Last December, I started training regularly and started planning which races to participate in at the beginning of January. The Avşa Half Marathon was both interesting to me (it was my first time going to Avşa) and I was especially looking forward to it because I enjoyed the runs I’ve done on the islands. Looking at past photos and videos, I liked both the course and the organization. I’m sharing my personal image of the course for an idea (Note: The image below says the race distance is 12 K, but the actual distance is 12.7 K, closer to 13 K):
Later, in Antalya at the beginning of March, due to poor planning, I stayed at a hotel near nightclubs and entertainment, so I couldn’t sleep all night. On zero sleep, I finished the 10 K course in 41:45. I finished 43rd overall out of 1,500 runners and 36th amongst the males. Since they also didn’t give awards to my age category, I don’t know where I placed (see: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/uyutmayan-gecenin-ardindan-gelen-rekor).
Overtaking 3,728 runners
Then, in the last week of April, I ran the 10km course again at the Istanbul Half Marathon. This time, I made a mistake in the registration, starting from the back of the line and finishing in 42.05, finishing 45th out of 3,773 runners. Since there were no age categories and no time records, I don’t know where I finished in my age category.
Starting from the back and passing everyone one by one was a truly tiring task. Looking at the results, considering I started from the back of the line and finished 45th in a race with 3,773 runners in total, I passed 3,728 runners throughout the race. That wasn’t a bad time either (see:https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/hayal-kirikligindan-dogan-umut).
After completing these three races, it was time for the Avşa Half Marathon. I wanted to achieve a top spot here, without any excuses. This race was my goal: to make up for the Adana Half Marathon, which I trained for a few weeks, the Antalya Race, which I ran on zero sleep, and finally, the Istanbul Half Marathon, where I had to start from the back of the pack.
Two days of Avşa fun before the race
So, not wanting to take any chances, I arrived on Avşa Island two days early. Based on recommendations from my animal-loving friend Ebru regarding accommodations and restaurants on Avşa Island, I stayed at the Kum Hotel. I was the only one staying at the hotel. It was a stroke of luck for me to stay at a hotel where I could truly unwind, just when I needed peace and quiet. Located just 10 minutes’ walk from the center of Avşa Island, nestled in a quiet bay with its own beautiful beach and sea, this hotel’s special charm was its friendly management. Filiz Hanım and her husband, who run the hotel, set it apart with their sincerity and commitment to customer satisfaction.
I arrived on Avşa Island around noon on Friday and worked all day. That evening, after my last international meeting, I went swimming, had fish at a fish restaurant called Lakerda, and then returned to the hotel and went to bed early.
I even skipped the Champions League match.
The next day, I woke up early, swam again, had breakfast, went to the venue, and got my number. There, we ran into a Balkan Run running group from Edirne. We chatted a bit and took photos. After a meal at the entrance to Avşa Island, I had döner kebab over rice at Meydan Restaurant near the pier and an ice cream sandwich filled with wafers at the ice cream parlor next door. Then, I returned to my hotel. I continued working until evening. That evening, I changed into my swimsuit and swam in the sea. After chatting with the people on the beach, I showered and had dinner at Yarar Restaurant, again recommended by Ebru, where I had horse mackerel and salad. Afterwards, unable to resist again, I had some wafer-filled ice cream, returned to my hotel, had tea, worked, and then retired to my room early for bed. So much so that, despite the Champions League match between Manchester City and Inter Milan starting at 10 p.m., which was being played on a large-screen TV in the hotel and with guests invited from outside, I told anyone who reminded me, “Thanks, I’m jogging tomorrow morning, I won’t be watching the game,” and went up to my room. I had trouble falling asleep early, and there were mosquitoes in the room. The sound of the mosquitoes woke me up around 3 a.m., but I forced myself back to sleep, and despite the mosquitoes biting me all over, I managed to get a minimum of six hours of sleep. Below are two photos I took from the hotel balcony and the garden, which opens to the beach, in the early hours of the morning:
Immediately after waking up, I made my first preparations and went down to breakfast. As arranged, the hotel manager, Filiz Hanım, was waiting for me in the dining room at 6:30 a.m. After preparing a mixture of oats, yogurt, banana, and honey, I finished my breakfast and went back to my room to get ready. After completing my final preparations, I bade farewell to the hotel staff and warmed up to the running area. After completing the final pre-race drills and stretching, I headed to the start to watch the half-marathon runners start at 9 a.m. We were scheduled to start 15 minutes after they did.
