I also had a text from an old business school friend (Matt Williams) who offered to use one of his soon expiring airline upgrades. Not sure it will work out, but those examples really make me so positive about humanity. 
I am sure this event will provide something unexpected, but I am feeling relaxed and determined to enjoy the experience rather than stress about it. 

Now to finish my coffee, call my wife and daughter and post pictures of me doing yoga poses with my new New Age-ness. 

Thanks to everyone who donated. I can’t say enough how incredibly supportive this is and feel good that this will help sick kids in an amazing setting. I brought my daughter in before this trip to show her our new hospital and it is so inspiring. 

LPCH Stanford Fundraising Page: https://my.supportlpch.org/BrendanRunsSevenContinentsPlusOne

GoFundMe link (some portion covers expenses): https://www.gofundme.com/f/juh2k2-brendan-runs-eight-marathons-on-7-continents-1

Ready to go

In the past I have been reluctant to highlight a running goal until I have achieved it. I always felt that it added tons of pressure for the race with the expectations of everyone on my mind. I’m glad I didn’t with this though as the support has been really energizing, and while there’s a lot outside my control that can go awry, I’m going into this pretty chilled. 

It will be hard to be away from the family for two weeks though. It was nice to have a family dinner and then leave it what hopefully is the worst weather if all of the locations. 

Going to dress in athletic clothesfor the journey. Haven’t yet figured out where to put the pocket square though ;)

Final week of training

Just finishing up a few miles of training this week. I fly out on Thursday night and get to New Zealand on Saturday. So, basically Friday doesn’t exist for me. 

I will have a few days in Auckland before the first race on Tuesday morning. Then it’s an early start for the marathon, and time afterwards for a quick shower and lunch before jumping on the plane to Sydney and then Perth. 

We will arrive into most locations at night and get maybe four or five hours in the hotel before the early morning races. That is except for the Punta Arenas, Chile marathon where it’s pretty much being run after we get off the flight from NY via Santiago. 

It’s feeling real now that I’m packing. Normally I would be super stressed about a marathon, but I’m determined to enjoy this and take whatever this experience throws at me. 

I have to be super organized with little time on the ground. The Chile and Antarctica marathon clothes are waiting for me in NY. Can’t wait to be reunited with them. 

Getting ready

I’m starting to pack as I start to taper off on my training. I am packing my race clothes for each marathon in gallon zip lock bags so I can be properly prepared. The way it will work (hopefully if there are no delays that create a knock-on effect), we will run the marathon in the morning, get a quick shower and then leave for the airport to get to the next destination. We typically will land at night and get to spend a few hours in a hotel before running the locally organized marathons.

My training went well, but I have no way of knowing what the effect of jet lag will have on me. I hope to catch an hour or so of sleep in my coach seat on the airplane. One thing for sure, the extraordinary generosity of the folks who donated will definitely help will me on the put one leg in front of the other. 

For those kind folks who donated, please know that the reason I chose the Children’s Fund is because this money directly goes to support care for thousands of kids and expectant moms. No family is ever turned away from this great hospital due to their financial circumstances. I happen to be fortunate to see such great care close up, so it’s inspiring to witness great generosity to something so worthy. 

The link to the LPCH fundraising page is: https://my.supportlpch.org/BrendanRunsSevenContinentsPlusOne

Link to GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/juh2k2-brendan-runs-eight-marathons-on-7-continents-1

In control...out of control

I packed a bag tonight that my wife is taking on her trip to NY tomorrow and will leave with her family. That will enable me to change clothes and pick up a sleeping bag before the marathon in NY. The plan is to sleep overnight in tents in Antarctica after the final race. 

As I packed, I was thinking about how remarkably I am not really stressed about the stuff that’s not in my control. The race organizer emailed yesterday and discussed the potential impact of the Mid East situation on our flights to Cairo via Dubai. Also, there is about an 80% success rate of flying into Antarctica on the scheduled day. Since there is enough to be concerned about that is in my control, I’m not going to worry about stuff that isn’t. If luck prevails and everything works out to finish this in 8 days, then great; if it ends up taking more days due to some other factor, so be it. It will actually be a good life lesson on stressing about the right stuff, and true to my mission to be positive about the whole experience.  

Speaking of positivity at running events in my last post, I just remembered this situation. My wife was running the half marathon after me, so I was out supporting her. An absolutely lovely woman and her son were also cheering on all of the runners. I had told them that my wife, Devika, was about to appear. They enthusiastically cheered on a pretty Irish looking lady before I pointed out Devika...

Moods & thoughts

I stood in my doorway slowly lacing my shoes before going for my run today. While I knew I would feel good a few miles in, it was tough to get the motivation to start. I had decided to run 15 miles, and I spent the first 6 miles engrossed in my audio book (Mythos by Stephen Fry if you’re interested) and the rest letting my thoughts wander listening to upbeat songs. 

Once I get to the halfway point, I love to look back and see how far I have come. Logically, you might think it’s daunting to think about having to run back.

When I got to 7.5 miles today, I asked a passerby to take a photo of me running towards him so I could capture my expression at this point. He was absolutely happy to do so, and I remembered just how positive most people are around runners and running. At one of the last marathons I completed, my brother and I talked about how volunteers and supporters have such incredibly positive energy and vibes. It’s so great to be around. 

Similarly, the positive reactive to the fundraising for this event has been incredible. So many of my colleagues and friends have been extraordinarily generous, and it’s great to be able to connect this to the super positive impact that the Children’s Fund has on the kids and families at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. These were the thoughts I had during the last few miles. 


Incidentally, just after I got home from this run, my wife came back from her first run in a while. I heard her blasting reggae music and banging drums in such a great mood. 

The runner’s high is a real thing.