Running a full marathon under three hours is some feat but all the more impressive when it’s your first at the age of 39.
It wasn’t easy for Dubai-based Xavier Nunes though. The Portuguese had to go through intensive training over an 18-month period to prepare himself.
“From 36 to 40kms, it was really, really tough,” says Nunes as he recalls his 42km run in Berlin.
“They call it the wall after kilometer 35, you pull the energy you don’t know from where, just to finish the race.”
Nunes has lived in Dubai for eight and a half years and while he was involved in sports as a child, he only decided to venture into marathon running last year.
It required a major lifestyle change though and Nunes quit his job working in consumer goods and moved into freelance sports marketing instead.
He signed up at Bespoke Ride and was trained by Joao Marcelo Arteche who regularly works with several athletes preparing for a variety of events.
After initially targeting 3:10, Nunes was able to dig deep and clock 2:59 instead.
In the above video, he tells us all about his experience.
