News
2014, Feb 14
Swiss athlete Pablo Erat on the GoaMarathon
Triathlon IronMan from Switzerland enjoying Wadi Talauli Goa Marathon of Dr Ramani
Wonderful experience at the "Wadi Talauli Marathon"
Yesterday, I had the pleasure to participate at a 10K competition in Goa. I was blown away by the warm welcome and reception given to me by Dr. Ramani who has initiated and sponsored this event over the last 10 years to promote a healthy and active life style in the local community.
The race gathering took place at 05:30 in the morning, which was quite tough considering my jetlag. The organizers had originally foreseen me to run the half-marathon “together” with a Kenyan runner but due to a knee injury, which has prevented me from running since October, I was allowed to “down grade” to 10K. Considering that the Kenyan runner crossed the finish line in 1:05, the togetherness anyhow would have been very short-lived.
The group participating at the 10K race started around 10 minutes after the half-marathoners. I placed myself behind a group of very fast looking young talents from Mumbai. As the gun went off, so did four of the young runners. I decided to run my pace and try to keep visual contact to the group as long as possible. Soon, I was on my own and ran through the darkness with a good flow motivated by the cheering of the people from the village.
Due to my steady pacing (3.45 kmh), I managed to overtake two of the runners in front of me and crossed the finish line in third place. The event ended with an impressive award ceremony during which the participants were handed their medals and certifications by the honorable governor of Goa himself.
Pablo Erat from Switzerland running the marathon
