Turning onto Unter den Linden with the majestic Brandenburger Tor (English: Brandenburg Gate) in sight, I couldn’t hold back the tears streaming down my cheeks. I was overwhelmed with so much emotion. I was a few hundred metres from finishing my first marathon in the city that has my heart. I was achieving the singular goal I set for myself in 2026.

Why a marathon? (and why Berlin?)

I have been running on and off for years without committing to being a runner. Finishing the Toronto half marathon last year and seeing the folks who signed up for the full marathon turn onto a different road because they still had another 21 km to go triggered something in me. I wanted what they had too. I wanted something very hard to dedicate myself to for months. I wanted out of my comfort zone of being an on-and-off runner. I wanted to go all in and give all of myself to a challenge.

Berlin is the city of my heart. A lot of who I am right now was shaped by my time in Berlin (a lot beyond the scope of this post). It was the only city I was ready to push through the pain of marathon training for.

The training block

I had been building up my mileage slowly through the Canadian winter running about 40km a week, but my training block officially began at the end of May. I initially set a goal of 4:20 for myself, the average finishing time for men. I used a training plan on Runna and I quickly realised that my numbers (backed by my 5k and 10k personal bests) suggested that 4:20 wasn’t really an ambitious time for me, so I decided to go for a fancier number: 3:59:59, sub-4.

It was tough balancing training with work and family. I had to move my training to the early mornings, ensuring I was done before the kids’ morning routine started. During my peak weeks (>60km weeks), I had to start my weekend long runs at 4:30am so I could be back home by 8am.

What worked

• Tune-up races are super helpful. They helped me understand where my fitness level was and also helped in learning to hold a goal pace evenly. I did a 5 km and 10 km. I couldn’t find a half marathon that fit my August schedule, but I’d have loved to do one.
• My combination of 4 running, 2 gym and 1 mobility sessions weekly was just perfect for my schedule.
• Working with a physio (Thank you Jayde!) helped me find the right exercises to manage my deficits and prevent injury. I went injury-free the entire training block.
• I enjoyed my long runs: learning to fuel and hydrate, and to hold my goal pace on tired legs.

What didn’t

• I think I compromised on the quality of my strength work. I wasn’t lifting heavy enough, and I skipped sessions when I needed the time for other things. This meant my muscles were not as strong as I expected.

Fuelling, gear and the boring stuff

• Shoe rotation: Asics Novoblast 5 (easy runs), adidas Adizero Evo SL (tempo runs and long runs under 21 km), Asics Megablast (long runs + race day).
• Fuelling: SiS Beta gels (40g of carbs) 10x
• Electrolytes: SaltStick FastChews

Race week in Berlin

I arrived in Berlin about 5 days before race day to allow enough time to beat the jet lag, catch up with my friends (they are family now tbh) and enjoy the expo. A special thanks to Ike and Mofe for hosting me in their beautiful home.

I didn’t join any group shakeout runs. I did two light runs around the house and felt really good.

Race day

The start to halfway

The plan was simple: stick with the 4:00 pacer for the entire race. I was in great shape (well hydrated and fuelled) and confident in my ability to hold 5:41 (goal pace) for the entire race. I stuck with the pacer (bar a quick bathroom break around 16km) and it felt comfortable. The atmosphere was magical; it felt like all of Berlin was cheering me on. My own personal cheer squad managed to spot me in the sea of runners, and I was so excited to hear Amy and Hannah yelling my name so loud. I crossed the halfway point feeling really good. The pace still felt very comfortable and I was running side by side with the 4:00 pacer until around 26km.

After 26 km

I felt a sharp pain in my right hamstring, a feeling I had never experienced before. Cramps. I didn’t panic; I just stopped by the roadside to give it a massage and swallowed more salt tablets. I felt a bit of relief after about a minute. I eased back into running, gradually working my legs back to goal pace. After another km the pain came back, this time in both my quads and hamstrings. This started a game of cat and mouse between my cramping leg muscles and all the willpower I had in me.

The long way home

I knew what this meant: my sub-4 goal was gone. I just had to will myself to the end. I stopped when the pain came, stretched, walked, jogged. I had a stranger massage my legs with Voltaren. Anything necessary to get my legs moving.

Moyin and Tobi were waiting for me at 37km, where I had asked them to stay because I thought I could comfortably get there and would need their motivation by then. Moyin already knew (from the live tracking) that the marathon gods had come for me, but they still gave me enough motivation to pick up the pace slowly and finish as best as I could. It meant everything to me.

The finish

It was beautiful. The noise grew, and the different bands roared us on. It reached a crescendo as I turned onto Unter den Linden, jogging towards the beautiful Brandenburger Tor.

I was thinking about all the months of training: the Friday-night beers I had to give up because I had long runs on Saturday, my family accommodating my two-hour Saturday naps recovering from long runs, and all the changes a marathon training block brings to your life. I crossed under the gate in tears; it was the best feeling in the world. The last 400m made me feel like a hero. I smiled all the way to the line. I knew the cameras were there, so I smiled as much as my jaw allowed until I got the medal. I was a marathoner at last. A Berlin marathoner.

Efe and Tobi found me where I lay in exhaustion in the cool-down area. They brought me back to life.

Nuhu

I finished side by side with Nuhu (see the finish line photo and video below: blue shirt on the left, my right), a fellow Nigerian. What you might not know is that I started the race side by side with him as well. We connected on the start line, taking photos and swapping Instagram handles as we realised we were both Nigerians. He wasn’t fully fit and just wanted to run as best he could. I was in great shape and wanted sub-4. After the start, he waved me off and we ran our separate races, but my cramps meant he caught up to me just before the finish without either of us knowing. It’s such an amazing story: we finished with the exact same time, down to the second. Coincidence, but he became part of my marathon story.

What I’d do differently

I’ll be doing a lot more heavy lifting in the gym. That’s my priority in the off-season. I’m going to build marathon legs. I have to see what these legs are truly capable of.

What’s next

A month on since race day and I’ve been fully focused on recovery with light exercise. I plan to only race half marathons next year while strengthening my legs in the gym. I’ll be back for the marathon distance in 2028 (maybe in Toronto). Training for and racing the full distance is something I want to feel again, but only when I’m more confident in my legs.

Thanks

It took a village. My family, my friends. Moyin and Tobi coming to cheer. My Berliners who came to keep me in good spirits, Efe, Oshomo, Hannah, Peace, Boye, SF, Abi, Amy, Omo, Funto. My training partners back in Kitchener (Bobola, Destiny). My physio, Jayde, helped me stay injury-free. My virtual accountability friends (Ope, Matteo, Sheddy). My hosts, Ike and Mofe.

What I learned?

I (re)learned that I can do really hard things and I have a huge support system to keep me going.