Ndakaini 3 – New Route, same route
Breaking
“Give me some of that,” I thought I heard that.
“Please give me some of that,” I looked back just in time to see someone point on the ground next to where I was seated.
“Take some,” I gestured, pointing at the meter long stalk.
“Mmmhhh, Aishhhh,” he tried to break a piece, but nothing happened.
I could see the struggle, he was not going to make any headway in his struggle. While maintaining my sitting position, I took the stalk from him and gave it one jolt on a joint using my right knee. A node on the third segment that received the bulk of the pressure gave way with just one pressed knee. I peeled out the final strip from the bigger piece and handed over the now free piece to the stranger.
“Thanks”, he struggled to say, as he lazily, sluggishly, almost absent mindedly walked away.
That was a typical marathoner, a typical Kenyan – a comrade, a fellow athlete, who had survived another Ndakaini run.
I continued chewing on the sugarcane. The once full length was about ninety centimeters. I had already chewed over four segments, each about ten centimetres. Another three had been given off to my strange comrade. I still have many more segments to go, so I chewed away, throwing the chaff onto the grass on my feet. I was enjoying the shady roadside next to the Nairobi Water Reservoir pumping station and main compound. Through the live fence I could see through to the vast waste mass on the Ndakaini dam – just part of the 3 square kilometers of 70M cubic meters of water. The very lake that had formed the circuit of the marathon that I had finished some one hour ago. It was about eleven thirty and the sun was hot!
I chewed away….
The day started when the alarm woke me up at four-fifteen. The flask that had preserved the hot water from previous night was at the table ready for me to make a quick cup of cocoa. I slipped into my blue shorts and the Ndakaini branded run Tshirt. I had already affixed runner number 2003 on the garment the previous night. These are the 1-2-3 that any seasoned runner knows must be done the night prior.
I woke up the watchman at 4.30am, to open up the gate to enable me leave the apartment block. I hit the highway five minutes later. It was pitch dark. I could see the double headlights of vehicles come close and zoom past. Matatus were already beckoning passengers that early, though none was ready to leave the stage. Finally, a completely empty one passed by and noticed my gesturing silhouette. It braked and reversed to my position. I jumped in and it zoomed off towards Kangemi.
After the Kangemi flyover, it stopped, the makanga jumped out and then started beckoning for passengers. I was there, and I tell you there was no one near the stage. Who was the makanga calling out for? Was he serious? When the clock hit six, after fifteen minutes of waiting, I jumped out, paid the ten bob fare and decided to look around for any other vehicle that would get me out of there.
It was nearly ten minutes before I got the next matatu that dropped me in Westlands, where another matatu took me to town. An interesting day – running in three matatus already.
Plaza
I had expected the first hired bus to have left Reinsurance Plaza by the time I arrived around six-twenty. A quick look convinced me that there was hardly a bus. Last year, the first bus left around six. This year, there was no bus at 6.30am! I was starting to wonder is this marathon was take off, and started calling the organizers names for having taken 700/= for transport using false promise when I saw the ‘Double M’ come from the direction of Hilton towards Re-plaza. No sooner had it stopped than anxious runners jumped in. There was hardly any time to confirm who had paid or not. The organizer just asked those in the bus, “Hands up if you did not pay, so that I can get my money and leave.”
Less than four hands were up – it was either true that we had all paid, or… well, runners do not run away with other runners money, so we must all have paid.
We left Nairobi at about 6.40am. With the roads being relatively clear at this time of the morning, coupled with the smooth Thika road, our drive through to Thika lasted about thirty minutes. We diverted towards Gatanga town, off Thika road at Thika town and drove for another forty minutes. It was almost eight as we reached Ndakaini. I jumped out of the bus, as it sought a parking space. I jogged towards the starting lineup, which was almost one kilometer away, past Ndakaini shopping centre.
Move back
The runners had already started gathering. They were already eager to start the run. An helicopter was already hovering past the venue. There was some warm up ongoing. Same script, different players as the following was announced (one year later?)
“Tafadhali, songeni nyuma. Please move back, otherwise we shall not start the run”
“Hatusongi!,” the runners roared back.
“About turn everybody!,” the announcer said, his voice amplified by the multimedia truck parked just beside the road, next to the starting point.
“OK, turn back. About-turn. By the left quick match… left, right, left, right… Please move back!”
“Hatusongi! ,” runners responded, “Start the run now! We are not moving!”
“The run is long, please move back so that we can start!”
I wonder why they waste their breath making this announcement year in, year out!
Strategy
At 8.30am there was something like a pop. Then there was a shout! Then the run started. I was hardly ready for the start. It just happened and off the runners went. I had a new strategy for this particular run. I wanted to test the timing gadget so that I can be sure of how much time it takes to get this run done with. I had studied the counter more keenly this time round. I knew that there were nine hilly sections, with hill number nine being the last and toughest, with a 1.5km stretch on a 45 degrees elevation. I just wanted to time and survive that last hill.
