The Turin Marathon

The rain had continued during the night but had thankfully eased by morning as forecast - this was a huge relief. Having already got everything packed/laid out and having woken up on time it was a stress-free pre-race morning. After getting dressed/packing the last bits I went down to breakfast (more with the intention of grabbing a few bread rolls and cakes for later rather than eating now). I left the hostel with approx. 90 minutes to spare. It was a delightful clear/sunny morning and I was in a very good place. Making my way to the start was straight-forward (after making my way the majority of the way it was simply a case of following all the other runners to the start). Some of them were rushing like they were going to be late which was slightly alarming - had I incorrectly assumed the correct start time? Upon arrival I checked the start time - it was in fact 9.00am like I thought (in 40 minutes) and not 8.30 as I'd feared - the other runners were clearly nervous and rushing unnecessarily. The baggage area was in a lovely big square surrounded by old architecture. Sorting the bags out was fine and I had a little while to take in the moment before making by way to the start line approx. 400 metres away. After the Italian National Anthem and a speech by who I think was the mayor (language barrier) the race got underway on time. I was thinking 3hrs 30mins as a time to aim for, but wasn't overly concerned - the primary purpose was to enjoy the course. I felt strong early on and was certainly on target for a sub 3.30 - largely thanks to a fast and scenic course. The weather remained beautiful and the two highlights were firstly a long flat straight section of road (probably 6 or 7 miles in) with a lot of support and bands playing live music, and secondly a road leading out of the city slightly further along with a stunning view of snow-capped mountains ahead in the distance - awesome. I went through the halfway point still on-pace still feeling strong and the course remaining fast and flat. The second half of course I was focused more on speed and getting to the end as quickly as possible, trying to stick with certain runners to act as pacers. The fatigue from the last week's relentless cycling started to really kick in towards the end, and it was very much a case of 'hanging on' for the last 6 or 7 miles. Somehow I still had enough left in the tank for a strong finish, and I overtook quite a few runners in the last 3-4 miles. I crossed the finish line in just over 3hr 20mins - well chuffed :) . Pretty much straight after getting my breath back, eating some of the finish-line snacky food and sorting out my stuff was the slow walk back to the hostel to grab the rest of my stuff before making my way to the airport. I'd been saving €20 for the taxi to the airport (after asking the guy at reception how much the taxi would cost). There was now a different guy at reception who informed me after calling the taxi company that it would be €25). I didn't have €25. The only option was to run to the train station down the road where the last train I could get to the airport (so that I could arrive in time for my flight) was leaving in 8 minutes time. This would be very tight, so I ran as fast as I could exhausted lugging my boxed-up-bike and with my large backpack on to the station. I arrived at the station with 2 minutes to spare, asked a member of staff which platform I needed to be on and jumped on board with about a minute to spare. Didn't have time to get a ticket. Then the ticket inspector came along - you've gotta be kidding??? I was visibly exhausted and pretended to be positioning my bike and bag out of the way/breathing heavily and drinking water to try and avoid being confronted. This worked as he walked past and continued his way along the train - result :) . The rest of the train ride and time at the airport went smoothly. I flew home on time that evening and my Italian Adventure was done.