Graham Eliza - The Other Side of the Wall: an ultramarathoners story

The Other Side of the Wall

Mario Reynoso

Translated by Eliza Graham

The Other Side of the Wall

Written By Mario Reynoso

Copyright 2019 Mario Reynoso

All rights reserved

Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

www.babelcube.com

Translated by Eliza Graham

Cover Design 2019 Paola Sanchez / Alejandra Topete

Babelcube Books and Babelcube are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL

An ultramarathoner's story

Mario Reynoso

A UTHORS NOTE

Everything in this book is true. It is the truth as I remember it, or as the people who were part of this story tell it. I have changed some names and omitted some people and details as they do not impact the story, and I have modified the order of some events for ease of understanding.

Thank you for everything you have taught me. I am happy doing the only thing I know how to do.

Look Mom!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

I was at a point where I could not accept reality, and it was getting worse every moment; I had been going for more than twenty hours without stopping. Today I had run one hundred and forty-five kilometers, and now I was walking, furious. I was so tired I couldnt think of anything else. It was as if I had not slept at all, and I was sitting in the front row in the most boring university class with the professor looking straight at me. But now, instead of sitting in my seat during class, I was outside in the open air, in the dark.

The temperature had dropped quickly from twenty degrees to zero degrees Celsius. It was sleeting, and the moisture made me feel the cold not only on my skin but throughout my whole body. I didnt have enough clothing to handle this weather; I wasnt wearing a jacket I had only put on a long-sleeved shirt. At least my ears and the rest of my head were covered with a woolen hat; but it felt like my nose was going to fall off because it was just as frozen as my fingers, and the blisters on my toes and the soles of my feet were bothering me. Fifteen kilometers earlier I had gone by the post where the race doctor was, and I stopped so she could help me with the blisters, so she drained them and bandaged my feet. Before that the pain had been unbearable, like walking on razor blades.

My legs hurt every time I lifted a foot to take a step. It was what Id felt like the day after every marathon Id ever run, with the lactic acid trapped in my muscles; it was a pain like when you take a hit and you cant move your leg, and it feels like its asleep. I was furious and fighting against the path; I tripped on tree roots because I couldnt see well. After having been exposed to sunlight all day, my eyes were not accustomed to the night, and the headlamp was only helping so much. I complained about the uphills when the pain was more intense, and I also fought against myself. I had decided to do this race, but... why? What was I doing there? What did I need to prove? I complained to myself non-stop.

I no longer trusted my understanding of what was happening; I wasnt sure of what I felt or what I saw; I didn't know if I was cold because I was tired, or if the temperature had really dropped so much. Ale, my wife, had been running with me for three hours now. Alita, are you cold? I asked her. Yes, very, she answered. I thought about Ale. Why did she have to suffer here too? It was in that moment that I changed my attitude. I realized there really were no problems, I was just walking in the forest, and that complaining was going to get me nowhere. The finish line was so close: I had fifteen kilometers to go to finish the race. If I wanted to reach my goal, I had to move, but I no longer felt pressured and I didnt feel the urge to finish it. And so now, everything was fine. I accepted it completely, I stopped fighting and I gave in. I decided not to walk anymore and I started to run again. But how did I get to that point?

A few days before this race I had gone with one of my daughters to the forest in Desierto de los Leones (Desert of the Lions) in Mexico City; it was Sunday morning, the sun was coming up, and as I was getting out of the car she went running up a hill. It took me less than one minute to hide the keys, tie up my laces and go after her.