Havana Cuba Marathon.

Well that didn't go so well!  What a fascinating and lovely place Cuba is.  I was having such a wonderful time with some o the nicest people I've ever met. This would have been marathon number 92. But it was not to be.

It started out beautifully and I felt strong.  The temperature was pleasant and not the blistering heat that we all expected.  I was so happy at the start line.

The Start line

But something went wrong at mile 15. One second I was running and a split second later I was flat on the ground.  I have no idea what, if anything I tripped over, but I was down to stay.  I was in excruciating pain and knew immediately my left arm was broken. I was screaming in pain. Several men came along and scooped me up and put me in the back of an old classic car and took me to some odd little building where some first aid people tried to help me.  There was no cell service so I couldn't contact our tour guide. Next I was in an ambulance, then at a Cuban hospital.

In The Cuba Hospital

They sent me on to the international clinic. From there I was able to text my tour guide. The clinic put me in a plaster half splint, half cast and the tour got me on a plane to Miami. From there I took a taxi to Ft Lauderdale to the trauma center where I had major surgery on my upper arm and elbow. My arm is now full of big chunks of metal. Two days later I flew home and am now up at work for all of December still in lots of pain.

So I don'y know what the future holds for my arm. A visit to an orthopedic surgeon on January 3rd should help me understand that.
But it's not looking good for the Egyptian Marathon on January 13th. But I haven't canceled the trip yet.

I promised myself though that I will be back with Kathy Loper next year to run that Havana Marathon again.