‘My Only Goal Is to Finish,’ Says First-Time Marathoner Who Has Spent His Whole Life Playing It Safe, So Why Should This Be Any Different?
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A local man announced today that his only goal for an upcoming marathon, his first ever, is simply to make it to the finish line.
“I don’t care if it takes me four hours or eight hours,” said Christian Szell, 38, whose entire life has been a series of painfully careful moves and conservative decisions. “This is my first ever marathon, so my only goal is to finish.”
Szell, a dentist, has been training for the marathon for nearly six months; sources close to him say his modest goal didn’t surprise them, despite Szell’s good health and months of careful preparation.
“Christian is absolutely capable of running a four-hour marathon,” said a member of Szell’s training group, who requested anonymity. “He’s a fit guy with no history of injury, and he’s been training with his usual diligence.”
In fact, the source said, Szell ran a 1:45 half-marathon just a month ago, and his training paces all suggest a four-hour marathon is well within reach.
“I mean, he could say that his ‘A’ goal is a sub-four, his ‘B’ goal is four hours, and his ‘C’ goal is just to finish,” the source said. “But that’s not Christian’s style.”
A longtime friend of Szell’s agreed with that assessment.
“I don’t think it would ever even occur to (Christian) to have a time goal or anything like that,” said Thomas Babington "Babe" Levy, who grew up with Szell. “He’s always been super cautious.”
“I remember when we were kids, at the amusement park, he would never get on a horse on the carousel; he’d just sit on one of those benches that don’t move,” Levy said. “From that, all way up to his decision to go to dental school instead of art school, he’s always played it safe.”
Reached for comment, Szell told Dumb Runner that he’d actually been reconsidering his goal for the marathon.
“A lot can happen over 26.2 miles,” he said. “Maybe my only goal should be to make it to the start.”
