Sotokoto marathon 2013 – too much water
Collapsed
I just collapsed on the seat and momentarily dozed off. I tried keeping my eyes open, but the eyelids were just too heavy, so I let them fall. The cause of this state started one week ago, when I logged onto an online site and filled in a simple registration form, followed by an automatic charge of 1,050/= on my bank card. Fast forward to two days ago, when I finalized the preparation by picking a running Tshirt, runner number 2917 and a carrying bag.
Last Friday, on the date of collecting the kit, the runners guide was missing from the package. I notice this after travelling through town to Uhuru Gardens, where I was turned back to AutoExpress, just opposite the gardens, where Sotokoto had setup a registration centre. Without the guide, I had a few questions that the attendant did not have answers:
“Where is the runners guide?,” I asked, after perusing the contents of the bag.
“They are not available”
“Not at all, or they are finished?”
The lady looked at me with puzzlement written all over her face, then, “Am not sure”
“Why are you here if you have no information?,” I felt like asking, but the more diplomatic question that came from my mouth was, “When does the run start?”
As if caught offguard, she looked up once more, from some scribbling that she was doing, in the process of registering another runner, then confirmed, “Am not sure”
I was already counting 10 to 1, and she could sense it. So she added, “I think it shall start 6.30am”
Spoilt for choice
I have to give it to Sotokoto 2013 of Sunday, July 07, 2013 – the course was actually like a river bed, with water, water everywhere. I was so hydrated that I had one of the best runs in a long time. The weather was however chilly, forcing our body systems to take up a lot of energy to keep warm. There were three runs on the cards – 5km juniors and family fun run, 10km open run and 21km main event. The first run started about 8.30am, though the programme, which they gave us as we arrived at Uhuru Gardens for today’s run, indicated that this should have started at 7.15am.
At 8.45am, instead of the scheduled 8.00am, the 10km run was ‘gunned off’, by the Governor of Nairobi County, Dr. Kidero. (It could not have been flagged off, since there was no flag - only a pistol on Kidero's hand). The main even runners trooped immediately behind the disappearing sea of humanity in the 10k run, and started jostling for the vantage front line positions. Threats of disqualification did not seem to move the athletes back to the starting line. In fact the front runners attempted two false starts, much to the chagrin of the organizers. With so much excitement in the air, the organizers somehow managed to push the athletes to the starting line, which was located just outside Uhuru Gardens gates on the main Langata road. Without warning, the starting gun fired at 9.00am, forcing me to push the start button on my split timer. I was at the back of the runners, who were not so many. I would put a figure of about five hundred.
One trick you should learn as a runner is to study the map and formulate a running strategy. I had gotten the runners guide in the morning and had fully studied the route. It was generally downhill for the first 3km, then a gentle uphill to Nyayo stadium, then almost flat on Mombasa road upto the turning point at 10.5km mark. Thereafter, the return route would generally be flat, until the last 3km of uphill to the finish line. The strategy was to take a fairly fast, but comfortable run to the 10.5km mark, then try to maintain the pace back to Nyayo stadium then Mbagathi road roundabout. The final 3km was uphill and needed willpower due to the lowered strength levels that would be expected after over one hour of run.
Running by the book
Alas, the run occurred as per strategy. I left among the group at the back and started to quicken the pace, overtaking a good number of runners by Mbagathi roundabout. By Nyayo stadium, the crowd had thinned out and it was a matter of keeping the pace and running your race. The weather was cold, almost chilly. Nonetheless, water is a must and I picked a 300ml bottle at almost every point, keeping the container at hand till the next water point where I could discard and get a replenishment. However, the water points were just so many that I had to bypass some without a refill, since I still had my water bottle almost full.
This run has no timing chip. Many runners did not do the 21km, in fact the only guaranteed distance was 10.5km, since we had to dip our hands into blue ink in some basins held by organizers at the 10.5km turning point, just near Cabanas. I did the ink dip and U turn at a split time of 0.44.00. There was nothing eventful about the last half of the run, just a torturous stretch of 3km to the finish line. With each passing ‘k’, the body starting getting fatigue. Whenever I discarded an almost empty water bottle, I felt like having thrown away 5kg off my hand. But I had to keep a water bottle handy at all times. I therefore had to live with the ‘5kg’ load.
