ROAD RUNNING
Scott arrives at the marathon finish .
That feeling of satisfaction at collecting a wellearned medal .
Overall , the first half wasn ’ t so bad after all , but I knew that the second half would take me much longer . As usual in any long run , there are periods when the pace slows down , and it can be a struggle at times to motivate oneself to keep going ... Shortly after halfway , I felt the heaviness in my legs and tiredness of my body for a few kilometres , as well as the increased effort to run because of the altitude . However , even though it was hard to run that particular section , the scenery was stunning and the air was fresh . Another running colleague from the Doha Bay Running Club , Stephan , passed me with a little bit of encouragement , although I subsequently caught up with him , as he employed a run / walk strategy .
I picked up my enthusiasm and rhythm again shortly afterwards , and putting one foot forward in front of the other , continued on my way , as I realised that I was going to finish in a not too disrespectful time , considering all the circumstances . A South African runner passed me towards the end of the marathon distance , but he had taken an extra-long break at one of the rest stops , and was running at full throttle , as he was participating in the 50km ultra . There were some additional uphill sections in the second half , but they were not difficult , and nothing compared to any of the hills that running in the surrounds of Cape Town can bring !
HAPPY FINISHERS
I had a huge smile on my face when I finished in 5:14:42 , in 31st position in the men ’ s race , halfway through the field , and receiving my medal from one of the officials . I had thought a reasonable time would be between five and five and a half hours , so I was nearly spot on in the middle . Several other runners had already finished , including Matt ( some 25 minutes ahead of me ), and I was very pleased for him . After a brief stop , we were transported to the finishing line of the ultramarathon , to a hotel which provided us with a buffet lunch and copious cups of tea . Alas , no alcohol , as Pakistan mostly prohibits the sale of alcohol , save in the major hotels , where you can drink in the privacy of your own room .
The next day it was another bus journey to Gilgit for our return flight to Islamabad , with a few stops to buy souvenirs . The hotel in Islamabad was a five-star hotel , and we were very lucky to experience such wonderful hospitality in a friendly setting . We had two days in the capital city , and guided tours were available in the afternoon to visit some of the landmarks , including the King Faisal Mosque , which I had visited before , and several museums featuring local arts and crafts .
STAR BILLING
In the two mornings that we were there , Ziyad had requested that we participate in some promotional interviews with the local press , including the national broadcaster . Ziyad , Beth and myself were interviewed by a local personality whose breakfast show was syndicated to 45 countries , and he was so much fun ! He was an extraordinary character – tall , with a handlebar moustache , exuberant – and made us feel relaxed before the interview took place . I was a little nervous before the interview , but I needn ’ t have worried , as the presenter had prepared his notes well and asked us pertinent questions – for me , questions about my previous visits to Pakistan ; to Ziyad , about the logistics around organising the event ; and to Beth regarding her disabilities , her training and her motivation . It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning and a unique opportunity to promote Pakistan as a tourist destination .
Lively discussions ensued on how we had performed , and continued long into the evening , after our return journey to Sost . Mostly the runners were elated , having achieved their objective by completion of their chosen distance , and the local runners were well represented in the top positions . In total , 152 athletes had finished one of the distances : 38 runners , including four women ( all international ) had completed the ultra ; 62 runners , including nine women , had completed the marathon ; and 52 had finished the half marathon . The top 12 in the marathon were all from Pakistan , with the winning time being 3:10 , while the women ’ s event was won by a Danish runner in a very creditable 3:45 .
Post-race , it was time for a few selfies with medals !
Just after doing a live morning show interview on Pakistani TV .
Scott was asked to do some media interviews to promote Karakoram tourism .
35