Nairobi Marathon 2014 – making teachers out of runners

Nairobi Marathon 2014 – making teachers out of runners

Am tempted to let the story of this Sunday, October 26th run just go.  Running the 8th consecutive Nairobi International marathon on its 12th edition is an achievement enough… and it is like I have seen it all.  If anything, am more tempted to recount the recent run, two days prior, that I had at a top Nairobi hotel, where the IEEE was hosting a seminar, whose introduction was, “How many of you are teachers?”

With every few of the thirty of so hands raised, the speaker had to rejoin that, “We shall make teachers out of you by the end of session tomorrow.”

Being made teachers was quite an experience.  The first task was to work in groups of two to three and make a wind mill out of the provided materials.  And this was the list of materials – three pieces of cut carton pieces, about ten by twenty centimeters each, a piece of string, a piece of wire, some four wooden planks, each about 30cm, a pair of scissors, pins, masking tape, paper clips and some marker pens.

“Use the available materials only.  Do not attempt to pick any extra from your neighbor,” the person supervising emphasized.

Hair drier
In reaction to what was going on, about twenty minutes into the exercise, the supervisor added, “We shall be testing the wind mills using a hair drier that shall be 30cm from the mill.  The mill should be able to rotate on its own without any human intervention.  Additionally, it should be able to lift a tea bag through a vertical height of 15cm.”

One hour later, the eight or so groups had come up with all manner of designs – from the good to the bad, from the comical to the absurd.  At least my first lessons of being made a teacher did not go in vain, since the mill made by my group of three managed to achieve its objective with the constraints stated.  I had a Ugandan and an Ethiopian in my team.

By day two we had done other practical work on mechanics and electricity, including an experiment on proving Ohm’s law and even moving a light tower from one side of ‘the river’ to another using some form of roller, without touching it and with due regard to the environment.  We even built a robot arm to lift a cup full of sweets, with a twist that it should also lift an overturned cup!  The ultimate good that came out of this was being allowed to take home the material to repeat all the experiments at our own convenience.  Did I mention that Ohm’s law experiment came along with a digital meter, a 9V battery, an experimental board and resistors?  All for keeps!  We were reminded to stop by tryengineering site to try engineering with similar projects.

Winning time
Talking about keeps, let me revisit the Nairobi International Marathon, aka Stanchart Marathon, where I was donning runner no. 3598.  This is the only run that I know of, where no one has been able to ‘keep’ the win on any two occasions ever.  We have had 12 annual runs and 12 champions in each of the run categories: 42k men, 42k women, 42k tricycle men, 42k tricycle women, 21k men, 21k women, 21k wheelchair men, 21k wheelchair women, 10k men, 10k women.  None, repeat, no one has ever managed to win twice.

This year was no different, when new faces won the 42k men’s event in 2.12.24, while the ladies event was won in 2.43.05.  The half marathon was conquered in 1.03.12 and 1.14.52 for the men and women events.  On my part, I stopped my timer at 1.40.53 as unofficial.  This is because I did not even know when the 21k run started.  I was milling around with the second half of the sea of runners, when I just started the timing and somehow the run also seemed to start.  My group probably walked for a whole 5 minutes before getting a breakthrough to run within the multitude.  I could blame this startup snarl-up as the cause of my 1.40.  I had hoped to break last year’s time of 1.35, but it was not to be.  However, my split times were quite impressive and am at a loss as to why I did not better my time.  These were the splits:
0.19.24 – 4km
0.37.13 – 8km
0.48.16 – 10km
0.56.13 – 12km
1.06.04 – 14km (the last distance marker that I saw)
1.40.53 – finish

Champion finish
From the above analysis, my run was lost generally by slow pace, since my average run remained 4.8minutes per km from start to finish.  The slow pace could have been due to the heat.  The sun was just too hot.  In fact, as I walked to the stadium around 6.30am with a colleague, having taken a matatu at 5.45am to make it in time, the colleague had joked that, “The sun seems unusually hot today,” and that was just before seven o’clock.  The good news is that that last stretch past the stadium to Langata road and back to the stadium was no longer a surprise.  I had prepared for it and I even liked it.  I also managed to finish at the same time as the 42km men’s event champion.  The stadium therefore cheered the two of us as we sprinted to the opposite sides of the stadium to finish our respective run.

