Caroline Wozniacki makes impressive marathon debut

Caroline Wozniacki during the New York marathon

Wozniacki elated at finishing the marathon

Former World no.1 Caroline Wozniacki made a terrific marathon debut when she finished a 26.2 mile run in a time of 3:26:33. The 24-year old’s motive behind running in the New York marathon was to support a charity named Team for Kids, that provides funds for local and national fitness programs. At the end of the run, she managed to raise $81,000 dollars for the organisation.

"I think you need to be a little crazy, but in a good way," Wozniacki said.

Wozniacki, who is currently ranked 8th in the world, had not run more than a half marathon at any point during her training, due to a tiring schedule. Despite admitting to not run in another marathon for the next few years, Wozniacki’s time of 3:26 has ensured that she qualifies for the Boston Marathon in 2016.

"I've never tried anything this hard.This was the toughest physical test I've ever (had). It's so hard. You have to keep going, keep going. Once I got onto First Avenue, I had a camera crew following me the whole day, so I couldn't walk. I had to keep running," Wozniacki said at the end of the event.

Battle of nerves

After being defeated by Serena Williams in the WTA finals in Singapore eight days ago, Wozniacki opted to not enjoy her break and instead prepare extensively for this event. She also admitted that she wasn't nervous about running the marathon, but did feel jittery when the event was about to start.

"I didn't feel nerves at all last night, and I didn't feel them at all when I woke up this morning. The only time I felt them was when we were going onto the bridge to start. I was like, 'Oh my God, what did I get myself into? Ready or not, there's no way back”. she added.

Although not used to running long distances, the Denmark player would run about 30-90 minutes whenever possible. She is also among the few professional athletes to have taken part in a marathon while still actively playing their respective sport.

She said that she would certainly look back on this event and would try to participate in another one in the coming years.

"Right now, I'm tired, so exhausted.But I'm sure I'll look back on this experience and think it was awesome and want to do it again," she said.

Here’s a tweet from her, reacting to her finish in the marathon.

OMG did I really just finish the @nycmarathon in 3 hours, 26 min and 33 sec??? Sooo happy and proud of myself! pic.twitter.com/knPUpJQd4X

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) November 2, 2014