Despite the good hydration, just like their Nairobi Marathon counterparts, Sotokoto failed to provide the distance markers. In fact the only event was a board with the number 20km, just opposite Wilson Airport, which I interpreted as the 20km marker. But this was a first – a packet of biscuits and another small pack of 200ml ‘yojus’ branded juice. I stopped my timer at 1.32.00.
Win or nothing
Some entertainment followed – music, dance, skits, zangalewa dancers. Finally, the winners were feted. The 2013 honours went to: Valentine Kipketer, Georgina Rono and Purity Kimeto as the top three ladies, while Joseph Colins took the men’s title followed by Philemon Rono and Stephen Chemlany. We were not given information on the final timing, but since I met the leading group on Mombasa road when I had clocked 0.33.00, I suspect the winner shall have a time of 1.00.00 to 1.03.00. The top three were awarded cash prices, being 250k, 125k and 50k respectively. The runner guide indicated that those in positions four to six would also be awarded 30k, 20k and 10k.
Even as more entertainment was unleashed, including some hard-hitting mchongoano, then an interesting Maasai dance, I finally had to leave the venue – with nothing! Yes, Sotokoto had once again, in its 4th edition, since the inaugural run of 2009, failed to give runners anything to show for the run. I even had to hand over the small piece of paper, with number 235 written on it, which I had been given upon hitting the finish line. Surely Sotokoto, not even a certificate of participation if you cannot afford medals?
I shook my head in disbelief, as I was jolted back to reality….
Mwisho
“Uthiru mwisho!, Uthiru mwisho!,” I heard from my subconscious, and struggled to open my eyes. The matatu that had carried me from University Way had reached its final destination. The makanga was asking passengers to disembark.
“Faster, faster,” he continued, as I struggled with lethargy to get out of the matatu.
How did I get here? I started recalling how I woke up in the morning and travelled to town, then Uhuru Gardens, where I arrived by 7.00am. I remember participating in a run. I remember leaving Uhuru Gardens around 12.30pm. Did I even pass by Nyayo Stadium to have a peek at my PO box? I must have got another matatu to town, alighted at Haile Sellasie Avenue and walked past the seats of power – Office of the President on the right and Office of Deputy President on my left at Harambee avenue. That is how I must have walked to University Way.
Wanjawa, W. B. – Nairobi, Kenya, Sunday, July 07, 2013
Collapsed
I just collapsed on the seat and momentarily dozed off. I tried keeping my eyes open, but the eyelids were just too heavy, so I let them fall. The cause of this state started one week ago, when I logged onto an online site and filled in a simple registration form, followed by an automatic charge of 1,050/= on my bank card. Fast forward to two days ago, when I finalized the preparation by picking a running Tshirt, runner number 2917 and a carrying bag.
Last Friday, on the date of collecting the kit, the runners guide was missing from the package. I notice this after travelling through town to Uhuru Gardens, where I was turned back to AutoExpress, just opposite the gardens, where Sotokoto had setup a registration centre. Without the guide, I had a few questions that the attendant did not have answers:
“Where is the runners guide?,” I asked, after perusing the contents of the bag.
“They are not available”
“Not at all, or they are finished?”
The lady looked at me with puzzlement written all over her face, then, “Am not sure”
“Why are you here if you have no information?,” I felt like asking, but the more diplomatic question that came from my mouth was, “When does the run start?”
As if caught offguard, she looked up once more, from some scribbling that she was doing, in the process of registering another runner, then confirmed, “Am not sure”
I was already counting 10 to 1, and she could sense it. So she added, “I think it shall start 6.30am”
Spoilt for choice
I have to give it to Sotokoto 2013 of Sunday, July 07, 2013 – the course was actually like a river bed, with water, water everywhere. I was so hydrated that I had one of the best runs in a long time. The weather was however chilly, forcing our body systems to take up a lot of energy to keep warm. There were three runs on the cards – 5km juniors and family fun run, 10km open run and 21km main event. The first run started about 8.30am, though the programme, which they gave us as we arrived at Uhuru Gardens for today’s run, indicated that this should have started at 7.15am.
At 8.45am, instead of the scheduled 8.00am, the 10km run was ‘gunned off’, by the Governor of Nairobi County, Dr. Kidero. (It could not have been flagged off, since there was no flag - only a pistol on Kidero's hand). The main even runners trooped immediately behind the disappearing sea of humanity in the 10k run, and started jostling for the vantage front line positions. Threats of disqualification did not seem to move the athletes back to the starting line. In fact the front runners attempted two false starts, much to the chagrin of the organizers. With so much excitement in the air, the organizers somehow managed to push the athletes to the starting line, which was located just outside Uhuru Gardens gates on the main Langata road. Without warning, the starting gun fired at 9.00am, forcing me to push the start button on my split timer. I was at the back of the runners, who were not so many. I would put a figure of about five hundred.
