Running allows you to enjoy both the energy of the company and the depth of the thoughts of loneliness

My name is Angel. I am from Umbita-Bocaya, Colombia, and I work as Certified Public Accountant in Bogota, Colombia.

I have never been into marathons or running as a young man; I started running when I turned 40 years old as a personal challenge. I had other friends that were into it, and I always loved to travel, and by running marathons, I have found another way of knowing new places around the world.

Of course, once I started, I put all the passion into it and challenge myself every day and every race.

I have run 8 marathons, my biggest dream and motivation is to run all 6 Majors. So far, I have finished 2 of them (Chicago & NYC). If the pandemic situation allows me to, I will be running my third this year in Berlin.

At my age, I feel proud of my pace and personal records; however, it wasn’t always like this. When I first started and ran my first marathon in Bogota, I couldn’t finish it; the fatigue was overwhelming. I reached 32 Km, and my mind and body begged me to stop; it was a lack of training.

It’s incredible to think that today, at my age, I run at a better pace, and I feel more confident than when I was 40 years old running my first marathon, and it’s part of this journey and this running world.

Age is just a number if you believe in yourself and train. I have a funny anecdote, once I was running the Miami Marathon, and an 80-year-old man passed me by in a blink of an eye. I tried to keep up and catch up, but I almost finished burning myself out by trying.

Running allows you to enjoy both the energy of the company and the depth of the thoughts of loneliness. For me, the best combination is training with friends and racing by myself.