Unfinished Business Finished at the Reggae Marathon in Negril, December 2009

December 5, 2009 is the date I finished 'Unfinished Business".  And it only took 5 hours and 25 minutes under the extreme late morning heat along the Norman Manley Highway from Negril to Green Island and back in the 2009 Reggae Marathon.

What was I thinking?  I could have picked a marathon in Toronto...actually could have chosen from the two that are both run in the fall.  I have been asked the question so many times. And the answer every time is that there was a strong emotional pull to do it on the island of my birth.  Added to that:  my Dad was 'uber Jamaican'.  Even after 36+ years living in Canada, he kept up-to-date on the goings-on and was always quick with his opinion on how to fix things.

When the starter's gun went off at 5:15 am last Saturday, it was all I could do to hold back the tears.  Can't run and cry. 

And at the finish...couldn't hold back the tears here.  (Note:  this picture was taken by Sally who with the help of new friends Bob and Debbie from Washington, DC, got her into the media area.  Thanks guys.  Check out their web site, Washington Running Report for another picture of guess who :))

Days later I am still flying high with the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment of conquering the heat, humidity and distance.  Somehow I don't think that feeling will diminish.

And the best part:  even though we did not hit our goal of raising $10,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association, we managed to raise just under $5,000 in only three months! 

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED.  Your generous contributions kept me going when it got really lonely and desolate on the road last Saturday.

OK, the second best thing...taken less than 5 minutes after finishing.  Now that's the real reason for choosing the Reggae Marathon in Negril.  Could not have done that in Toronto.  And if you must know the gory details, I consumed over 10 litres of liquid over the race, 5 gel packs of bad tasting but supremely effective goo and more litres of recovery liquids with electrolytes than I thought I could drink.  Not sure what it did to my stomach, but it got me through the hours and helped immensely with the recovery. 

And to my friends on the Wasaga Beach Road Runners:  you were right about showing respect for the heat.  HELL ON EARTH but I beat the Devil that morning.

Do you run for yourself or someone else? I run because I love to run. I really run to honour those who no longer can.

"I finished"

Until next time...

A very excellent run in the Reggae Marathon Dec 5

This is the actual result of the run on Dec 5 as published by the Reggae Marathon.
 
Thanks Andre
 

---

Chris,

Excellent result!!!  Very irie man!!!

André

Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K - 2009 Marathon - Individual Results December 5, 2009 in Jamaica

Summary Number of Finishers: 126 Number of Females: 47 Number of Males: 79 Average Time: 4:48:06

Chris Morales

bib number:	102
age:	51
gender:	M
location:	Wasaga Beach, ON
overall place:	91 out of 131
division place:	15 out of 20
gender place:	63 out of 79
time:	5:26:07
pace:	12:24
2.9mi:	33:45
5.8mi:	1:09:51
9.5mi:	1:58:16
16mi:	3:20:04
22.6mi:	4:38:26
chip time:	5:24:56

 

5 More Sleeps to the Reggae Marathon in Negril

I can't believe we are now at the short strokes!

 

I planned to spend today (Monday) on business.  It has not gone as planned.

 

After getting back to my office after a successful presentation to a new client this morning I expected to spend the balance of the day cleaning up loose ends.  But just like an excited child, I got distracted by the race in Negril on Saturday.  So instead of concentrating on business, I decided to organize my running gear.

 

And I have enough of it!

 

With the temperature in Negril expected to be in the low 30's (Celsius) by the time the sun breaks, hydration is my major concern.  And although I am probably overdoing it, I plan to carry my own water supply along with special gels created for high heat situations.  At the start I will look like I am heading out across the Sahara!

 

Better safe than sorry. 

 

Other 'stuff': 

• Special Thorlo cushion socks. 
• Wrist bands
• Special Running Room cap
• Extra pair of running shoes
• Recovery drink mix for after the run
• Aspirin and other pain killers (not expecting to be in pain, but you never know...)
• Laptop and power adaptors so I can do updates from Negril

Have I missed anything?  No worries...I have all day Tuesday to think about.

 

With the butterflies in my stomach already fluttering, those 5 sleeps will fly by very quickly.

 

Until next time from Jamaica...

$10 makes all the difference in the world

$10 makes all the difference in the world

Standing in the grocery line on Tuesday found Sally commiserating with a lady about buying food on a budget.  The conversation turned to kids living at home.  The lady shared her story with Sally about how here son had moved back home recently.  He was 40 years old and due to complications from diabetes, he was unable to work. 

Sally shared our story of how diabetes affected us.  She also continued with my running in the Reggae Marathon on December 5 in Negril to raise $10,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association. 

What happened next is stunning.

The lady, a stranger to Sally pulled out a $10 bill and gave it to her for the CDA. 

Chance meeting, two strangers in the grocery checkout line sharing personal stories.  Connecting.

I don't know who you are, but that $10 bill means more to me than breathing.  It makes all the difference in the world.  Thank you.

Below is the donation form.  If you have not donated yet, please click on it to download it.  Fill it in and send it directly to the following address:

Canadian Diabetes Association

4 - 556 Bryne Drive

Barrie, Ontario, L4N 9P6

Until next time...from Negril