Last week, I checked a few things off my bucket list; exploring Africa was one among them. Being a runner, I did that in true runner’s way – finished Africa’s only Gold label marathon in 3:52:25. And the best part, it was a PB for me!
Africa was in my ‘to visit’ list for a long time… While everyone was planning their run calendar with Berlin or Copenhagen, I picked Cape Town marathon because it would give me a chance to travel to a part of Africa. Some of my running friends thought it was an unwise move considering the crazy inclines and declines in the route. For me, I had just #runcation in mind; a hashtag I came up with ever since I started travelling for runs.
The cape town trip was awesome… It was my solo trip to South Africa… An international solo trip; I got that checked off my bucket list too… I got to tour the peninsula, climb the table mountain, explore the local cuisine… And on Sunday, Sep 23, I ran with 20,000+ runners to earn my finisher medal…
The run was not easy… As mentioned the inclines and declines were crazy… and then we had the heavy winds… I barely stayed my ground at a certain point in the race… But, all these get negated by the warm support of the locals… They came out with snacks and drinks for the runners… Some random lady gave me salted orange slices en route… It was a great feeling…
The traffic was well maintained. At busy locations, the run was on the sidewalk… So, it was convenient for both runners and the public… I give to the organisers for the planning and execution… I couldn’t find any fault with any of the arrangements…
I left South Africa content and refreshed… it was a great vacation… You go to a new country and run a marathon and get a PB from it… there is no greater feeling than this.
Will I run Cape Town again? of course, I will… Probably, in a few years!!! I am in love with the city already. The blue skies and the mountains blew me away.
Eat, Run, Live, Sleep, Repeat 
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