Venice, the city of news

The romantic dream of visiting a city at a jog vanishes when you decide to sign up for the Venice marathon. That Italian city that instead of wide boulevards has a Grand Canal and that most tourists want to ride in a gondola for 80 euros.

Although not a Major-level competition (though this race has Silver Label within the International Athletics Federation classification) the logistics to reach the starting line are usually as complex as if the athlete had to get to Staten Island to take the start of the New York marathon.

The marathon Sunday started almost four hours before the gun to walk through the city streets, cross the empty St. Mark's Square, and enter the vaporetto station. Once on the water transport, you must take a half-hour ride to then take the bus that leaves you, after another 30 minutes of travel, at the starting line.

II

Stra is a community a little more than 35 kilometers from Venice, in the Veneto region, where the Villa Pisani museum-building is located, which completes a beautiful postcard with the multicolored arches that mark the corrals for the athletes.

The first goal of that day was to leave behind the 2015 experience in Buenos Aires, where the lack of public transportation made us arrive at the start with three kilometers of jogging in our legs and when everything had just begun. We achieved it.

Running a marathon in Europe is serious business. On one hand is the desire to make the most of every hour and know every corner of the city, and on the other, the responsibility to manage every step, every bite, and even every sip of wine you drink that can compromise your performance on race day.

Arriving three days before the marathon implied a tourist route that we had to do in addition to visiting Venice: getting to know Murano and Burano. We also achieved it, although the more strict and conservative runners will surely question our dinners and walks during the hours before running 42 kilometers.

III

It's no contradiction. If you run at a faster pace than you should, the gas will eventually run out and you will suffer to finish.

The second goal of that day was, at least, to repeat our best time. In my case, to run between 3:58 and 4:04 hours. For Vero, the objective was around 4 hours and 11 minutes.

Running with a video camera in hand had become a habit since the last two marathons, Big Sur and New York. This year the coach told us to put away cameras and cell phones. He wasn't wrong.

The Venice marathon has a flat and visually attractive course. In my best times at this distance, I have always passed the 10-kilometer splits between 58 and 57 minutes on average.

This time I felt strong from the start of the race. I knew what pace I had to follow, but I also felt I should take a risk and run faster. A strong bet.

I remember that while running the Buenos Aires marathon I thought that, if necessary, I could go beyond 50 kilometers. On the other hand, in Venice I was urgent to run fast and arrive as soon as possible at kilometer 30 to then finish. I don't know why, but that's what I thought.

The first 10k I crossed in less than 56 minutes. The second was even faster and the clock showed 55:39. From kilometer 20 to 30 I got excited.

In San Giuliano Park, in Mestre, was kilometer 30 and the final straight to head to Venice. That 10-kilometer stretch was the fastest of the four with 55:47 minutes.

At that moment I felt strong and had enjoyed what I had run of the race. The marathon was just beginning.

IV

A great bridge connects Mestre with Venice in a distance between six and eight kilometers. You enter Venice when you are at kilometer 38 and it's not until kilometer 39 when you start seeing the canals, the tower of St. Mark's Square, and locals and tourists sitting with coffee in hand on the terraces of restaurants.

In this section begin the 13 ramps that are placed for this race and that claim the last breath of the runners.

I arrived at kilometer 40 and the clock showed 3:45 hours. I was carrying my best partial time at that moment with a little more than two kilometers to cross the finish line. But the gas ran out.

The four-hour barrier vanished but I managed to get my third best marathon of the seven I've done, with 4:07 hours. Vero crossed the finish line four minutes later with a personal best.

With the marathon you learn to plan and it gives you opportunities to make adjustments and better races. The problem is that those adjustments you can apply for your next marathon.

The 42.195 kilometers do not allow the runner to rectify if you make a mistake.

The goal for the next marathon will be to run at a pace of 55 minutes for every 10 kilometers. The entire route.

There are cities where if you get on the tour bus you can know the best of them.

There are others, like Venice, where you must walk, jog, get on the vaporetto or a gondola and also sign up for their marathon to get closer to its culture, its people, and reach its best alleys.

That is news item number four.