Project Gold: Epilogue

I was never one to chase the world major marathons. I had done Boston in 2017, and that was enough for me.  I got in to Berlin and Chicago through a simple lottery, had a deferral from the previous year to New York- and Sanjana was doing a semester abroad in Paris. It was as simple as that. The stage was set. So, when this plan fell into place, suddenly, everything got real. I was scared and excited. What began as a dream to simply running 3 world major marathons – with the goal being only to complete each one with a smile,  whilst traveling and spending time with my friends and family, gave me:

A new Personal Best and a Boston qualifying time!

Scenes imprinted within me from the trip:

The city of Berlin intertwined with the forest, as seen from the glass dome of the Reichstag Building. 

View of beautiful paris from the top of the Eiffel tower with my children. A moment I will always cherish. 

The ocean like, awe-inspiring Grand Lake Michigan on which Chicago is situated. 

The translucent veil created by the Cascades waterfall in Virginia, on another blue day. 

Walden’s Pond in its full glory- on that beautiful sunny day- with the blue sky and the pristine reflection of the trees – rich in texture and its warm colours of rust, yellows, reds, alongside the occasional purples. 

NYC skyline from Prospect park, watching it come to light from sunset to nightfall. 

Popping open that bottle of Champagne in the NYC pizzeria post-race, was possibly one of the most special evenings of my life. I was surrounded by warmth, love and years of friendship. 

Project Gold delivered much more than I had ever imagined.  6 weeks. 3 races. I experienced. I lived.  

I learned…

Love makes you brave 

Joy makes you live every moment 

Hope makes you resilient 

What I realized…

I’m tough 

I’m strong 

I love running the marathon distance. 

It has given me the resilience that I needed to live my life.