100BEFORE40

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31 - Sani Stagger Marathon, Sani Pass, South Africa, 25 November 2017. I first came across the Sani Stager Marathon in October 2014. Looking at the elevation profile, I thought it was one of the easiest marathons around. In my mind, all I had to do was run-walk to the top. Once I got to the top, I would fly down to the finish. It was that simple. I could not understand how running down that 'hill' could be difficult. I tried to register for the race at that time, but it was too late. In 2015 and 2016 my attention had shifted elsewhere and I did not even think of the Sani Stagger Marathon. It was also not part of my plans when I put together my “Wishlist” for 2017. It only became part of the “Wishlist” when I decided to drop The Two Countries Marathon from the list. It was an easy choice for me as I had postponed it for too long. I had also heard a few people “ The Sani is a must do ”, without explaining to what they meant by it is “ a must do .” Sani Stagger Marat

The Athens Marathon. The Authentic course. 30 - Athens Marathon the Authentic, Athens, Greece, 12 November 2017. At the beginning of 2014, if you had asked me about the Athens Marathon, I would have looked at you and answered the question with another question; am I expected to know that and why? Like many people (some runners included), I knew that in the running circles, there was track and road running, and all road running was marathon running. This is all I knew and needed to know. The thought of running the Comrades Marathon had crossed my mind by then, and I was confident I would one day. However, the running bug had not really gripped me to the extent of researching on all these nitty-gritties of running. A marathon was a marathon regardless of the distance. Five, 10, 21, 42 or 90 kilometers, were all marathons. So, why would I be expected to know anything about the Athens Marathon? It was only sometime in November 2014 while I was preparing for my maiden marathon, th

The Blue Train retired after about 1000 kilometers of pounding the pavement. 29 - Imbube King's Marathon, Mbabane Swaziland, 8 October 2017 One of my 100BEFORE40 secrets, at least until now, has been avoiding running the same marathons whenever I can. Permanent numbers (green, blue or whatever colour) do not really appeal to me. I have great respect for the permanent number tradition, but it is not my kind of thing. For me completing a particular marathon once is a privilege. Given a chance, I prefer moving on to a different marathon. However, I have my favorite marathons that I would not miss lightly. These are the Soweto Marathon and the Wally Hayward Marathon. I have told the story of the Soweto Marathon repeatedly, but for the benefit of those who do not know, it was my first ever marathon in November 2014. It has become synonymous with marathon, just like Colgate in synonymous with toothpaste or OMO is synonymous with washing powder in many households. Wally Hayward’

27 – Cape Town Marathon, Cape Town, South Africa, 17 September 2017 After seeing spooks at the Mandela Day Marathon, I could not wait to get back on the road. I desperately needed to redeem myself. They say, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. Having survived the Mandela Day Marathon, I fancied myself as a bit stronger. Adding to this enthusiasm was the old running adage that “the good thing about a bad run is that the next one will be better.” I really believed the Cape Town Marathon was my chance to brighten up the 17 Marathons for 2017 scoreboard. The times I have run this year are not the worst, but are far from the best. I have craved good times over the past 10 marathons, but this year is more about quantity, than quality. It is all about running those 17 marathons that I undertook to run this year. I was not sure of what I wanted to achieve at the Cape Town Marathon. Part of me was tempted to attempt a sub 4-hour finish. Everyone said this was a fast and fla