Stockholm Marathon (June 5, 2010)

After more than 6 months of training through a snowy and icy winter in Sweden, I finally ran the 32nd Annual Stockholm Marathon. There were a total of 15,468 runners from all over the world. The weather was perfect, not as hot as it is rumored to be usually due to the late 2pm start. I was geared up in my usual American Cancer Society penny and set out to run a lofty sub-3-hour marathon.

Me with an Australian

My colleagues Ane, Amalina, and Stephan came out to support me. Ane was my "paparazzi," as she put it. She was thrilled to see a team of Brazilians representing her home country and so ran up to them for a photo. It is always a joy to share my experiences and a blessing to be supported. Thank you guys so much for coming out!

Ane, Amalina, me and Stephan

Team Brazil

There seems to be a lot of good runners in Sweden, which would explain why I was assigned to start back in group C. In the beginning of the race, I spent a substantial amount of energy maneuvering around other runners to keep up my pace. At around mile 10, I developed a side ache that sadly made me give up my goal of finishing under 3 hours. Fortunately, the pain went away after a few miles. By then, however, I had decided to just enjoy the course, appreciating the landscape and architecture of Stockholm, giving high-fives to kids spectating on the side of the road, and encouraging other runners.

Start group C

The start

The finish line is in the 1912 Olympic Stadium. Running into the stadium and hearing the roar of crowd was quite a magnificent experience. When Ane took the picture below, she was actually focusing on the man dressed up as a traditional Swedish woman who was grabbing the hands of runners as they were coming in. I managed to avoid him, hahaha, and crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 24 minutes.

Finish at the 1912 Olympic Stadium

3 hours and 24 minutes

In addition to the support I received from my colleagues, I was also supported by my family and friends back home, namely my mom, my grandma, and my girlfriend, Diana. Training for the Stockholm Marathon was very demanding day in and day out, and I wouldn't have been able to accomplish the feat without them. I'm very grateful.