Due to the closed roads, I had to walk with my two colleagues from Nyayo stadium to Westlands – additional torture for the already tired legs – but that is just an episode on the life of a runner.  Can’t wait for 2015 run season.  For now… let the Christmas festivities begin.

Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, October 27, 2014

Running the C4D route

Running the C4D route

I have to give it to the people who organize seminars.  It is not easy and it may be disappointing and frustrating.  I have tried a few seminars myself and I am getting to accept that getting an audience may not be that easy.  I have learnt the trick of first listing the invited guests then taking an honest assessment of their likelihood to attend.  If this is not possible, I usually just work with 20% attendance.  These numbers do not disappoint me since they turn out to be the actual.  I shall however conduct a study that shall give me the authoritative numbers, but for now, work with 20.

It was therefore no surprise when I have the run-in with C4D (computers for development) seminar at the Savora Stanley and expected maybe a different picture at the meeting of stakeholders to discuss strategy on cloud computing.  Seven tables, each with seven seats on a circular format and hardly 20% members on any of the table, 30 minutes after due time.

Introductions
One of the members of my table makes an introduction, “Am Tonny”
“WB,” I say, only to realize am talking abbreviations.
“Am your student at School of Computing Chiromo,” I add.  It should be more like ‘former’, but I feel good that way.  “Am currently working on a new smartphone app at your C4D lab, that shall change the way we use the gadget,” I hesitate to add.

“Oh, you mean?  And which sector are you in now?”
“Running,” says my mind.  “Technology… Engineering, but my interest is ICT,” I am taken aback.
I struggle with the wifi that does not connect despite the notice at the head of the room reading, “Wifi password microsoft”.  I give up on the wifi and head to the blog story, even as the room fill up disappointingly slow.

I recall getting the notification for the meeting about a week ago from the UON C4D project.  I expected this to be a seminar overflowing with participants, especially the ICT enthusiasts in Kenya.  Surely, it is the strategy on cloud computing – the current big thing – that we were to formulate for Kenya!  FCOL!  Later I recognize other familiar faces from Chiromo – Prof. Waema, even as the meeting room finally fills up and am more proud to be part of the team that shall make history.

Scholars
When the seminar started at about 9.15am, Tonny introduced the subject matter and recognized the presence of those in attendance by forcing a self-introduction.  The scholars from UON were there – faculty and students.  MS was there – the cloud computing, attorney and corporate affairs.  The internet society was there, was as Jamii, Red Cross, Natural Disaster Management Authority, Elimu TV, Technobrain and MKU students.

C4D had done a baseline study where they confirmed that there was no regulatory standards for cloud computing in Kenya, hence the essence of this start-up discussions.  They hoped for a draft cloud computing strategy paper by end of year.  On their part, MS educated us on the various cloud computing approaches, where they marked themselves as the leader in all.  The move from traditional on premise ICT has moved to IaaS, PaaS and SaaS i.e. Infrastructure, Platform and Software as services.  They mentioned Azure as the solution to all.

More or less
All was going well, until around the lunch break and end of session, when MS provided us with a ‘less is more’ overview by their presenter who epitomized the saying ‘clothes that start late and end early’ – both top and bottom.  The things that we men are exposed to!

There was nothing special about dining at the Stanley, in fact, I could have forgotten the experience had it not been for the starter butter that delayed forever, forcing those on the same table to just give up.  On my part, I told them that I shall wait, “for as long as it takes” – which turned out to be about 15-minutes after the soup and three reminders to their serving staff later.

My day could have been perfect, had it not been messed up by my stockbroker.  I had just passed by there to change a dividend disposal bank account when I experienced a new message translation system at my very face.  To start with, I had to wait without service for about 30-minutes, then later I had to explain the same issue to about three staff and finally, they exposed me to third party messaging a.k.a. translations.

Translation
I was just seated outside an office door, when this took place:
“Tell him to wait for the refund from NSE,” I heard from behind the open door.
The lady then came to where I was, “Eh, Just wait for NSE refunds, since the cheques are not ready.”
“But I did not come for the cheque.  I have come to change the bank account for dividend disposal.”
The intermediary went back, and started explaining to her two fellow lady colleagues, “He says the bank account need changing.”

