I ran my first comrades this year! It taught me to never take anything for granted because you never know when things may go south.

My comrades ended at few metres away from the finishing line for a reason I still cannot understand. What I learnt is that you can have the most optimal training preparation and on day of the race things might not work out the way you imagined. I was at the stadium when the gun shot took place and the race ended. I was very disappointed; I had a flashback of all the sacrifices I made to get to this point. All the training, races and run appeared in my mind. My voice was gone; I couldn’t utter a single word. All I could manage was gasp but it taught me a very important lesson.

To earn your ultimate goal, it takes patience and resilience. I congratulate every runner who achieved his/her goal. That medal may be small but carries titan status for those like me who fell short this time. The depth of our disappointment will define the enormity of our success. Next year I’ll be back on the racing track with more knowledge and experience. Now comrades’ marathon is like an annual pilgrimage!