Day Twenty-seven: Arzua to Santiago — At dinner last night in Arzua we calculated that today’s walk of 40.5 kilometers (26 miles) would be almost precisely the distance of a marathon. Sometime during our long hours of walking today Martin asked, “how long does it take to run a marathon?” I remembered an approximate record time almost exactly, since it was nearly 1/3 the time it took me to run my own marathon in 2011.

“Two hours, three minutes was the winning time of the Boston Marathon in 2011.”

“How is it humanly possible that anyone could cover this distance in that time?” Martin said.

We shared only the distance in common with a true marathon, since our “marathon” took eleven hours and thirty minutes. The temperature reached 82F degrees (25C) so as well as the distance, the sun was a challenge during a very long and tiring day.

But we are here. In Santiago! After 700 kilometers (437 miles) walking from Bilbao to Santiago on the Camino del Norte over 27 days, this pilgrimage is complete.

Tomorrow I will write a full wrap up, but already we have seen John of Calgary, Florian of Amsterdam, and heard from Julian of Honolulu. There is sharing and storytelling and eating to do with these pilgrim friends. The night is young, but short. Let the celebrations begin!

Martin, Sandy, Jacqueline in front of Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, June 25, 2012.