“Tell him that we shall deposit on the account that he gave us.”
She was back, “We shall deposit to the account that you gave.”
Mad is less than what I felt.  However, I counted ten to one and started the explaining all over again.  By the time they had given me another form to fill, to replace what they ‘could not trace’, despite having filled it not so long ago, I was totally moodless.


Big
Then again, I still had to prepare for the C4D project proposal of the following day, where Thomas and I are inventing the next big thing on smartphones, but let me not say yet, since when we finally presented the idea to the group of about ten inventors and students at UON Chiromo C4D lab, the questions were fast and fast…

“This is too good to be true,” a student started, “Are you sure you shall get this going?”
“This shall be the biggest thing on smart phones.  I have been frustrated by this problem myself and I shall be ready to buy your solution.  But are you sure it shall work?”
“How shall you get the money?  Do you want to rely on the same Telcos to give you back the money?  Those MFs shall keep all the money!  Am most, expect a 70:20 deal,” he paused, “70 for them!”
“Who shall program for you?  Are your good at coding?” a student asks.
“We generally expect to manage the top level issues of the project.  We shall provide the use cases, flow chart and AI logic.  We shall get a programmer to code in C# and translate to Android,” I clarified.
“Refine the idea incorporating the views expressed and let us have the revised proposal for our approval.  You can work with C4D on this,” the C4D coordinator finally put the matter to rest.
Quite an eventful 48-hours – but just the adventures of running.

Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya

Worst run ever – the September run

Worst run ever – the September run

They say August is the bad month in Kenya, but I have proved otherwise.  Anyway, that August thing is a hype that I have never believed in.   There are some phone calls that you dread.  I got one of those two years ago one early July morning, July 6, 2012 to be exact, when my dad passed on.  That is usually the ultimate one, so no other call can surpass that, right?

“The house has burnt,” that was on a Monday morning.  I know it was a Monday, since I had started by going to a lawyer’s place at Westlands early morning, to sign some university loan forms for a student.  I was back to office by 9.00am.  It was September 8.

“Pardon”

“The house has burnt.  Am standing next to it.”

My head was in a spin.

Three weeks later, I was set to meet the landlord of the burnt house to start discussing investigative findings and hence liability.  The circumstances remained mysterious.  A locked house and an explosion, according to first responders, then a fire!?  In a dwelling that we have stayed in for 3 years?

I did the Ndakaini marathon on September 13 with these exact questions still lingering in my mind.  I had the same questions when I finally landed in the city of Kisumu ready to discuss the matter with the landlord.

How do you react when you visit a new dwelling and the neighbor introduces herself as, “… born again”.  Is that supposed to send a message?

That aside, I now had to face the landlord and find out once and for all if the month of September would live up to its billing.

“You know that internal damage is the preserve of the tenant, don’t you,” the landlord started.

We were inspecting the burnt house.  For the first time I was looking at the damage.  I could say that it was good that the fire happened when no one was in the house, about 9.00am.  It is said that the landlord’s family who stay in the adjacent house heard an explosion and on investigation, found the house on fire, actually, the bedroom part of the house.

My inspection now told me why they heard the explosion.  That must have been the glassware and chemicals (spray cans and assorted beauty things) on the wardroom.  The wardroom was completely damaged, same to the ceiling of the whole bedroom.  Electric fault had been ruled out, since none of the electrical systems caught fire – not even the wires that connect to the switches or sockets.  There was no power failure in the last 24-hours to the fire, hence no chance that a candle had been used in that period to have been left burning.  It could not have been gas, since the fire did not touch the kitchen where the gas was kept.

“It could have been worse,” I comment, more in shock than conversation.

The neighbours and artisans that are participating in the construction boom at this Kisumu East estate were the first responders.  They had broken the bedroom windows and even removed a few iron sheets from the roof, on the bedroom location on this bungalow.

“Can you believe that they had to even break the main door when madam came back and tried to open the door without success?,” the landlord commented.

I looked at him puzzled.

“Look at this lower bolt,” he said, pointing at the still affixed bolt on the lower part of one half of the metallic door.

