To close out the year—and as my 20th marathon—Pisa appeared on the horizon. The flights were convenient again, with direct options from Madrid on Saturday and a return on Sunday after the race. It was even cheaper than traveling to Málaga, for example, where we’d run the previous year. So, without hesitation, we marked the dates on the calendar. After mentioning it to some friends a few weeks earlier, they ended up joining for the tourist side of the weekend.
With little sleep, we take the Ryanair flight, landing in Pisa at 10 a.m. With the whole day ahead, the first thing we do is drop off our luggage at the hotel, pick up the race bib, and catch a train to the nearby town of Lucca. Brilliant idea—what a stunning city. I hadn’t considered going, but it was absolutely worth it. By late afternoon, we return to Pisa, with time for a stroll before heading back to rest at the hotel, located just steps from the starting line in Piazza del Duomo, at the foot of the iconic Leaning Tower.
The morning dawns cold, and I make my way to the start at the last minute, framed by a setting few marathons can match. As in previous years, the course begins with a stretch through Pisa’s streets before heading toward the coast—Marina di Pisa, about 15 kilometers away. Always on asphalt, the urban scenery gives way to peaceful trails through fields and pine forests.
By the halfway point, we’ve barely glimpsed the sea, hidden behind the villas lining the right side of the road. I cross the half-marathon mark at 1:57:16, and soon after, a short stretch along the sea signals the turn back toward Pisa.
Reaching the 30-kilometer mark—where every marathoner is tested—I latch onto the 4-hour pace group, determined to break that barrier once more. Led by two women (a rarity among pacers), they keep the splits with precision. Settled into the group I get more comfortable as we go ahead. Their advice, even in English for newer runners, made them perhaps the best pacers I’ve ever run with.
As we approach Pisa, and knowing that I started behind the 4-hour group, I am on track for a good finish. Then, I cross the line with a net time of 3:58:24—just two minutes slower than my Valencia time a few weeks earlier.
With that, I wrap up my 20th and final marathon of 2024, a boost to my tally I hadn’t expected at the start of the year. It took me to Italy (Rome and Pisa), the UK (Phoenix Summer and Night Phoenix), France (Vins de Blaye), Portugal (Santa Cruz), and Spain—all completed injury-free.
2025 should bring different goals, more modest and selective, closing some chapters. Maybe…
