Today I finished the hardest full marathon of my life—slow, grueling, but completed in 5h33m.
I ran strong early on, but stomach issues hit around 13 km, forcing me to stop twice. Later, thigh and calf pain made running difficult, and I switched to a walk-run approach. It was my first time racing with energy gels, which may have upset my stomach. After crossing the finish line, I nearly fainted from exhaustion and low blood sugar. A long nap helped.
In the afternoon, I reunited with Xiaoyan and Hamer, and we returned home—tired, but proud of this hard-won finish.
