Today was the 19th annual Rome Marathon. And I was part of it!
Sort of...
In a way...
Okay, I participated in the 5k 'Fun Run' that was done in conjunction with the marathon...and I walked it.
The course started at the Colosseum and ended on the Caelian hill near the ancient Baths of Trajan. Starting at the Colosseum was absolutely surreal. Standing by that ancient structure at 9 am I was simultaneously nonplussed by its presence, and stupefied that I could stand there in running shorts and chucks with a plastic clapper and a balloon in hand.
The course passed a bunch of landmarks such as the Roman Forum, Palazzo Quirinale, Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Baths of Diocletian. (Professor Jan Gadeyne would be so proud. I always knew exactly where we were and the historical significance of each site.)
I walked the entire race, and not only did I feel like I was moving at a snails pace, I was also disappointed at how quickly it was over. It was a testament to how much walking I do around here, that I finished the course before I felt I had gone anywhere.
Though the race itself was a cakewalk, getting to the start was anything but. Due to a minor confusion, I thought I needed to be at the Colosseum at 8 and that the race started at 830. Turns out, check in was at 830 and the race started at 940. Whatsmore, the directions of where the 5k-ers were supposed to go was extremely vague. Due to this, I was wandering on my lonesome through thousands of marathoners with a dazed and confused look on my face. Finally, I spotted a group of octogenarians with a purposeful look on their face. Following them, I finally found my way to the 5k start, and miracle upon miracles I found the girls I had sign up with in the first place.
Lets be honest: I signed up for this mainly to get the free stuff (and was not disappointed. I got 2 free shirts with my signup, plus 2 free backpacks, a clapper hand toy, unlimited peach and lemon flavored Gatorade, some kind of milk/yogurt power drink, and more at the actual race.) Do I need any of this stuff? No. Do I want it? Absolutely. Although being waved through by centurion guards also was a bonus.
Ciao,
J
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