“Coincidentally, this bolt was fixed in place, despite it being virtually impossible to do that if you are locking from outside as one leaves, the way mwalimu had locked as she left”

That was a puzzling realization.  What really happened?

“The repairs shall be about 50,000,” he said, as a matter of fact, some minutes into the inspection.  I know what he meant.  He was slapping me with liability and I was expected to make good.  I had just spent another 35k for new house charges, and almost said as much, but did not.  My mind was wondering.

“It could have been worse,” I did not realize that I had repeated this.  But this was true.  We could be talking about the house plus the landlords.  We could be talking about the block plus the neighbouring houses, and the way they have crammed houses in this estate?  Houses literally touch each other.  Forget parking space if you live in Lolwe.  It could have been worse – if this happened at night!  It could have been worse – if I was looking at more expensive damage. 

In one day's time I shall be starting my October runs.  I would like to forget September in a hurry.  After all…

It could have been worse!

Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Kisumu, Kenya, September 29, 2014

Ndakaini II - I was ready, but...

Ndakaini II - I was ready, but...

I am already planning for the third attempt at Ndakaini.  This is because I failed to beat the under 100-minute, which was my intention, as a way of getting back at the organizers.  I was getting back at them for their pre-race poor organization that forced me to go for my run number about 5 times without success.  I finally got my run number 1957 one day to the event.

Early

But this is how it was: For Ndakaini 11 of Saturday, September 13, 2014, I left my residence at 4.45am and walked to the highway to get a matatu that dropped me in town around 5.00am.  I did not know where the communal transport was to be picked, since the organizers had promised to call with this information but they did not.  I just decided to match to Kenya Re parking, where we got our transport last year.  True to instinct, I found the first ‘Double M’ bus almost full and ready to leave.  I boarded and was out of the city at exactly 5.45am.  I sat just behind the driver, next to a lady who looked like a press girl.  Just in front of me, and to the left, I saw other press men, evident by their badges and big bags, out of which I could see cameras protruding.

The drive through Uhuru Highway to Museum Hill roundabout was smooth, with hardly any vehicles at this time of the morning.  We hit Thika road five minutes later and it was smooth all the way to Thika, where we turned off to the left towards Gatanga at 6.30am and finally disembarked at Nairobi Water station Ndakaini at 7.20am.  I noted that this was about 30 minutes after Gatanga shopping centre.  I was at the starting point, a five minute brisk walk away, by 7.30am.  I now had a whole hour to warm up.  In fact, only a handful of athletes were gathered at this time.  Alas!  The runners started streaming in from all directions, and by eight, the starting line was packed.

Homour

The warm up started and the so did the excitement.  By 8.15am, the jostling for the front line was already evident.  We even had a false start at 8.30am, only for the runners to be called back.

“Let them start the run now!,” someone shouted from the crowd.

“We did not come here for a warm up!,” someone else responded.

“I may be running till late evening, the earlier we start the better,” this particular one left all in stitches.

Amidst all that, I could hear a fellow runner tell his colleague, “I have gauged the runners.  I shall at least be number 990 out of 1000.  I cannot be last, that’s for sure.”

The starting blast occurred amidst all that chatter.  I press the start button on my phone’s stopwatch, and off I went, with the middle group of runners.  The first stretch of hill to where we parked the bus was unnoticeable, though those who sprinted were out of breath in five minutes.  The weather was cold, chilly to be exact.  It was even drizzling.  The run pace was good and I was doing quite a fast run.  I hit the 5km marker at a water station, with a time of 0.23.33.  That was fast!  I had envisaged a 0.25.00 at this point.  With that pace, I was surely going to do the sub-100 guaranteed.  Then the first hill hit me out of nowhere.  I reduced pace together with all the runners on my group.  Some of them reduced so much that I had to overtake them.  I remembered that I still had the next many hills, though this time round I was psychologically prepared for them all.  A turn, followed by a river crossing brought the next hill, then another turn brought the next hill.  A short stretch, a steep downhill and there again, another hill.  After that, just a sharp left turn then a hill, followed by another hill.  I knew that this was not the end of it.  We passed by a noisy crowd of secondary school children urging us on.  Later, some lady commented on our direction, “Sasa ni mlima moja tu.”, translation, 'just one more hill'.  I knew that she was lying, but I kept going.  Keeping the truth to myself.

