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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