And they’re off and running!
After the final stretches, I took my place at the start. After a fierce fight to stay in the lead, I managed to stay in the lead this time. And there is the starting gun. It was obvious that some of the runners who were in the lead with me were professionals.
One of them bolted off like a gazelle as soon as the start was given. I followed him at full speed. He led for about a kilometer, and I followed him. At one point, I looked at my watch and realized I was running at 2:50. I remember thinking to myself, “What kind of speed is this? What kind of bravado?”
But after a kilometer, the hills started, and I couldn’t maintain my pace; I suddenly stopped and began to slow down. By the second kilometer, the second and fifth-placed runners in the general classification had passed me. The fifth-placed athlete was an outsider. At the 4th kilometer, the third-placed runner in the race passed me. At the 5th kilometer, the winner of the women’s race and the fourth-placed runner in the overall standings passed me. Then the hills got steeper. Between the 6th and 7th kilometers, no one was running anymore; everyone was walking. As one runner remarked, the race had shifted from road to trail. Despite my stubborn struggles, I kept running. They had only placed a water stand in the middle of the hill. I stopped for a few seconds to grab it, took the water, drank it, poured it over my head, and continued uphill.
The Endless Final Meters
At the end of the hill, I caught and passed the winner of the women’s race, and likewise, I passed the 5th-placed runner in the general classification by the 8 K mark. However, I was exhausted by the 10 K mark, and the 7-8 consecutive hills we climbed wore me out. Between the 9 and 10 K mark, the winner of the women’s race and the fourth-placed runner in the general classification passed me again. The winner of the 18-29 age group, whom I later realized was Ethiopian, caught and passed me by the 11 K mark. He entered the final kilometers ahead of me. The race, advertised as a 12 K race, was actually 12.7 K, and the final meters dragged on, so I slowed down when I should have been accelerating. Psychologically, when I said 12 K, I assumed the race would end at the 12 K mark, so I was left feeling exhausted. Still, I pushed myself hard in the final 500 meters and accelerated, finishing the race in 59.10, finishing 6th overall, 5th in the men’s category, and 1st in my age category (I’m 45 years old, which puts me in the 40-49 age category).
I even passed the winner in the 30-39 age category. Only in the final kilometer was I overtaken by the Ethiopian winner of the 18-29 age category. This earned me my first podium finish.
I also appreciated the announcement of my name at the finish line as I finished the race. I immediately tried to check my place on the screen. Actually, since I counted the people who passed me, I knew I was 6th overall and 5th in the men’s category, but what interested me and what I was aiming for was my own age category. Incidentally, all the runners who passed me were professional athletes running for a club. Turkish Duathlon Champion Bilal Gün won the race in the overall standings.
“The Hotel of Champions”
When my age category came up on the screen and I saw my name at the top, I was instantly filled with joy and happiness. I was overjoyed. Fueled by that enthusiasm, I ran to our hotel. I shared the first piece of good news with the hotel owners who had put in so much effort. We jumped in the air together and celebrated my first win. I even teased them, “This is the hotel of champions,” because the person who stayed with them last year had also come in second. Since the awards ceremony was at 1:00 PM, I quickly put on my swimsuit and went into the sea in front of the hotel. Meanwhile, I ran into the Balkan Run runners. They had also come in from where I had entered to swim and said they would also be on the podium. We congratulated each other. Then I showered, got ready, and headed back to the racetrack.