Hilly finish

We then faced the 45 degrees hill.  I had seen it described on the runners guide, I remembered it from last year, and I knew it when I saw it.  No worry, since I was ready for this one.  I know that there are other hills ahead, though not as steep.  I kept doing hill after hill after hill.  I make a final turn to the main road that leads back to Ndakaini.  I knew that this stretch was about 5km, though it could ‘cheat’ you that you are just about to finish.  It also had its share of mild hills, but I was ready for all these hills this time round.

My mind was still lost on the number of remaining hills, when I finally reached Ndakaini shopping centre and had to take the last hill, followed by a right turn to Ndakaini primary school finish point.  I finished the run and …. I was not tired.  Some lady pointed a gadget on my run number as I walked out of the finish line.  I realized this was the timing chip being read.  I also remembered to stop my timer at 1.46.50.  Now, this was 106 minutes.  So, where did I gain the 6 minutes!?.

At the finishing line, I do not remember how many 500ml bottles of water that I took.  At least five, that’s for sure.  Later on, it was time to crown the king and queen of Ndakaini 2014.  Mathew Kisorio won the 21km mens event in 1.05.30, while Gladys Chesire was the ladies champ in 1.15.37.

This is what I wrote to colleagues on the runners page after I was back home, “I could blame the cold or drizzle or the added hills or all. However, that does not matter, since next year am meeting the route for the third and final duel.”  Maybe even the run edition was to blame.  Was it Ndakaini 11 or Ndakaini II?

I cannot conclude before talking about the speeches.  How do you keep tired marathoners waiting for the crowning moment by engaging in long speeches?  The Chairman of the organizing committee calls the area MP to greet the people, in a greeting that lasted over 5 minutes.  MP Roho Safi then calls the Area MCA.  MCA then calls the Senator.  Senator is followed by UAP MD – surely!  At some point we heard from the Cabinet Secretary in Charge of Environment, Prof. Judy Wakhungu, which was significant since she was the one who then awarded the 200k cheque to Kisorio and another 200k to Chesire.  For the rest of us…

Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, September 13, 2014

Ndakaini 2 - Shall I be twice lucky?

Ndakaini 2 - Shall I be twice lucky?

Second time
I shall be going for my second attempt at the toughest marathon on earth very soon.  My run last year was curtailed by the many surprises that I encountered on the route.  I hope that am now more psyched for the run than last time.  Whether this comes to pass remains to be seen when I hit that dusty road on Saturday, September 13, 2014.

Before, then I have been trying to get myself on the ready.  Sample this...

I just read on the organizers website that the registration fee for the event is KShs.1,000/= (USD12.00) unlike the previous fee of half that amount.  There is no explanation for the 100% increase, but I do not expect any.  At this rate, am afraid that the transport fee shall be double the amount charged last year, when it was pegged at same rate as registration fee.

I have been kind-of practicing for this run, trying my best to do the three runs per week.  Of the four week passed, since I started the 15-week countdown to Nairobi Marathon on July 21, 2014, I have managed to run 8 of the 12 scheduled runs.  That is a 66% success rate, but I need to up the game, if am to beat Ndakaini in 2014.

More dollars
Talking of increased registration fees, I have just read an invitation to Nairobi International Marathon 2014 aka Stanchart Nairobi Marathon.  And… surprise, surprise… they have also doubled their registration fee from KShs.1,000/= to KShs.2,000/= (USD24.00) for all categories of runs.  I know that increase from USD6 to USD12 makes you go, “Ah!”, but from USD12 to USD24... that makes you go “Hapana!”.

Finally, I had to publicize the Ndakaini event on the marathoners page on FB, on the group “Runners with strong spirit”.  I have been out of the SMS for long and found quite a few surprises (including abbreviated language such as SMS which means Social Media Site – that’s my creation).  The types of updates that I see!  Let me just leave this to ‘see’ and not write about it.

Barack Wamkaya Wanjawa, Nairobi Kenya, August 18, 2014

Comrade power

Comrade power

“You mean you can run to here?,” a colleague asked.

