Run a Marathon...Check

One of my goals at the beginning of the year was to run a marathon. In fact, 3 years ago I wrote down "Run a marathon" on my list of 5-year goals. Let's just say I really believe in setting goals in life...

Anyway, during the first few months of this year, I was running like crazy, sometimes upwards of 40 miles a week. However, for a number of factors including a hectic travel schedule and multiple pesky African parasites, my training regimen has been inconsistent at best--and sometimes downright nonexistent--over the past several months. But for those of you who know me well (or have ever spent 5 minutes with me), you know that I can be downright stubborn (although I prefer the word "determined"), and I have a sickness called "overcompetitivitis." (Little is known about this disease that attacks the male ego, and to date a cure has not been found). So, determined to meet my goal, I put all sound logic aside and ran the 26.2 mile Soweto Marathon yesterday!

The race was actually really cool. It was held on the southwest side of Johannesburg in Soweto, one of the largest townships (ghettos) in South Africa, with a population of around one million people. The race took us past several historical sites, including down Vilakazi Street in the Orlando District, the only street in the world on which two Nobel Peace Prize winners once lived--Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We ran right past Mandela's home, which I think I would have appreciated a lot more if I hadn't already been running for more than 10 miles at that point!

The other really neat thing about running in Soweto was the support of all the people. Thousands of people lined the streets to cheer us on. I received a lot of support myself, with hundreds of people calling out "uJesu" (Jesus) as I ran by. As I ran down one hill, dozens of people literally started chanting "uJesu! uJesu!" I played along with the crowd and raised my arms in triumph as I ran by them. A couple other Zulu names I got called were "ubaba" (father) and "intshebe," which simply means "beard." The people really got a kick out of it when I responded in Zulu, "Unjani umfowethu!" which means, "How are you, my brother?" Anyway, the atmosphere of the race and the crowds of supporters made for a really fun race.

The part of the race that I didn't find so fun was all the running I had to do. I mean, seriously, 26.2 miles is a little bit ridiculous, don't you think?! And as if that weren't bad enough, much of the race was spent climbing up some crazy steep hills, some of which were as long as 2km (1.25 miles!). Not only that, but Soweto is up in the thin air, over a mile above sea level. For these reasons, I recently read that Athletics South Africa (ASA) rates the Soweto Marathon a 4 out of 5 in difficulty for distance runs. To put that rating into perspective, the 15km Harrismith Mountain Race that I ran a while back--you know, the one where I literally had to bear-crawl over a mountain--was rated a 5 out of 5. This was just a step below that...for 42.2km.

Okay, I'll stop whining now...

Running a marathon was one of the toughest things I have ever done, both physically and mentally, but I'm so glad I did it. It just feels good to check a huge goal like that off the list! People have already begun asking me, "So, do you think you'll ever do it again?" When asked that question right after the race, my answer was a resounding "Never again!" But, I'm a glutton for punishment, and a day later, even as I'm hobbling around on stiff legs, I'm already scheming about when I might run my next one. For now, though, I'm gonna take a long rest and enjoy this one. I am now officially a marathoner! Woo hoo!

2-Boy, Me, Bhuti, and John after the race.