If you are not familiar with this film, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, you can find out the following on Wikipedia: “Chariots of Fire is a British film released in 1981. … It is based on the true story of British athletes preparing for and competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics.”
This reminded me of the İstanbul marathon. Can you imagine İstanbul’s major roads free of traffic?
If you go to the Intercontinental İstanbul Eurasia Marathon in October 2008, you’ll see streets free of traffic. Perhaps you have already decided to participate in the marathon. I’m toying with the idea of participating in the Fun Run (but I’ll probably be among the last!). Last year, 150,000 joined in the Fun Run.
To learn more about the course, registration and prizes, visit the Web site: www.istanbulmarathon.org.
Most people who run a marathon don’t just start right out and run it. If you are like me, you need to make a plan of action. I guess I need to start to prepare by walking around the block and then running around it. Once I have achieved that I can run further and faster! I read somewhere that it’s helpful to run a few times a week, varying the time, distance and speed in order to maximize training. I’d better get busy. How about you?
I don’t expect to walk away with any silver or bronze medals, do you?
After all, the course includes two continents, Asia and Europe, in one race. The marathon starts on the Asian side of the city, just before the First Bosporus Bridge. You’ll have a stunning view of the Bosporus and İstanbul skyline, and then pass many historic sites, including the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The race ends in the İnönü Stadium on the European side. In all, the race crosses three bridges, one over the Bosporus and two over the Golden Horn. Quite a marathon!
But there will be determined individuals -- Turks and people of other nationalities -- who have trained hard and hope to win.
A marathon is a serious thing. You can’t call it a Fun Run -- the first marathon was deadly serious!
The story goes something like this: The first person to run a marathon was a Greek soldier who ran the entire distance from the battlefield at a place called marathon without stopping and burst into the Senate in Athens to announce their battle victory before collapsing and dying of a heart attack. The marathon distance commemorates this. The running event has an official distance of 42 kilometers that is usually run as a road race.
I’m glad I watched the movie Chariots of Fire one more time. I have a lot of things in good condition I can give away to the fete, but I think I’ll hang on to the movie until October. Maybe I’ll watch it again just before the marathon. After all, when ever I hear the music it almost makes me want to run!
In this case I won’t be out to get the prize, but there will be many there who are!
If you are in training to run the marathon, drop me a note and tell me how you are preparing. Some of us could use all the help we can get!
The book of Corinthians in the Bible gives us advice for life inspired by the race track: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
Let’s meet at the bridge. Mark your calendar for Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008.
Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com