We were now in the institutional bus on our way back to work after a successful tree planting exercise.  Pure fate and luck had enabled me to be attending this occasion on Friday, April 4, 2014.  To start with, I had started feeling like having a cold the previous day and had in fact promised myself that I would take the Friday off.  Secondly, I only came to learn of this event by virtue of being accessible to department communication, where my staff were being asked to assist in delivery of seedlings from Muguga to UON’s Upper Kabete campus grounds near Ndumboini.  Just as simple as that, I had asked my colleague, John, who was organizing the event if I could join in... and he said that they needed a photographer… and who else?

The tree planting exercise was eventful.  We started by reviewing what was planted last year, and the remnants did not look good.  Our head of delegation had in fact lamented that it was an exercise in futility spending long hours during a similar event last year only for the products to be left to the vagaries of nature.  It did not end there, he went ahead and stated this when he was called upon to give a speech on behalf of the Director General, during this Friday event.

I had already lost a cap, technically ‘given it out without getting it back’.

“Can I have your cap?,” the lady had asked.

I could see that ‘student’ was written all over her.  I could guess that she is either fresher or sophomore, but more to the latter due to her very outgoing nature.  The former tends to be a bit reserved, at least that is how I knew them to be, then.  The clincher was her dressing, which left a lot to be desired.  I could easily see more that I bargained for and it was still early in the day.  Or do we need to shed off more cotton in the name of 'going green'?

“Of course,” I had replied.  For good reason, I may add.  Our institution and UON Upper Kabete campus collaborate a lot.  Our head of delegation was an alumni of UK.  (My association there however had a HT aka Harry Thuku... road).  In keeping to this spirit of cooperation, I had given out my cap without thinking twice.  The silent understanding was that it was to be used for the photographic moments (and handed back).  To prove the point, I handled the camera in taking a few shots of my team and the student visitors.  I could see that another one of the students had also acquired a branded cap.

The tree planting event was 'started and finished after it had been started and finished'.  This statement is true.  We arrived at the farm land around ten and went straight to tree planting.  By eleven, we were through with our allocated parcel and seedlings.  However, that is the time when the ceremony marking the start of the event was taking place, at the tent installed in the middle of this vast bushy farmland.  After speeches, they gave a vote of thanks and then…. welcome all to participate in tree planting.  How is that for protocol!

Am no stranger to the geography of the university land.  We trespass with abandon during our runs.  Our trespassing is however justified because the UON is a public institution and therefore its roads are public, are they not?  There is only one road that they prevented us from accessing, and that is the one through the college where their campus buildings are located.  However, we have not given up on getting through.  Someone needs to help me interpret the constitution on the freedom of running and the bill of runners rights.  One run route that passes close to where we were planting the trees starts at Ndumboini to the hilly path towards the university farm, then a right turn through this farm, then to Mary Leakey school, before joining Lower Kabete road to 'the tarmac', where we take another right turn past Kabete Childrens Home on the left and  Kenya Animal Genetic Resources on the right.  This dirt road goes down to 'the tank', then the hilly stretch back to Ndumbo.  That full circuit is about 6km.  The stretch from Ndumbo back to Uthiru is about a kilometer.  If you add the Vet-lab loops, you are likely to get to 10km.  In our list of marathon routes, this is the standard 10km lunch hour route.

“So, it is possible that one can run upto here?,” my colleague repeated, since I did not seem to have answered the first time, as my mind had wondered over the events of the past two hours even as I realized that I did not have my cap – but well, “Comrade power”.

WWB, Nairobi Kenya, April 9, 2014

Of Cheating Snakes and New Running Routes – The Story of Nairobi Marathon 2013

Of Cheating Snakes and New Running Routes – The Story of Nairobi Marathon 2013

Cheating
“Jimama liziiiima linadanganywa na nyoka”, his eminence had said, to a congregation that responded by loud laughter.  Cardinal Njue, the Catholic Church's Archbishop of Nairobi was delivering a summon as the church prepared to give Holy Communion for the very first time to its new congregants on this second of November date.  It was a Saturday, my otherwise usual day of service, though I was in another church deep at the suburbs of Karen at the Resurrection gardens.  The Cardinal’s statement was in reference to the Adam and Eve story, and probably a warning to women not to be cheated by snakes – literally or figuratively.

