Rupal Ramesh Shah
In 2008 Rupal completed her first marathon in Chicago. Since then, she has developed a passion for running marathons. To date, she has completed the World Marathon Majors and is a part of the Seven Continents Club. Having fulfilled her dream to be a part of both groups, her new goal is to run a marathon in every country of Africa, or at least in the countries that have organized races. As she travels to various countries and interacts with runners around the globe, she writes about her experiences and the lessons learned from each race.
Cape Town Marathon: October 16th 2021
This race had an unexpected ending. Though there were many similarities to previous races I have run before, this one was different. Few spectators were present due to the pandemic. The race was filled with marshals who monitored runners on the course to make sure we cross specific mile markers within allotted time windows and to ensure we wouldn’t get picked up by the sweeper bus. Unfortunately, at the 35-kilometer mark, I was stopped by a marshal and told that the race would end soon. I only had 7 km to run in order to complete 42 km! I had been running for over 5 hours and was set to cross the finish line in 6.5 hours, just as planned. I tried to defend myself but before I could say more, I was directed to the sweeper bus. In a strange twist of fate and to my utter surprise, that afternoon, I was contacted by the race organizers. They had made a mistake with their cutoff times! Days later, they sent my medal to me and adjusted my finish time to reflect my running pace. It was a bittersweet moment! To this day I have mixed feelings about that race, but I did learn a very important lesson: The primary spirit that belongs in marathons is one of encouragement. The day of the race, while the race marshal abruptly stopped us, runners and spectators on the course did nothing but show their love and support. Marathoners have a spirit that is unique and requires grit, persistence, and strength. What I have been reminding myself is that my spirit is not broken, and I will keep running!
Sydney Marathon: September 15th 2019
This was a memorable race for me as it was the race in my 7th continent. For me, one thing that still sits fresh in my memory is how close I was to the sweeper bus. It is quite a sad moment for runners as all of us are in it to finish the marathon. I have to admit I was not happy to see the sweeper bus. The race cut off time is six hours and fifteen minutes and I completed the race in exactly six hours. Upon completion of the race, I received the 7 Continents Club Medal, which to date has been given to fewer than one thousand runners. While the marathon was a sure success, my bigger success was exceeding my fundraising target. I had set a goal to raise $11,111 for my 11th marathon in order to donate it to the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston (USA) and the Haiti Children’s Home in Mirebalais (Haiti). Within two weeks I raised over $11,111 and soon after the money was split and donated to both organizations. I learned a lot from my fundraising efforts: When people believe in you, they will donate to your cause. Therefore, it’s important to make the cause worthwhile. The children at the homes are the future of our world and I know the funds will go a long way in supporting them.
I had originally signed up to run the Antarctica marathon three years prior to the race. It was certainly one of the most epic races I have ever completed. I also know with confidence, that it is one race I will not attempt to run again in my lifetime. This race course was on King George’s Island. I prepared the running gear, including the water bottles, months in advance. Our running gear included lots of layers, gloves, and face protection from the wind. Our water bottles had to be insulated so they didn’t freeze. Lucky for our group runners, the temperature that day was 30F. Although it was a cold day, it was mostly sunny with almost no winds. According to the race organizers, the day our group ran was the first time in 20 years that the weather had been perfect with no rain, wind, or snow. Although I predicted a finish time of eight hours, I completed the race shortly after six hours. Days after the race, we explored and saw much of the raw beauty that exists in the south pole—glaciers and large piles of snow. Being away from the internet for so many weeks made me reflect on the beautiful nature that enveloped us. I learned that: Beauty exists everywhere. If we get away from our distractions, we can find beauty in all the things we do. I can say with certainty, everything that you would have expected Antarctica to be, it’s that and much much more.
