It all looked so easy: the swim, the cycle and, at the end, the run, for good measure. Only that it wasn’t. Because all of these were over mammoth distances: 3.8k the swim, 180k the cycle and 42k the run. And she ran this marathon quite a bit faster than I ever did – and wasn’t even out of breadth when she was finished.

I’m exhausted from trying to keep up with her on the different race track today over 11h25ms. I’m just back home to dry up (it has been raining over the past couple of hours) and I know that there are still people out there running. And they will be for the next few hours.

I know it’s not “all in the mind”, at least not on just on race day. I know that what you need to do to finish a race like this, and in a super time, is focus. Over months. You really have to believe that you can do this and you have to work really hard to get there.

I am immensely proud. I am awe-struck. I am inspired. And I got a t-shirt!

(And I promised myself today that I will get back running. And that I will never ever give up.)