India, May 8 -- There's a reason the 10,000m race isn't called the 10km run.

It isn't run across a 10-km stretch. It is run on a standard 400m track, in what can grow to a steady rhythm.

Take the runner out of the stadium, and so much changes. The unevenness of terrain and changing conditions are part of what makes a marathon so challenging. Added to this is the vast distance: 42.135 km.

One is no longer merely racing against one's opponents, in such a race.

One is accommodating the "x" factor, challenging the body and battling the mind.

So it isn't surprising that, when Sawan Barwal finished the Rotterdam marathon in the Netherlands, and didn't meet his target, he was disappointed.

"I had gone there looking to do better than 2:10:0...