Yesterday I accomplished something that I didn’t know was
possible a month ago or at least I didn’t think I’d be able to do for quite
some time here…I ran a race in Kenya and it was quite the experience J
I had seen the advertisements for the race just a few days
after being in Machokos but I didn’t get my hopes up because I didn’t know if
I’d have the time or be allowed to run here at all. A few weeks later I found
out from my Mama that I could run in the mornings but I wasn’t allowed out of
the house until 5:50 which meant my training consisted of maybe 3 miles 3-4
times/week with a 4 miler thrown in there on occasional Sundays for a total of
3 weeks prior to the race. I didn’t care though because at least I was running!
The day after I started running I asked the people at the booth how much, where
and when the race was. I like how race signing up works because they set up
booths outside of the supermarket that was sponsoring the race and then from
Friday-Monday each week they’d be ready to sign people up. They were there for
multiple weeks leading up the race and then the entire week before the race.
The cause was educating HIV/AIDS orphans and the cost was 850 shillings. Not
too shabby.
Yesterday was race day and I left my house at 5:45 (since I have
morning curfew as well as an evening one) and headed out. I had finally coaxed
the answer out of the booth people as to when the race started (they kept
telling me it was early in the morning. What does that mean? I didn’t want to
miss the race and they told me I wouldn’t –I should just get there early). The
final answer I got was 7am and that it was at the Golf Club (which also took
some coaxing). I headed out with Jocelyn, one of my PC volunteer neighbors and
we arrived there around 6:20. There was maybe 30 other people there and they
all looked sooooo legit. Suffice to say, I thought I was not only going to come
in last, but I was going to be last by maybe 10 minutes! Jocelyn and I were
joking around and she was taking pictures of my competition when a man came up
and started chatting with us. He was super nice and asked where we were from
and he told us where he was from and then got a little into his training that
he does. He’s from Turkana (wayyyy up north) but trains in Rift Valley. He is
working on his half marathon right now but next year he plans on starting up
with full marathons. He’s been running is whole life (he’s mid-late twenties
I’d guess) but seriously began training in 2006. The place in Rift Valley where
he trains he said is full of foreigners training and that it is the perfect
place for it. They do tempo, fartleks, hills, long distance and it’s at
elevation. I felt cool knowing the lingo haha. So we’re just chatting along and
I know he must be decent because of what he’s said already when Joceyln asks
him where he got his shoes. We were curious because we wanted to know where we
would be able to get them. He looks down and says ‘Oh, these are my racing
shoes, my friend won Boston and gave them to me”. Well dang. He then follows
this up by asking my 10k time (he was running the 21k but had been running
10k’s before starting with 21ks). He says, ya know, a good time for a lady is
33, 34, 35ish…yeah my time isn’t quite there haha. My best time-when I was highly in shape and training more
than the 15 miles/week was 43 something! He was supportive and happy I was
running and told me I should try and beat 50 minutes today. I found out his 10k
PR is a solid 28:18, nothing big with a 1:04 half marathon time…find a super
fast Kenyan runner: check!
He ran off then, never did catch his name though he told us
it was on the internet seeing as he’e been in the top 10 in races in Tanzania,
Mombasa, Nairobi.
So it’s nearing 7am by this point and I still don’t have a
chest number because the officials aren’t anywhere to be seen. They pull in
around 6:50 and have the table set up by 7. I make it to the line but forgot my
registration receipt because in America, you don’t need it. Well I had a new
destination for my warm up and I just crossed my fingers I’d get back in time.
I ran 10-15 minutes to town, grabbed an autorickshaw (they only go on one road
in Machakos so I couldn’t get one the whole way) and had my Mama meet me on the
road by our house with my receipt where I got it and rode/ran back. 30 minutes
later I was in the line and very thankful for Kenyan time! The race started
around 7:50 and it was crazy!! I was doing the 10k which was the first race and
there was maybe 35 women with maybe triple the men. They gave the directions
all in Kiswahili and then the gun went off. They sprinted dead out. I was lost
in the dust. Honestly, it was nuts. So there I am singing to myself and just
amazed that I’m in Kenya running a race when I realized I wasn’t last and I was
getting to see a lot of Machakos that I’d never seen before. It was almost an
out and back course with a small loop near the end; one water stop and when we
passed the mark to turn around you dipped your finger in paint so that you
couldn’t cheat by turning around early. A nice course minus the fact that the
was lots of pollution from the vehicles driving by.
Overall, I ended up finishing 22nd out of 35
women and beating a few men-some of them were even running-not just walking!
Yahooo! Jocelyn, Carla and Jay came to watch and cheer me and it was great! I
also got a lot of ‘Ayyy Mizungu’ (Mizungu being foreigner) while running since
it was totally on the highway and plenty of people were out walking to church.
I think that because I went in there knowing that I wasn’t going to PR or win,
I could just take in the scenery and people; it was really neat! However, the
competitor in me after running XC for 8 years can’t wait to actually train
while I’m at site so I’m more prepared and confident.
Also, just throwing it out there but as more motivation for
people to come visit me…if you do, then maybe we can run a race together! ;)
Hahaha think about it!
