By far the most brutal conditions I’ve ever run in, that were out of my control. It was so cold that I had to get an aluminium foil blanket and chew on it to stop my teeth from chattering. It was unbelievably windy and every step felt like I was pushing against a wall. I was completely drenched before the race even started- my shoes and socks wet, my clothes soaked. I thought to myself do I take layers off to be lighter or do I keep them on to keep a little warmer? I saw my wife at 17 miles as thoughts of giving up were creeping in, but that gave me the courage to keep going. At 35 km when it had picked up to a hailstorm I stopped at a medical tent to ask if I was getting hypothermia- I stayed in and heated up for 20 minutes (felt like 5 minutes) before going back. At 40 km I stopped at another medical tent because I was cramping up, my body was dissipating energy trying to stay warm. One of the things that got me through was the mantra I kept repeating to myself ‘I am an IRONMAN’ - that I had succeeded at the hardest sporting event in the world. That I could do anything I set my mind to. But there was no training or preparation or previous experience for what happened on that day! I just kept repeating this mantra and kept pushing that’s all I could do. The Boston community played a huge part in making the runners keep going. The crowd support was amazing! Looking back, I think these are the moments that define who you are, when it’s tough, when you want to quit but you don’t. If you want success badly enough you push on. This was the mentality I had in the both the IRONMAN 140.6 and the Boston Marathon and ultimately this is what got me and the Sri Lankan flag over the finish line.

In a nutshell, this marathon was definitely one of the most memorable ones I’ve ever run! The beautiful scenery and incredible wildlife combined with the warmth and hospitality of the South African people made it all the more exciting and special. It was also a great honour to be out there representing my country. Running past that finish line with the Sri Lankan flag hoisted high above my shoulders was a profound and exhilarating moment, and it gave me a fresh burst of motivation to keep pushing my boundaries in the upcoming marathons.
Running amidst a fantastic variety of wildlife, just roaming about nonchalantly was definitely one of my favourite highlights. Running through the Entabeni Savannah, I could see rhino, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest, at which point I thought to myself ‘thank goodness – no lions!’ Huge credit goes to the rangers who were tracking the lions all throughout the race, ensuring that they kept a distance of at least 5km from the marathoners. Seeing the animals up-close like that was an amazing experience, and
it gave me an adrenaline rush which made me run much faster. I stopped occasionally to take a few pictures of the scenery and wildlife, as this marathon to me, personally, was more about the experience than the finishing time. At many points of the race and at the aid stations, we were also cheered on by traditional African drummers and singers, which made the experience so unique and authentic. There was something special about running to the beat of African drums, in stretches of pure, untainted wild bushland.

What an epic marathon! Here´s how my journey went;
The day before the marathon we hiked 13 km to Llactapata where we camped and spent the night with a 2 am wake up call for a 4 am start time. We had snowy, rainy, sunny and windy conditions at different points on top of dealing with the brutality and ruggedness of the terrain! At the start of the race it was cold and dark, then as the sun rose it became hot and wet we made our way to the hardest uphill section- Dead Woman’s Pass. The altitude was a real killer; the thin air made it difficult to breathe but having acclimated for a few days and my training with my high altitude mask paid off in this regard. This entire first half of the race I ran with a fellow runner, Melissa and we took amazing pictures of captivating views and really enjoyed this part of the course. By the half marathon point I had twisted my ankle 5 times on each leg; my legs and body were so sore but despite that I decided I would break away from Melissa in order to make the time cut off for the Winay Wayna gate. At the third pass of Runkurakay there was a point going uphill where an English family actually let me borrow their walking sticks to get up to 12,000 ft.
Around an hour before the gate cut off, my watch died and I had to run on instinct after this. I got to the final aid station at Puyupatamarca and left all my layers there in order to be as light as possible for what was to be the most gruelling section yet! I ran like a maniac and prayed to god, thought of my grandfather, my high priest and it was like something struck me like a bullet and I had this newfound energy! Despite all the hard ships, running on instinct with no calculation of my pace, and twisting my ankles again due to running downhill on treacherous trail I knew I would make the gate cut off and I did. Got the gate with two minutes to spare!
After the Winay Wayna gate it was onto the famous Sun Gate where you get your first glimpse of the breath-taking Machu Picchu and see the end in sight. 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.

The Antarctic Ice Marathon was one of the toughest marathons and the last one which took place on December 13th, 2019. This is the only official marathon run on mainland Antarctica, taking place at 80° South, just a few hundred miles from the South Pole in the interior of Antarctica.
Previous multiple-times winner of both the Antarctic Ice Marathon and 100 km events who participated in the event were quoted as saying that this was one of the toughest years in the competition. Due to the weather forecast and conditions on race day, the 10-hour time limit imposed had been taken off for all the competitors.
It is an amazing feeling to complete the Antarctic Ice Marathon within a reasonable timing as it is one of the toughest marathons in the world! During the race, I had to maintain a tough mental outlook as visibility was almost zero and heavy snow was falling through the race. Luckily, my previous experience in marathon running coupled with rigorous physical preparation helped me complete the race successfully. I feel blessed to be one of a handful of marathoners to have completed the Antarctic marathon.