26/07/2026
Three years ago, I was learning how to live in a body that no longer felt like mine.
Yesterday, I completed my first 50 km ultramarathon.
50.95 km.
1,576 metres of climbing.
11 hours, 4 minutes and 46 seconds.
Two days before the race, I had to leave work because of severe spasms. The days leading into it were horrible, and I genuinely didn’t know how my body would respond.
Only my beautiful wife truly knows what happens behind the scenes.
She sees the pain, spasms, vertigo, exhaustion and the fear of never knowing what the next day will bring. She backs me at every turn, even though I know doing things like this scares the hell out of her.
I challenge myself with things like this because I need something to aim at. I need a goal that keeps my head straight and reminds me that I am still capable of doing hard things.
It still blows my mind that I can push through more than 11 hours of this, yet a crowded room filled with lights, noise and conversation can make my right side feel like it is going to explode and leave me wondering how I will get out.
That is one of the strangest realities of living with the effects of my stroke. What looks hardest from the outside is not always what affects me most.
I didn’t feel perfectly prepared or completely confident.
But I started.
I stayed patient, respected the distance and kept putting one foot in front of the other until there was no distance left.
This wasn’t about my time or where I placed.
It was about rebuilding confidence in what I am capable of and proving to myself that what happened to me does not get to decide where my story ends.
The stroke changed my life and my body.
But broken does not mean finished.
I’m incredibly proud of this one.
SUM50 complete. ❤️
