ONEWAYGRIT | Race Debrief
Race: October 17, 2026
Written: October 20, 2026
“Give up the fight, give up control and live.”
— Calypso, The Odyssey
The Starting Line
I arrived at Gyeongju with one goal: a sub-3-hour marathon.
This wasn’t my first attempt at improving. My previous five marathons tell a longer story:
| Marathon | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Yeosu | January 2025 | ~3:53 |
| Andong | September 2025 | ~3:38 |
| Yeosu | January 11, 2026 | ~3:25 |
| Hapcheon | March 2026 | 3:18:32 PB |
| Gyeongju | October 17, 2026 | 3:49:41 |
From 3:53 to 3:18, I had improved by approximately 35 minutes. I had evidence of progress. I had trained, sacrificed, and built expectations around what might come next.
But progress isn’t always linear.
The Path
Gyeongju didn’t go according to plan. My pace deteriorated, the sub-3 goal disappeared, and eventually I was walking.
I was disappointed. After months of preparation, finishing more than 30 minutes slower than my personal best was difficult to accept.
But somewhere along the course, I was also smiling.
Calypso’s words stayed with me: Give up the fight, give up control and live.
There is a difference between abandoning an ambition and accepting that today’s outcome is no longer within your control.
I couldn’t recover the lost minutes. I could only decide how to respond to the remaining kilometers.
The Finish Line
3:49:41.
Not a personal best. Not the performance I wanted. And not something I need to pretend was satisfying.
Five marathons. Four improvements followed by one significant setback.
The progression is still real. So is the disappointment.
Now I need to understand what happened, recover properly, and prepare for UTNP Nine Peaks on October 30.
Note to Self
Train seriously. Set ambitious goals. Learn from the numbers. But don’t become so attached to an outcome that you lose the ability to experience what’s happening in front of you.
The race ended. The path continues.
ONEWAYGRIT — The long cut is the shortcut.
