Trusting in the process

One of my favourite running icons, Amby Burfoot, the winner of the Boston Marathon in 1968 once said something to the effect that the one running feat that he's genuinely happy about is doing the Manchester Road Race 50 years in a row.

I had often wondered why someone who had won one of the most coveted titles in distance running would be proud of just participating in a relatively less known road race. As I have gotten older, it is clear why Amby's heart is in the right place.

As competitive as Amby was in his prime, just hanging around running as he's approached his 8th decade has been very important to him.

The pic above on the left was taken in 2011 at the Avenue of the Giants Marathon when I qualified for the Boston Marathon for the first time in my life, running 3:09:46. The pic on the right was taken at the Chandigarh Fast Marathon on 16th Feb 2025 (3 days ago) when I ran 3:05:38, qualifying for Boston yet again. 14 years and still kicking up to Boston, as the Dropkick Murphys would sing!

I have had loads of ups and down in this journey of trying to stay fit enough to qualify for Boston year on year. I have done so only 4 times in the last 14 years, although my fitness hasn't changed by that much. As any experienced runner would know, your fitness isn't the only variable that determines your finish time. But as I have been a dad for the last ~7 years, running has not been my no. 1 priority. Staying fit and healthy has been a big priority.

I can't wait for the next 14 years when I will be in my 6th decade and hope to repeat this feat. I am just grateful for being able to run and get cheap thrills like this one, occasionally

#running #marathon #Boston #health #fitness #coaching #india