They say You either Go Big or you Go Home and I normally tend to decide to Go Big. Take this as a Public Service Announcement. I Wangechi Gitahi, founder of Wangechi Gitahi Travels, I am officially an award winning Marathoner, having successfully completed the 42km race, at the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon 2024. I officially enter the history books of those who have successfully completed a Full Marathon and thus been elevated to 42km+distance. So next time you bump into me, or mention me in conversation, please address me correctly and add “Marathoner Wangechi Gitahi ” to my other titles.
My relationship with Standard Charted Nairobi Marathon goes way back, like way back. When it was launched in 2003, it piqued my interest and curiosity as it was the First International Marathon I knew of, to be hosted in Kenya. Before that, the only engagement I had with marathons was cheering our Kenyan elite marathoners on Tv and standing to sing the national anthem with them , as our flag was hoisted after they won Gold.
Now, if you have been here long, you know I am the synonym of adventurous. What you may not know is that I have always been adventurous, I actually believe I was born with it. I also tend to Go Big in many choices in life and thus, I eventually ended up participating twice in their 10km and twice in their 21km. After my last 21km race in 2008, I got bored as the races were no longer challenging me. I decided that the next time I would participate would be in the the 42km, full marathon.
Fast forward to 2024 and I decided to rekindle my long lost relationship with the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. I had unfinished business with it as my medal rack was missing a Full Marathon-42km medal. I did not even consider that perhaps I should get back on the track with the shorter distance noting I had been out of the marathon for many years. Go big we must, 42km full marathon we must.
The night before the race, I slept having neatly arranged my Marathon kit and had a restless night full of anxious thoughts. I wondered what marathoners are supposed to eat for breakfast and dinner, how many hours of sleep is recommended and how much liquid is adequate to prevent dehydration yet avoid getting a stitch or muscle pull. I know, I know, I should have prepared adequately earlier but Oh well, here I was with no training or preparation but, I had a deep desire to Finish the 42km Full Marathon Alive. I prayed to God fervently asking for strength, energy, adrenaline, peace, calm, to keep me going, not allow my body to give up, to have fun and to successfully complete the 42km Full Marathon.
For reasons I still cannot explain, I was late to the start line and thus though the 42km race was flagged off at 6:00 am, I found myself alone at the start line at 6:08 am.
This hitch turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I ended up participating in a marathon that seemed curated just for Me. The reason I say this is because for over 99% of the marathon, I participated as a solo marathoner. There was no one before me, no one beside, no one around me as I never caught up with my fellow full marathon runners.
When I did see them, they were across the dual super highway/southern bypass, moving in the opposite direction, heading to the finish line. You see, life had happened and unfortunately, I had not gotten time to train for the marathon. I was however very determined to not only participate in the full marathon but, to successfully compelete it. I thus decided I would walk the whole distance, rely on prayer, my good fit genes and mind over matter mentality as I did when I hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro as shared https://wangechigitahitravels.com/conquering-mount-kilimanjaro/ , to make my dream come true.
The security team on ground even nicknamed me VVIP as they had never seen an individual occupy the roads alone, seeming as if they had been cleared just for me. Funny enough I never felt intimidated or sad or lonely, I was here for a personal goal, personal marathon and that was enough fuel to shut everything out and enjoy the journey and experience. The 1% is when other participants across the shorter races found me still en route and soon after we were separated as our routes did eventually divert from each other.
It was a reminder of why I became a solo female traveler, navigating destinations unknown, having no blue print , enjoying my own company, being in my zone, attempting the unthinkable, pushing my limits and having an exciting experience through out. It cemented my resolve that even though I did not have all my ducks in a row, I was confident that I would successfully cross the finish line at the end of the 42km full marathon.
Several hours later, after having consumed several liters of water, chomped on several bananas, taken numerous pictures, prayed fervently and been cheered on by several strangers with the words “strong strong”, I crossed the Finish Line Alive and officially “shut down” the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. There are no words to fully express my feelings as I was elated, excited, happy, overjoyed and overwhelmed at this feat. I officially joined world renown marathoners on the record books, as having successfully completed a 42km full marathon, and more so on my first try and with no training. The next time a foreigner meets me on my travels and inquires whether all Kenyans run marathons, I will be able to honestly respond that they have just met a Kenyan Marathoner. I will however put in a disclaimer here: I Do Not recommend anyone to attempt the same with no training. Go and train adequately in advance, I was/am an exception.
I also take this opportunity to inform you all that your internationally renown, award winning Universal Travel Resource Center-Wangechi Gitahi Travels is officially back to creating authentic, award winning, world class, unique, adventurous, out of the norm digital travel content after a long hiatus. In the same way we rekindled our relationship with the marathon, we seek to Go big and rekindle our relationship with each one of you. We thank you for you continued support in all the different facets of the business from giving us the honor to curate immersive customized travel experiences for you, to giving us opportunities to train and consult for you and to allowing us to share with you our amazing travel experiences via engaging with our travel content. We are forever grateful and we ask you to hold on tight, as we Go Big with you into the future.