Antarctica Marathon: March 17th 2019
Rio de Janeiro Marathon: June 3rd 2018
Days before the marathon I was sick, which compromised my energy levels. In fact, the night before the big day I was coughing so much that my running mate asked whether I would make it. I told her that at this point, I didn’t have a choice but to make it. Race day was hot with temperatures reaching over 80F within a couple of hours of running. I am certain my feet were swollen after the half marathon mark. The things that got me through the finish line were seeing fellow runners on the course, and an amazing crowd of Brazilian cheerleaders. The local crowd was very supportive. With difficulty, I crossed the finish line in under six hours. An interesting thing happened a month after my marathon. I lost many of my toe nails including my big toe nails. It was painless and even after the nails were gone, I didn’t feel anything. This was my first time losing many toenails. As I reflected back on that day, one thing became prominent: When you are striving for a big goal, don’t sweat the small stuff. While I worried about the nails as they were falling off, days after I realized that most runners experience that more than once during their running career. It didn’t bother them or deter them from running another race. And I, too, have to admit I would run another marathon again in a heartbeat, at the expense of losing more toenails!
London Marathon: April 23rd 2017
My final World Marathon Major was the London marathon in April 2017. For many reasons, this was a memorable marathon. I travelled around London for the first time. I met childhood friends from East Africa that I hadn’t seen in over 15 years. I met my infectious diseases hero, Dr. Peter Piot, who discovered Ebola. Sadly, this was the marathon that Neelu, my friend who I lost to cancer several years ago, had wanted to accompany me on. Memories of Neelu came to my mind several times on race day. Instead of letting her memories make me sad I smiled as I thought of all the silly things she would say to cheer me on. From what I knew about Neelu, she would only want me to smile, laugh, and perhaps even dance at the thought of her. Deep down, I knew Neelu was cheering me on. I looked up and thanked God for letting her watch me. Her memories brought one realization to me: A friend on earth is an angel in heaven; far in sight but not far in spirit. As I crossed the finish line, I prayed, one more time, a thankful prayer as I know I couldn’t have done it without God by my side and Neelu cheering from up above!
Tokyo Marathon: February 27th 2016
I ran the Tokyo marathon in February 2016. Truthfully, I wasn’t prepared for it at all. The previous year had been a difficult one for me and the only reason I didn’t cancel my plans was because I knew I wouldn’t get my money back. Somehow, although I wasn’t confident about finishing the race in good time, I was convinced that I would be able to cross the finish line. I have to admit this is the closest I have been to the sweeper bus as I certainly saw it a couple of times during the race. For those of you who are not familiar with marathon terminology, a sweeper bus is a bus that picks up runners who aren’t able to complete the marathon. My personal difficulties the previous year had taught me that emotional pain is real. It also taught me that I have a lot of mental strength and willpower to overcome such pain. This helped a lot on race day as I crossed the 40 km mark and was having a hard time getting to the finish line. I listened to my inner voice and listened to my mind. All along I knew I wanted to run the Tokyo marathon, so I had to finally complete it. Soon enough, I was at the finish line. The lesson I learned from that race is: Mental strength is everything. Even if you have the physical ability to do something, it won’t be possible if you don’t have the mental toughness!
Boston Marathon: April 21st 2014
I came back the following year, in April 2014, to run the Boston marathon again. All those who didn’t complete the marathon had the opportunity to register and run again. Some of the people who were immobilized due to the bombing also came back to run the marathon, a sure sign of strength and resilience. After months of training, everyone was ready to cross the finish line. One thing that was evident from the marathon was: People get stronger through trials and tribulations. Apart from running and completing the marathon, most of the runners, who were severely impacted due to the tragedy have continued to do great things in their lives. The energy, not just among the runners, but throughout the city of Boston was at an all-time high! There was positivity, happiness, and a sense of camaraderie among everyone. As the runners crossed the finish line, many enthusiastically yelled ‘Boston Strong’ and many were crying. I completed the race, filled with emotions as I exchanged hugs with fellow runners at the finish line.
Kilimanjaro Marathon: March 2nd 2014
I was in Tanzania conducting my internship for Boston University’s public health degree at Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital when I heard news about the marathon. Since it’s my home country, I figured I should run it. The marathon course is around the mountain, on the foothills. It was a hilly and tough course. It was also very hot so it made the marathon even more challenging to complete. In fact, when we ran through remote villages, there was no one to cheer us on and there was very sparse water support, which made running in the heat even more difficult. It was at that race that I really started to value, understand, and appreciate the collaborative spirit of runners. One of the runners, Nick, turned around and split a banana with me. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I would have had the energy to complete the course. I learned one important lesson: Running provides companionship and a sense of community. My running community in Boston has now extended to runners from all around the world and it’s been a blessing to have runner friends worldwide.
