Europe – Reykjavik Marathon, Iceland 2015

I am so happy to announce that I started my new journey of running 7 marathons on 7 continents to raise more money for more schools. ❤

 

I left for Iceland last week on Tuesday. I had a wonderful time in this beautiful country. I will dedicate a blog post to it and upload lots of pictures very soon.

This is me right before I left for Iceland. I was so excited yet very nervous!

I ran Reykjavk Marathon on Saturday, August 22. The weather was simply perfect. The site was just magnificent. The atmosphere was so alive! It felt like all Icelanders were out cheering and supporting the runners. It was beautiful. The honor guest was Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967. She is such a beautiful and inspirational woman. Because of Kathrine’s activism women’s marathon was introduced in the Olympic Games in 1984.

Here is a short video of her amazing story. It is incredible!

 

I finished the marathon in 4:59:33. I was expecting a better time but unfortunately I hit the wall around mile 18. After that it got pretty ugly. I really didn’t feel well at all. My nose bled a little bit, I threw up couple of times and had a pretty upset stomach. There were tears and doubts for couple of miles but I managed to push it through and finish! Right before the finish line there were a lot of spectators. They  were so wonderful. They cheered me on and it felt great! Brought the smile back on my face.

My recovery has been a bit challenging. I am sick with a cold and my body is still weak. I am looking forward however to spending time with my lovely parents and travel more through Europe.

Here are few pictures from Saturday.

At the expo picking up my number.

I made a collage with few pictures that I took at the beginning of the marathon and during it. The scenery was so beautiful. I breathed deeply and lived it all!

This is right before the finish line…I was so happy and relieved to see the finish line.

I love this picture.

I’m wearing run2buildschools tights made by Susana Monaco – dear friend and wonderful designer.

 

This is me at the end with the medal! My legs were shaking here but my heart was so HAPPY!

 

I never experienced such a rough marathon. It was really painful at points. But I am proud, I gave everything I had and fought so hard to finish. I never lost sight of my dream! I kept thinking of the first day of a new school. I thought of children being happy, making friends while learning in their new school. It really kept me going. In the end I survived it all! I even managed to finish the marathon with one big smile on my face. One continent down, six more to go and more schools to build. ❤

Next stop – Chicago Marathon! October 11, 2015. North America Continent. Continent No. 2.

Thank you everyone for your support and donations! I received so many emails, messages on social media and phone calls. It really helped me. I am so thankful to you all! This is an awesome picture that my dear friend Kelly sent to me from Peru. ❤ How thoughtful and incredibly beautiful it is?!! It made me so happy! I LOVE it so much!