All this was going on while my mind wondered about my Nairobi Marathon 2013 performance.  I had deliberately failed to write the blog story.  In fact, a colleague back at the office had voiced this omission loudly when I passed by his department immediately after the marathon,
“I have not seen the marathon story on your blog”
“Am buying time.  The new route needs a completely new story, which am working on,” I responded.
The truth was that I was not working on anything, I was just buying time, with good reason.
“You know,” he continued, “there is no marathon without the blog story.”
I also knew that there was no blog without the marathon.  Now that the event had occurred, I surely needed to do what was expected.

While the church continued with the rituals to usher in the new congregants, I continued to think about the marathon…

Good time
I write this almost one month since the marathon.  This is deliberate.  I wanted to know my run time on the new route before I can talk about it.  The certs are now out and I managed a 1.35.33 on the new 21.098km course.

The 2013 Nairobi Marathon was held on Sunday, October 27, 2013 on a new route.  The new route was not very bad.  In fact, the Ndakaini marathon route remains the route to beat.  I did not expect the new route to be unmanageable, having done the Ndakaini about one month prior.  When I was explaining the route to my running group, one month to due date, I remember telling them that this shall be a run of ‘many hills’.  My mail had indicated that…
“We shall run the (museum) hill then (upper) hill…”

Long run
I had quite a number of participants in my team this time around, thanks for the corporate sponsorship of fifty.  This was after three failed attempts to convince the management that runs are good for its staff.  I even managed to get an official mini-bus to transport the participants to and from the Nyayo stadium venue.  However, none of my team members dared the 42km run.  I did not dare it myself since I did not want to try this long run on a new route that I was not yet familiar with.

The run day had one of the best weathers – cool with the sun from afar.  I was almost in perfect shape, apart from the stomach that had decided to do a run with me.  In fact, I almost canceled my participation due to the condition of my tummy.  Nonetheless, I found myself on the 21km starting lineup that was flagged off at exactly 7.30am, thanks to a sudden relief that I experienced.

The first part of the run was nothing to write about.  We were just running opposite the direction of the last marathon.  The stretch from Nyayo to Haile Sellasie road loop, then Harambee avenue loop and finally University way loop was uneventful.  If anything, I was really running fast.  I recall hitting the 4km mark at 17minutes and 6km at 25minutes.  If I could maintain this pace, then I was capable of doing 18km in 1hr 15min and probably the last 3km in 15min.  That would mean a 1hr30min run – a new record by all accounts.

The hills
My dream of breaking a record was not to be.  The Museum Hill stretch then flyover took a good amount of my energy, even as my unstable stomach haunted me the whole stretch upto the 10km turning point at Parklands.  The return journey was a struggle but I maintained good pace and was not surprised to find myself doing the Parklands – UON route quite steadily, then the UON – Uhuru Park route at almost the same pace.  The Upper Hill was not that tough, as I soon found myself on Bunyala road with a right time to the stadium, just after the railway flyover.  I turned towards the stadium at about 1hr27min and was surely headed for a record when I saw the 18km marker!

This marker almost ended my run right there, outside the stadium.  I had thought that I would be running straight to the entrance of the stadium then to the stadium but that was not to be.  We were to go past the stadium towards Nairobi West, then back on Langata Road to Mombasa Road, then back to Langata Road to rejoin the route to the stadium.  It took sheer strength and willpower to tackle these last 3km.  I just finished the run in good time for my stubborn stomach to start on me.

Future plans
As we took photos with team members and congratulated each other for another run done, all agreed that that 18km marker was a mistake and the next route should finish straight at the stadium instead of being near yet so far from the finish line.  We also complained about the sponsor asking the runners to 'go digital today', as printed at the back of the running kits, yet our Analogue team aka ENG-thoners are quite comfortable where we were.  Isn't this coercion?  In reflection, I note that this route is not that bad and can be beaten in under 1.35, especially if you are ready for the surprise that the 18km marker presents.  On that note, I need to start preparing for the 42km on the new route, which is just the 21km augmented by another 21km on the Mombasa route double circuit.


Barack W. Wanjawa, Nairobi, Kenya, November 23, 2013