Marathon And Running Inspiration

If you are looking for inspiration to continue running, or to motivate you to run better, you need look no further than yesterday's New York ING Marathon.

The 34 year old Chilean Miner, Edison Pena, who trained for the marathon while trapped in the mine, yesterday ran the marathon. He ran into trouble during the run, experiencing knee pain, after the halfway mark. Pena had to walk the last 12 miles, but he did not give up and drop out, but continued on and finished.

From the NY Post:

Pena ran into trouble in The Bronx, and and had ice packs strapped to the knees he injured during his subterranean ordeal.

“Bad, bad, bad, very bad,” Pena, 34, told the Post as he walked past the mile 20 marker in the Bronx today. “My knee hurts a lot."

Hero miner Edison Pena dreams of finishing the marathon, but pain from a knee injury suffered during his ordeal flared up as he ran on First Avenue.

The determined miner grimaced with each step. At the finish, the 34-year-old was draped in a Chilean flag as his favorite music — Elvis — played over the speakers.

"I'm here because I want people to feel free," Pena said. "I want them to strive for their own freedom. That's why it was worthwhile for me to come this far to run a marathon. ... I struggled with myself, I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line."

"I want people to feel free. I want them to strive for their own freedom... I struggled with myself, I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line."

That, my friends, is what it is all about.