It was a nice weekend with old friends. But here is the most interesting incident.
It was Saturday night and amid all the cold and cough I was determined to run. I had never run before any marathon and it was a 21 km run. Many of my friends had done it earlier and one of them got me registered for this event so I was going to run this Sunday, though I never practiced.
So the first problem was waking up early. I usually stay awake till late in night and work. My routine is like that only and generally time between 12 and 3 in the morning are the most productive and active hours of my day. So there I was, I had to wake up at 6 30 am and I was unable to sleep till 2.
I woke up at 6:50 am and race was to start at 6:40. I grabbed my phone and called a friend who was running. He told me gates are still open and you can still come. My place is about 2 km from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue. In 5 minutes I was running. There were no auto as the road was blocked due to the marathon. I realised I will have to keep running.
After a desperate 2 km run I reached gate number 14, the entry. The start line was still 1km inside the stadium. Soon I reached there too. It was 7:20 and the gates were closed. I missed it.
I called my friend and asked where he was so that I could join him in the middle. I knew that I won't be getting the medal and certificate but still I waned to run. So I took a short cut and reached the track where few people were standing along the track. I thought last hope is gone.
But then I caught a spot where people were looking in a different direction and I sneaked in. I was happy. I was running on the track, 1 hour late. Soon I reached a place where there were many camera men and news reporters with there news vans standing in the parking area. I got a bit confused. I looked back, and I saw some Jamaican ladies, running. I looked ahead again. It was the 20 km mark.
Now you know what just happened. I slowed down. I didn't knew what to do next. I drifted near the sides of the road and crossed the footpath, removed the bib and started walking, as if I was never part of the race.
Ya, I could have been the winner of the marathon, you know ... :P
