Hassan Esufally took on the challenging Inca Trail Marathon as his sixth marathon in his quest to complete a marathon in each continent of the world, thereby becoming the first Sri Lankan to complete a marathon in each continent of the world.
Achieving this feat will propel him into a unique and exclusive club of the world’s greatest marathon runners – the 7 Continents Marathon Club™.
The Inca Trail Marathon is one of the most arduous and difficult full marathons in the world, due to its high and constantly changing altitudes, steep uphill and downhill terrain, changing weather conditions and the difficultly of running on an uneven surface in rocky conditions.
“By the half marathon point I had twisted my ankle 5 times on each leg; my legs and body were so sore” added Esufally. He went on to to say “Good things – especially beautiful views – don’t come easy. But when you chance upon such glorious views, it all becomes worth it. “After the Winay Wayna gate it was onto the famous Sun Gate where you get your first glimpse of the breathtaking Machu Picchu and see the end in sight. This was I think one of the most amazing parts of the race! Getting to there knowing that I would get to experience Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate was both rewarding and relieving! At this point I knew the hardest part of the race was over and I could enjoy last few miles and really take in that hike of glory to Machu Picchu. I saw a beautiful rainbow on the way, climbed uphill for a about 30 minutes and then through the forest I saw a beam of light which was this amazing door of sunlight! I knew I was at the Sun Gate and to see the ancient lost city of Machu Picchu for the first time from up there was truly rewarding given the hard work I had put in to get here. I really soaked it all in, took pictures and radioed my wife Rashida to say I was on the way to the finish line! I had tears in my eyes when I found out that she had been waiting for me at Machu Picchu for over 4 hours! I couldn’t wait to run down the last mile and a half to get to see her”.
This race was more than just a race – it was a life changing experience. To have been given in depth information about the different sights on the trail and having seen the different Inca ruins and understood their significance was amazing! To have finished an extremely difficult trail (+12km extra to make it a marathon) in 12.5 hours- a trail that usually takes people 3 nights and 4 days, certainly gives one confidence of going after their dreams – which is exactly what I’m so grateful to be doing”.
Courtesy of http://life.dailymirror.lk