With this in mind, I hardly noticed any of the previous eight hills. I was having a good pace and could remember hitting the 5k to get the first water point before breaking any sweat. There were no sponges at the first sponge station on the 7.5km mark – but no big deal. There would be others. By the second water point at 10km, just after that first ‘bad’ hill, I was still good and enjoying the run. I missed sponges, once more, on the 12.5km mark. It was not my day, but with water at hand, I was still good to go.
Unending hill
The water station at 15km convinced me that the run was about done. I just had to survive a 7km hill to the finishing point. The sponge station soon after could not have come at a better time. I snatched one from the roadside, quickly washed off my face and head, threw it away and continued my run. The 300ml water bottle, hardly sipped on one hand and the cellphone on the other was starting to feel so heavy. I could have thrown away the water, but I needed loads on both hands for the balance.
I thought too soon, since immediately after hitting the descent on the 17km mark, I immediately realized the arrival of hill no. 9. I usually know it by seeing it – it is just a 45 degrees uphill that is just there. You can see it and you cannot escape from it. It is just there, quiet and waiting. I found a group of running just walking. It is not a hill that you dare run, unless you are a runner. I was a runner, so I kept trudging on – slow, painful steps, but kept going. I like this hill – it gives you a short break of about ten meters, after the initial 800m, then you face the next 700m of steep hill. A hill that is still waiting for you!
At the end of the 1500m, at the very top of the hill, there is a crowd waiting. They cheer you on, whether you are walking, running or crawling. However, once you get to the top, you just make an immediately left turn to signal the end of your misery. From there you just face two mild hills to land you on the 20km mark for the last water station. Take your 300ml at this station and you can even afford to walk to the finish line. However, runners do not walk, hence you just keep going until the end. This marathon also had a new route, the start and ending were both on the main tarmac. Previous runs started at the main road at the shopping centre and ended at the Primary School past the shopping centre.
12-Sep-2015 <> 1.48.25 – that was my time. I had recorded quite some interesting paces for the 21km laps that make the marathon.
Distance = 21.14km (it was longer)
Average speed = 11.7km/h (I hoped to hit 12)
Max speed = 19.6km/h (like!)
Cal/h average = 898kcal/h
Cal/h max = 1596kcal/h (that's big!)
Thank you gadget – now I know the extent of Ndakaini marathon. Next year, I can do a real run!
Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, September 16, 2015
Breaking
“Give me some of that,” I thought I heard that.
“Please give me some of that,” I looked back just in time to see someone point on the ground next to where I was seated.
“Take some,” I gestured, pointing at the meter long stalk.
“Mmmhhh, Aishhhh,” he tried to break a piece, but nothing happened.
I could see the struggle, he was not going to make any headway in his struggle. While maintaining my sitting position, I took the stalk from him and gave it one jolt on a joint using my right knee. A node on the third segment that received the bulk of the pressure gave way with just one pressed knee. I peeled out the final strip from the bigger piece and handed over the now free piece to the stranger.
“Thanks”, he struggled to say, as he lazily, sluggishly, almost absent mindedly walked away.
That was a typical marathoner, a typical Kenyan – a comrade, a fellow athlete, who had survived another Ndakaini run.
I continued chewing on the sugarcane. The once full length was about ninety centimeters. I had already chewed over four segments, each about ten centimetres. Another three had been given off to my strange comrade. I still have many more segments to go, so I chewed away, throwing the chaff onto the grass on my feet. I was enjoying the shady roadside next to the Nairobi Water Reservoir pumping station and main compound. Through the live fence I could see through to the vast waste mass on the Ndakaini dam – just part of the 3 square kilometers of 70M cubic meters of water. The very lake that had formed the circuit of the marathon that I had finished some one hour ago. It was about eleven thirty and the sun was hot!
I chewed away….
The day started when the alarm woke me up at four-fifteen. The flask that had preserved the hot water from previous night was at the table ready for me to make a quick cup of cocoa. I slipped into my blue shorts and the Ndakaini branded run Tshirt. I had already affixed runner number 2003 on the garment the previous night. These are the 1-2-3 that any seasoned runner knows must be done the night prior.
I woke up the watchman at 4.30am, to open up the gate to enable me leave the apartment block. I hit the highway five minutes later. It was pitch dark. I could see the double headlights of vehicles come close and zoom past. Matatus were already beckoning passengers that early, though none was ready to leave the stage. Finally, a completely empty one passed by and noticed my gesturing silhouette. It braked and reversed to my position. I jumped in and it zoomed off towards Kangemi.
After the Kangemi flyover, it stopped, the makanga jumped out and then started beckoning for passengers. I was there, and I tell you there was no one near the stage. Who was the makanga calling out for? Was he serious? When the clock hit six, after fifteen minutes of waiting, I jumped out, paid the ten bob fare and decided to look around for any other vehicle that would get me out of there.
It was nearly ten minutes before I got the next matatu that dropped me in Westlands, where another matatu took me to town. An interesting day – running in three matatus already.
