With just over 4 miles to go, and having been running for over 4 1/2 hours, my body was starting to shut down on me. Everything hurt. It hurt to move, hurt to breathe, even hurt to think. I knew that the end was near. Whether my marathon was going to end right then and there, or another 4 miles at the finish line remained to be seen. Just as my pace slowed down to a near zombie-like stumble, I realized that this was the moment where I needed to find the courage to finish what I had set out to do. Run a marathon.

A marathon is something that everyone can achieve. You do not have to be an athlete or have a superior fitness level. Just the heart and persistence to keep moving forward. One foot after another. It is not supposed to be easy, it is supposed to be hard. Many runners I spoke to that morning agreed with the idea that a marathon is a lot like climbing a mountain. It’s not about how fast you can climb it, but whether or not you stop climbing at all.

A great quote that compliments this theory was by Sir Edmond Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest.

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”

That precise moment when it felt like my run was over, I thought of a lot things. Most of them had to do with my family. I thought about my 1 year old daughter and wife who were waiting for me at the finish line. I thought of my older sister who had fought and beaten breast cancer. I thought of my grandfather and how proud he would have been to know I finished a marathon. Knowing I had come so far and was so close to the end, I promised myself that I would cross that line even if they had to carry me over it!

I ran the last 4 miles on pure heart and determination.

Running a marathon is a very difficult challenge. Discovering that you have the strength to rise up to the challenge is reason enough. Finding out what you are really made of can be a life changing experience. I found out that I had what it takes. It was that sense of discovery within myself that carried me over that finish line.

Crossing the finish line brought upon a wide range of emotions. I felt like screaming, crying, and laughing all at the same time. It was a sense of euphoria I had never felt before and one I will never forget. To be able to say that I had took myself to my physical limits and beyond was surreal. I had conquered my own Mount Everest.



Leave your comments below and add to this discussion. Like what you saw, follow us on Twitter @GamerFitNation, like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ GamerFitNation!