Race report
My first ever race… and it turned into a story I’ll probably remember my whole life. 🥉
On 22 January I registered for a sports event for the first time in my life. It's only been 4 months I started all this 🙂
I had never run a marathon. Never done a 5K. Never even stood at a start line.
And instead of choosing something easy…
I signed up for a Duathlon.
10 km Run 🏃♂️
40 km Cycling 🚴♂️
5 km Run 🏃♂️
Honestly I was scared.
On 2 February I attempted my first dry run.
I failed badly in the last 5 km.
My left knee hurt so much I couldn’t even walk properly. I came home thinking maybe I made a mistake registering.
Then came 8 February. The race day!
From the 7th km of the first run, the same knee pain returned.
And suddenly reality hit me, this is not an open 10K. After this I still have to ride 40 km.
I somehow reached the transition and got on the bike telling myself:
“Don’t overthink… just keep moving.”
After around 10 km of cycling, I felt a sharp IT band in my left knee.
At that exact moment I was convinced — today is a DNF...🙃
But then I looked around.
Nobody was comfortable. Everyone was just… continuing.
Some athletes even cheered me on, “Come on! You can grab the podium!”
I don’t know why, but that stayed in my head.
I asked myself one question:
If this all, would I stop right here?
The answer was simple — No.
So I kept pedaling.
I finished the 40 km ride and then came the last 5 km run.
That part was honestly the hardest thing I have done physically. Every step hurt. Pace didn’t matter anymore, timing didn’t matter anymore.
Only one rule remained:
There is no going back now.
I wasn’t racing other people anymore.
I was racing the voice in my head.
Step by step… somehow I crossed the finish line.
I thought I had only managed to survive my first race.
But later they called my name.
Podium.
First ever event.
First start line.
First finish line.
And my first podium.
This medal is not about speed.
It is about showing up scared, injured, full of doubt… and still choosing not to stop.
8 February was not the day I became an athlete.
It was the day I learned I can continue even when everything hurts.
And this is just the beginning. 🚀