Officially a Gladiator!

When you hear the term "gladiator," do you envision these types of gladiator?

Or, if you were watching reality TV in the U.S. in the '80s, maybe these are the gladiators that come to mind?

Well, while I am now officially a gladiator, this is the more appropriate image that should to come to mind:

This was one of the photos from the 2026 Guinness World Record-setting pace team from Run Rome the Marathon. I'm thrilled to be joining the group for the 2027 marathon. This will be my first time in Rome. I'm looking forward to seeing the sights during the marathon, and then spending the rest of my time in the city seeing them at a bit more of a leisurely pace. And, of course, eating spectacular Italian food. 

While I've been part of international pace teams before, they have always been for domestic marathons that included folks from overseas (generally Miami Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon). This will be my first time being one of the foreigners on a team. I'm looking forward to meeting my co-pacers and, even more so, meeting the hundreds or thousands of people I'll be helping to navigate their way through the 26.2 miles of an iconic race, be it within the pace group I get assigned, random additional runners along the course, or participants that stop by our booth at the expo.

Over the next several months, I'll be taking a look at the different places that we get to see on the course. Join me in my journey of discovery!