Lost in the Dust....an incredible experience.

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 22^nd 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!