Berlin Marathon: September 29th 2013
My fourth marathon was in Berlin in 2013. This was my first international marathon and my first marathon traveling with my good friend, Catherine. When I decided to go to Berlin, I was going to be there to just run the race. My friend Catherine convinced me to go for a week and travel around Berlin and Munich. From that entire experience, I learned one thing: If you have one good friend, you have a lot! Catherine was there to cheer for me at several spots during the marathon, she was there to meet me at the finish line, and she was there to celebrate with me after the marathon. She made sure I got home safely and made sure I was well-taken care of days after the race, as I recovered from the marathon. Days later we toured the city. Together, we not only learned new things about Berlin and Munich, we made some great memories that will last forever! Additionally, since then, Catherine has accompanied me on several overseas marathon trips!
Boston Marathon: April 15th 2013
I was very excited about this race as it was in my home city at that time and I had several friends who joined me on the race course during the last five miles. As a team, they were ready to get me to the finish line. Unfortunately, the race ended differently. When I was one mile away from the finish line, I remember a police officer herding the crowd and urging everyone to go home. I was speechless as all I could think of was how close I was to the finish line. You see for a runner like me who has already been running for five hours, when you’re getting close to that finish line, you’re already out of this world. It wasn’t until the policeman informed us that people had lost lives, that I realized how serious the situation was. Thoughts of confusion and sadness crept in as I realized I wouldn’t cross the finish line and even worse, that lives were lost. As everyone dissipated, a beautiful thing happened. My good friend Ashok grabbed my hand and ran with me, away from the marathon, for a mile to ensure I would complete 26.2 miles! Ashok knew how much it meant to me and as a local who knew the roads well he turned that tragic moment into something memorable. I learned: Never undermine the power of a community. On race day itself, not only did people reach out to me, but many people all over the world, reached out to my parents and siblings to check on me. For my family who couldn’t get in touch with me for hours after the race, the experience was nerve-wracking. Days and weeks after the race, I saw the Boston and American community, at large, come together and show support for one another. It made me realize that even though one act of hate shook our community, many acts of kindness ensued, such as Ashok’s gesture, and built the community back to make it stronger.
New York City Marathon: November 6th 2011
During the New York City marathon, I had the chance to participate in the Parade of Nations, a parade that takes place before race day to feature runners from various countries. Runners have the opportunity to walk with their country’s flag, and of course, I signed up to represent Tanzania, my birth country. When the New York Road Runners wrote to me, they had decided I would walk with other runners who carried the flag of the Commonwealth of Nations, since my country did not have a sizable number of runners. That began a trail of emails as I made a case to walk with the Tanzanian flag and not the Commonwealth flag. Tanzania may be a part of the Commonwealth but they have long gained independence and it should be fully represented with a flag of its own! After many discussions, the final decision was for me to walk with my Tanzanian flag. I learned another important lesson from that experience: If you truly believe in something, be persistent enough to fight for it. Walking with the Tanzanian flag has, to date, been one of my proudest moments. It gave me the opportunity to represent my fatherland and more importantly, meet runners from neighboring countries who walked with their flags with whom I still keep in touch!
Chicago Marathon: October 12th 2008
The training season began in April with TeamAIDAsha. It was tough because I had not previously run in my life. During our training season there were times when I felt reluctant about waking up early to run 18 miles. Some Saturday runs were even more difficult to wake up to due to drastic weather changes in the city of Boston. I give credit to the program coordinators who continuously encouraged us and truly believed in us. They carefully organized the running routes for us and consistently provided water support during our training runs. Through that training season, and as I completed my first marathon, I learned one very important lesson: With hard work and patience, you will surely get there! After the completion of my first marathon, I knew I wanted to run another race, and as I was trying to figure out my next race, I came across the World Marathon Majors. The World Marathon Majors is a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world. The races take place in Chicago, New York, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo, and London. Upon completion, runners’ names appear on the website along with race timings. So there it was; the next goal of my life—to run each of those marathons.