THEY may have finished 'tired, hungry and stiff', but after completing all 26 and-a-bit miles of the ING New York Marathon in five hours and 31 minutes, Lewis lassies Carol Macaulay and Christina Poernomo were all smiles.
"Every time we had to stop and walk a bit it got harder and harder to start running again," admitted Carol of the slog.
"My leg muscles were so painful and it felt like running through treacle. It felt great to finish! I'm really proud that I've do
ne it though, and would love to go back and do it again."
Added Christina: "I'm really pleased that I had the opportunity to experience doing a marathon in New York and I would definitely love to do it again."
Carol and Christina made up part of the 35 strong TEAM RNLI – runners from all over the UK who were taking part in order to raise funds for the lifesaving charity the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
And although the pair are still collecting in sponsorship monies, they have already both exceeded their £1,700 target.
"We decided to raise money for the RNLI in memory of my cousin David Macintosh who died in 1998, aged 34," expanded Christina.
"We didn't actually run alongside other members of TEAM RNLI and we only saw three RNLI runners during the whole course, but we encouraged each other and it was great to see another RNLI running vest!"
The 39th ING New York Marathon was the second mammoth run to be completed by Carol and Christina and proved more than a little different from their first marathon experience – the Point 1 Callanish Marathon held in Lewis this summer.
"One event had less than 100 runners and the other had over 40,000, so I don't think it would be fair to compare them," chuckled Carol, adding: "The Callanish Stones was our first marathon and a first for Lewis, so it will always be special."
She continued: "The New York marathon was amazing – the sheer number of people involved and the atmosphere, not to mention the stunning views.
"The worst point for me was probably having to use the portable toilets!
"On a more sombre note though, when we were running up 5th Avenue with about five miles to go we passed a runner on the side of the road that was getting CPR and that was really awful to witness."
Christina was also understandably shocked by the sight, but added: "Everything else about the whole day was fantastic.
"It was amazing running over the bridges and past famous landmarks with the crowds cheering us on.
"It was also so good to be running for such a worthwhile cause and we got such a lot of encouragement from other runners, people were saying 'Well Done' and 'Good for You' throughout the 26 miles."
If you wish to reward Carol and Christina for their superb efforts and donate funds to the RNLI, you can still do so through their 'JustGiving' webpages by logging onto www.justgiving.com/christinapoernomo or www.justgiving.com/carolannmacaulay
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