Plaza
I had expected the first hired bus to have left Reinsurance Plaza by the time I arrived around six-twenty. A quick look convinced me that there was hardly a bus. Last year, the first bus left around six. This year, there was no bus at 6.30am! I was starting to wonder is this marathon was take off, and started calling the organizers names for having taken 700/= for transport using false promise when I saw the ‘Double M’ come from the direction of Hilton towards Re-plaza. No sooner had it stopped than anxious runners jumped in. There was hardly any time to confirm who had paid or not. The organizer just asked those in the bus, “Hands up if you did not pay, so that I can get my money and leave.”
Less than four hands were up – it was either true that we had all paid, or… well, runners do not run away with other runners money, so we must all have paid.
We left Nairobi at about 6.40am. With the roads being relatively clear at this time of the morning, coupled with the smooth Thika road, our drive through to Thika lasted about thirty minutes. We diverted towards Gatanga town, off Thika road at Thika town and drove for another forty minutes. It was almost eight as we reached Ndakaini. I jumped out of the bus, as it sought a parking space. I jogged towards the starting lineup, which was almost one kilometer away, past Ndakaini shopping centre.
Move back
The runners had already started gathering. They were already eager to start the run. An helicopter was already hovering past the venue. There was some warm up ongoing. Same script, different players as the following was announced (one year later?)
“Tafadhali, songeni nyuma. Please move back, otherwise we shall not start the run”
“Hatusongi!,” the runners roared back.
“About turn everybody!,” the announcer said, his voice amplified by the multimedia truck parked just beside the road, next to the starting point.
“OK, turn back. About-turn. By the left quick match… left, right, left, right… Please move back!”
“Hatusongi! ,” runners responded, “Start the run now! We are not moving!”
“The run is long, please move back so that we can start!”
I wonder why they waste their breath making this announcement year in, year out!
Strategy
At 8.30am there was something like a pop. Then there was a shout! Then the run started. I was hardly ready for the start. It just happened and off the runners went. I had a new strategy for this particular run. I wanted to test the timing gadget so that I can be sure of how much time it takes to get this run done with. I had studied the counter more keenly this time round. I knew that there were nine hilly sections, with hill number nine being the last and toughest, with a 1.5km stretch on a 45 degrees elevation. I just wanted to time and survive that last hill.
With this in mind, I hardly noticed any of the previous eight hills. I was having a good pace and could remember hitting the 5k to get the first water point before breaking any sweat. There were no sponges at the first sponge station on the 7.5km mark – but no big deal. There would be others. By the second water point at 10km, just after that first ‘bad’ hill, I was still good and enjoying the run. I missed sponges, once more, on the 12.5km mark. It was not my day, but with water at hand, I was still good to go.
Unending hill
The water station at 15km convinced me that the run was about done. I just had to survive a 7km hill to the finishing point. The sponge station soon after could not have come at a better time. I snatched one from the roadside, quickly washed off my face and head, threw it away and continued my run. The 300ml water bottle, hardly sipped on one hand and the cellphone on the other was starting to feel so heavy. I could have thrown away the water, but I needed loads on both hands for the balance.
I thought too soon, since immediately after hitting the descent on the 17km mark, I immediately realized the arrival of hill no. 9. I usually know it by seeing it – it is just a 45 degrees uphill that is just there. You can see it and you cannot escape from it. It is just there, quiet and waiting. I found a group of running just walking. It is not a hill that you dare run, unless you are a runner. I was a runner, so I kept trudging on – slow, painful steps, but kept going. I like this hill – it gives you a short break of about ten meters, after the initial 800m, then you face the next 700m of steep hill. A hill that is still waiting for you!
At the end of the 1500m, at the very top of the hill, there is a crowd waiting. They cheer you on, whether you are walking, running or crawling. However, once you get to the top, you just make an immediately left turn to signal the end of your misery. From there you just face two mild hills to land you on the 20km mark for the last water station. Take your 300ml at this station and you can even afford to walk to the finish line. However, runners do not walk, hence you just keep going until the end. This marathon also had a new route, the start and ending were both on the main tarmac. Previous runs started at the main road at the shopping centre and ended at the Primary School past the shopping centre.
12-Sep-2015 <> 1.48.25 – that was my time. I had recorded quite some interesting paces for the 21km laps that make the marathon.
Distance = 21.14km (it was longer)
Average speed = 11.7km/h (I hoped to hit 12)
Max speed = 19.6km/h (like!)
Cal/h average = 898kcal/h
Cal/h max = 1596kcal/h (that's big!)
Calories = 1623kcal
Time in zone = 0.39.54 (this, am not sure of)
Laps:
km1@4.17, km2@4.20, km3@4.00, km4@4.12,
km5@4.56, km6@5.29, km7@5.19, km8@4.53,
km9@5.27, km10@4.40, km11@6.07, km12@4.27,
km13@5.59, km14@5.11, km15@4.59, km16@5.15,
km17@7.31, km18@5.59, km19@4.50, km20@4.58,
km21@4.47
Look at that strange lap time at km17! That hill is a killer!
Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, September 16, 2015
