Israel has never been a runner – ever!
So when he ran 9km at the Sydney Blackmore’s Festival in September 201o it was a big achievement. I will never forget him saying there was no way he would ever run more than 9kms after he finished. That day we stood around for hours waiting for our personal trainer to finish running her first ever marathon. It was emotional as she crossed the line, but never did I think that some 9 months later I would be waiting for hours to see Israel run over the finish line after running a marathon.
Here are just a few of the happy snaps I took as Israel prepared for the marathon and of course, the video I took of him sprinting across the finish line. I seriously have cried every time I watch this video. I know he is not the first to run a marathon & certainly wont be the last but the statistics are that only 1% of the population attempt a marathon & not everyone who attempts it succeeds, so I am certainly very proud of his achievement.
Here’s a video of Israel running (erm… sprinting?!) across the finish line.
WARNING: Volume alert… I got a bit excited and scream pretty loudly in this video!
[qt:http://www.israelsmith.net/shows/marathon.mov 640 480]