WHAT WENT WRONG?
A special place in hell is reserved for blisters left behind after a DNF. The way they stick around, delivering jolting reminders that you Did Not Finish should be classed a form of cruel and unusual punishment under human rights laws.
Every step you take, they want you to contemplate, percolate – even disintegrate – over what wasn’t to be.
It’s not as if there aren’t other prompts: the well-meaning friends who cast a pitying look and say, “Hey, you still ran a long way…”; the gaping hole in your collection of finisher’s medals; the upbeat race reports from all those who made it which seem to flood your social media feed – of course, you’re happy for them, proud of them, but still…
Then there are the words of serious runners, who say finishing is non-negotiable, who say the only way you should ever not finish a race is if you miss a cut-off or get carted off in an ambulance. You hear the words and it’s like you can feel the
