My Cluj Marathon 2013 ....

Some numbers:

Distance: 42,201 m

Terrain: asphalt

Route: urban, 4 identical rounds of aprox. 10,60 km
Time set per tour: 1h01, 1h05, 1h07 and 1h12min.
Gross total time: 4h25min41sec
Pace: 6min20sec/km
Previous urban marathon total time: 5h27min.
17th place from 25 women (open female).
7th place from 7 women 40+.
145th place from 193 participants open.

This was my 3rd race this year.

Ideal weather, good atmosphere.
This race was an ideal training for my goal at the end of June (I give a try for my first Ironman full distance).
I am very satisfied about the final result, as I didn’t push me too hard. The most difficult challenge was to keep a pace of 6.30 up to 7 per km for the first half of the distance, as planned. I couldn't do it after all, I was faster. The most important aspect is that I didn’t stop for walking during the race. I stopped once for going to the toilet (last tour with a time or 1h12min) and I also stopped about 5 up to 7 times for hydration, each about one minute. And I stopped for this picture :-)

It is a good race, worth to run it.

Meeting friends and making new acquaintances is definitely a nice point of every journey and life experiences.

We traveled 9 together in a small comfortable bus of Mircea Olaru, I met again Mugur Frățilă, I personally met (finally!) Dragoș Ciobanu, Liviu Bica and other new guys.

In Cluj I met the Butcovan's Clan :-) and their friend, Raluca (the picture before the above one).

Accommodation in the event's partner Hotel Sport was just perfect, the breakfast they prepared for us was quite impressive (rich open buffet).
Back to the race itself, big LIKE for:
1. Good hydration points,
2. enthuziastic people,
3. nice volunteers,
4. pleasant parcurs, very well marked. I liked to run 5 rounds (warming up and also during the race three times) on the Arena Stadium, the probably the best stadium in the entire country. I would have liked to run the entire stadium tour at the 4th lap and then to run over the finish line.
5. Nice medals.

6. I also like the T-Shirt a lot and I would like to point out the nice kit.
7. Very well organized take over of the participation kit.
8. Nice accommodation in Sport Hotel near the start and finish, great breakfast by the way!

9. Good, friendly and clear communication before and after the event.

10. The results are already published.

11. The massage after the finish was great!
DISLIKE for:
1. toilets on the race parcours (no indicators along the route and if you are not from the city, during the race you cannot recognize them! I saw one in a children park, I went there but ..... it was locked up! Very frustrating. I had some time of suffering because of this, about ten km.
2. Awards ceremony after 4 hours from the start, so the runners who needed longer had no chance to enjoy the ceremony.
COSTS:
87 RON participation fee (free of charge for RoClubMarathon members)
100 RON transport cost (by private bus of a runner, we were 9 together, the route from Bucharest to Cluj is about 450 km one way).
50 RON per night per person in Hotel Sport (100 RON if single, I was lucky to find someone on the spot).
5 RON for a sweet cookie in the evening before the race day.

I offer Special thoughts

for the people killed at the finish of the Boston Marathon, last Monday.

Although I heard strange statements from friends runners or other people I do not personally know, who said they are sick to deplore the Americans every time while they are doing so much evil in the world, fighting and killing people in places they should not be at all, I still believe that in this case it is not about the Americans. It's about people who went to a big sporting event, like we have come today. Runners like us. Friends of runners, like our friends. Families, spouses, parents, children, sisters, brothers, cousins, nephews runners, like ours. Who came to support us, we take photos, to hug us. And who have been killed or maimed for life, traumatized.
I approached the finish and saw chaos there and wondering: "What it expects me there? A medal or a bomb?!"
I looked around, about two hours after I finished the race,

observing the groups of people taking a peaceful sun bath and talking, clapping, singing ....

It was PEACE! Nothing disturbed the peace and joy of those moments. The sky was clear, the sun shone, nothing threatens us. We may joyful living and could go to our homes after some effort of 3 or 5:00, others after a sleepless night of emotion ....

No, it's not about the Americans.

It's about something else and it's sad that you can not filter things and contextualize them correctly and objectively ..... just trying to think beyond the boxes, people!

Yes, poor people die and are killed and are starving everyday, earthquakes and explosions or Tsunamis happens etc., I agree with this fact, but this has nothing in common with the terror from the Boston Marathon, come on, it was an international crowd, not only Americans.

As the others went to eat something, I choose to walk in the peaceful Sunday sun, admiring so many people smiling, laughing, sharing and wearing their medals ....