One trick you should learn as a runner is to study the map and formulate a running strategy. I had gotten the runners guide in the morning and had fully studied the route. It was generally downhill for the first 3km, then a gentle uphill to Nyayo stadium, then almost flat on Mombasa road upto the turning point at 10.5km mark. Thereafter, the return route would generally be flat, until the last 3km of uphill to the finish line. The strategy was to take a fairly fast, but comfortable run to the 10.5km mark, then try to maintain the pace back to Nyayo stadium then Mbagathi road roundabout. The final 3km was uphill and needed willpower due to the lowered strength levels that would be expected after over one hour of run.
Running by the book
Alas, the run occurred as per strategy. I left among the group at the back and started to quicken the pace, overtaking a good number of runners by Mbagathi roundabout. By Nyayo stadium, the crowd had thinned out and it was a matter of keeping the pace and running your race. The weather was cold, almost chilly. Nonetheless, water is a must and I picked a 300ml bottle at almost every point, keeping the container at hand till the next water point where I could discard and get a replenishment. However, the water points were just so many that I had to bypass some without a refill, since I still had my water bottle almost full.
This run has no timing chip. Many runners did not do the 21km, in fact the only guaranteed distance was 10.5km, since we had to dip our hands into blue ink in some basins held by organizers at the 10.5km turning point, just near Cabanas. I did the ink dip and U turn at a split time of 0.44.00. There was nothing eventful about the last half of the run, just a torturous stretch of 3km to the finish line. With each passing ‘k’, the body starting getting fatigue. Whenever I discarded an almost empty water bottle, I felt like having thrown away 5kg off my hand. But I had to keep a water bottle handy at all times. I therefore had to live with the ‘5kg’ load.
Despite the good hydration, just like their Nairobi Marathon counterparts, Sotokoto failed to provide the distance markers. In fact the only event was a board with the number 20km, just opposite Wilson Airport, which I interpreted as the 20km marker. But this was a first – a packet of biscuits and another small pack of 200ml ‘yojus’ branded juice. I stopped my timer at 1.32.00.
Win or nothing
Some entertainment followed – music, dance, skits, zangalewa dancers. Finally, the winners were feted. The 2013 honours went to: Valentine Kipketer, Georgina Rono and Purity Kimeto as the top three ladies, while Joseph Colins took the men’s title followed by Philemon Rono and Stephen Chemlany. We were not given information on the final timing, but since I met the leading group on Mombasa road when I had clocked 0.33.00, I suspect the winner shall have a time of 1.00.00 to 1.03.00. The top three were awarded cash prices, being 250k, 125k and 50k respectively. The runner guide indicated that those in positions four to six would also be awarded 30k, 20k and 10k.
Even as more entertainment was unleashed, including some hard-hitting mchongoano, then an interesting Maasai dance, I finally had to leave the venue – with nothing! Yes, Sotokoto had once again, in its 4th edition, since the inaugural run of 2009, failed to give runners anything to show for the run. I even had to hand over the small piece of paper, with number 235 written on it, which I had been given upon hitting the finish line. Surely Sotokoto, not even a certificate of participation if you cannot afford medals?
I shook my head in disbelief, as I was jolted back to reality….
Mwisho
“Uthiru mwisho!, Uthiru mwisho!,” I heard from my subconscious, and struggled to open my eyes. The matatu that had carried me from University Way had reached its final destination. The makanga was asking passengers to disembark.
“Faster, faster,” he continued, as I struggled with lethargy to get out of the matatu.
How did I get here? I started recalling how I woke up in the morning and travelled to town, then Uhuru Gardens, where I arrived by 7.00am. I remember participating in a run. I remember leaving Uhuru Gardens around 12.30pm. Did I even pass by Nyayo Stadium to have a peek at my PO box? I must have got another matatu to town, alighted at Haile Sellasie Avenue and walked past the seats of power – Office of the President on the right and Office of Deputy President on my left at Harambee avenue. That is how I must have walked to University Way.
Wanjawa, W. B. – Nairobi, Kenya, Sunday, July 07, 2013
