Just over three months I completed 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days as part of the World Marathon Challenge. While those seven days were a whirlwind, the last three months have been as well, trying to digest what my eleven fellow competitors and I accomplished. I still don't think it has fully sunk in.
However, the one thing that I knew right away was there was no way I could have completed the challenge without all the support from family, friends, and random strangers around the world who sent me words of encouragement as I ran. It was your support and motivation that helped me gather the mental strength I needed to push through the tough times (especially in Morocco – my hardest marathon). With all that said, I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who supported me, whether by joining for a training run/walk/hike, by donating to the V Foundation, or by simply sending along kind words as I flew from one race to the next. It all means a great deal to me and I hope that I get the opportunity to support you in a quest of your own someday. To my parents… I want to say thank you for never questioning my crazy ideas and always supporting me no matter how scared it makes you. Also, I can't say thank you enough for the loan that allowed me enter the World Marathon Challenge in the first place. To my wife… First, I want to say thank you for supporting me all along the way. Second, thank you for gathering words of encouragement from my friends and family and putting them into cards for me to open throughout the race. Those inspirational messages you collected from others meant so much to me when I needed a pick-me-up. To my fellow competitors (and now life-long friends)… I want to say thank you for sharing your inspiring journeys with me and allowing me to get to know each of you. The two weeks we spent together (before, during, and after the race) were amazing and I will never forget them. Last but certainly not least, to Richard Donovan and Fearghal Murphy… I want to say thank you for organizing and planning a world-class event that went off without a hitch. I am not sure there is anyone else out there who could have put on such a professional (yet fun) race. I love doing your running events and enjoy hearing your crazy stories even more. I can't say it enough to everyone - THANK YOU!
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Tim DurbinI am writing this blog to chronicle my trials and tribulations as I try to complete the World Marathon Challenge and my 10 year goal of running/ walking around the world. I will also use it to chronicle my past and future adventures around the world! Archives
April 2015
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