I ran into Gela Abel Gete, the Ethiopian runner who had passed me in the final kilometer and was the champion in the 18-29 age group. I was impressed by this kid’s attitude during the run, so we joined him at the awards ceremony. I called him up to me at the front of the ceremony and translated what was being said to him. I shot his video, and he shot mine.
The Odd Behavior Exhibited By Professional Turkish Athletes
By the way, I’d like to emphasize this about the race process: Turkish runners in races are extremely aggressive and unruly. I’ve seen this, especially from professional athletes. Since this was the first time I’ve run at that level, I witnessed such behavior, and I was personally surprised. I followed Bilal Gün, the general champion, for 1 km, but couldn’t catch him, so I can’t comment on him. However, the runner in second place passed me at the 2 K mark, and when he heard me gasping for air (I ran a 2:50 pace, so of course I’d be gasping for air), he responded inanely by shouting “Slow down” (as if he were saying “whoosh” to a horse). I didn’t understand what he meant. The runner in third place was a gentleman; he calmly passed me at the 4 K mark and maintained his pace. He was also wearing a national team jersey. The women’s winner and 4th overall had the strangest reaction. As she passed me at the 5 K mark, I offered a supportive, “Bravo, congratulations, you’re running well.” This blue-haired woman shook her head, made a “go, go, go” sound, and said, “God, God.” I didn’t understand this reaction either. I was encouraging her positively, and she was reacting to me. I thought to myself, “This girl must be having some mental issues,” and moved on.
A sporty solidarity with an Ethiopian runner
Only one Ethiopian runner reacted in a very appropriate way. Seeing me running fast in the first few kilometers and slowing down as she passed me at the 2nd kilometer, she encouraged me, “Pick up the pace again, let’s run together.” Thanks to her positive attitude, I picked up my pace and ran with her for about 500 meters, but I had to slow down again because the hills were taking my breath away. Then, when I caught up with him at the 8th kilometer mark, he seemed to be running out of steam, so I did the same to him: “Come on, pull yourself together, let’s run together,” I said. He pulled himself together, and we started running together. I was running a little ahead of him to encourage him to pick up the pace. After catching his breath at the 11 K point, he picked up the pace one last time and passed me in the final kilometers. We congratulated each other at the end of the race.
It’s heartbreaking to witness your own people behaving so badly, and Ethiopians acting with such positive energy even when they’re struggling during a race. Why is it that our nation gets so irritated when competing in sports?
When it was time to take the podium, I experienced the joy of it. First, I climbed the first-place podium with great joy. Then, I received the first-place plaque from the headman of the Avşa Marathon.
I invited the other 2nd – and 3rd-place athletes to the podium, and we posed for photos together.
Afterward, I reveled in the joy of the occasion. Finally, we all took a group photo together.
Motivation to overcome every challenge
Because the awards ceremony took so long (the governor, mayor, and other public officials, thankfully, made another classic statement and talked more than they should have), I rushed to the hotel after the ceremony, closed my suitcase, and quickly left to catch the ferry.
Before setting off, I rewarded myself again, bought some ice cream wrapped in wafers, and boarded the ferry. I sat on the ferry, completely satisfied with my day. As I enjoyed the beautiful Marmara Sea view on the way back to Istanbul, I found myself wishing, “I hope the rest of this year will be filled with this championship spirit.”
Thanks to this motivating event, I returned to Istanbul with the mindset to tackle any challenge.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Kum Motel, the hotel for champions, for taking such good care of me on Avşa Island, my first visit; Ebru, an animal lover, who recommended Kum Motel and, as a local of Avşa, guided me to the right places; Serpil Hoca, who trained me hard during my runs; Elçin Hoca, my Gyrotonic coach, who contributed to my development; and Enis Hoca, my fitness coach for many years.
Note: I’m sharing the race results below, along with my own results.
