FROM CARTAGENA TO BELFAST CITY HALL

28 April 2009 - 28 April 2009

For one competitor in the Deep River Rock 2009 Belfast City Marathon next Monday, whatever the outcome, the race and the city will forever remain firmly etched in his memory.

In some parts of Spain, fifteen is a lucky number, and for Diego Martinez Gomez from Cartagena, the Belfast Marathon on 4th May will represent the fifteenth time he has completed the 42,2km road race. In that time, he has competed in nine different cities, including Seville and San Sebastian in his homeland, in addition to the more world renowned events at Berlin, London, Chicago and New York.

Indeed, he also competed in the 2007 Dublin Marathon in his only previous visit to Ireland, but London stands out as his favourite venue. “I am the only Spanish athlete to have competed in five consecutive London Marathons from 2002-2006, and had the fortune of coinciding with such distinguished name as Paula Radcliffe and Haile Gebreselassie when they set their respective world records there”.

A keen runner, Diego is based at the famous La Manga Sports Complex in Murcia, where he has been putting the final touches to his preparation for the Belfast event.

At 44, Diego recognizes he will not be among the front-runners in Belfast, not least due to the slight hip injury he is carrying. Nevertheless, the opportunity to complete another marathon, strike another city off the map, and fulfill a long-term ambition to participate on the home patch of some of his closest friends in Murcia ensures that he awaits the race with all the usual eager anticipation. As Diego states, “I feel like I have an unpaid debt with the Belfast Marathon. Many of my friends in Murcia are from Northern Ireland, including Pat Jennings and Gerry Armstrong, and it will be a beautiful experience for me to finally be able to say I have run through the streets of Belfast”.
With a personal best of 3hrs 35mins (set in Sevilla in 2003), Diego will have one eye on the clock as always, but in his own words “coming to Belfast is all about enjoying the race, and getting to know a new city, the people, and everything that Belfast has to offer”. However, he does underline the fact that he is not there just to make up the numbers, and will give everything to ensure he maintains his impressive record of completing every marathon in which he has competed.
To those who wonder what motivates a human being to put themselves through the undoubted physical pain of running 15 marathons, the final word goes to Diego, who sums up what anyone who has ever completed a marathon can empathize with, “it is all about the challenge. Pushing the human body to its limits, to understand human resistance and our capacity to suffer and overcome. Some people go hunting, others climb mountains, I run marathons”.
No-one would bet against him making it fifteen out of fifteen, before he waves Gracias y Adios to Belfast.

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