Mgijimi and the birth of 100BEFORE40

4 - Mandela Day Marathon, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, 30 August 2015

"I have always believed exercise is a key not only to physical health but to peace of Mind" - Nelson Mandela

The Mandela Day Marathon (2015) was my first marathon after the Comrades Marathon. It was held on 30 August 2015. By that time, I believed I could do anything in life. We all have that moment when we believe we can do anything. Mine came on 31 May 2015 after completing the Comrades Marathon. The slogan for the Comrades Marathon 2015 was “Izokuthoba” (It will humble you). Instead of being humbled, I believe I humbled the Comrades Marathon in 2015.

A week before the biggest physical challenge of my life, I contracted a severe infection. I tried self-medication, ably assisted by my dear wife Agatha. The self-medication was my way of playing down the seriousness of my illness. I did not want to accept that my Comrades Marathon dream would not be realized, at least for another year. I had trained hard for my maiden Comrades Marathon and was not going to give up easily. The 2015 edition of the Comrades Marathon was a special edition. It was the 90th edition of the race. I wanted it to be my first Comrades Marathon. 

After three days of severe pain I decided to visit a doctor. The doctor told me that it was very rare for men of my age to have that problem. He conducted several tests, some of which I cannot divulge here. He told me that my condition was serious and I had to take a very strong anti-biotic while we waited for the results of the tests he had conducted. I was then instructed to return to the doctor’s rooms on a Wednesday for follow up tests. I was completely shattered. I knew that there was no way I would recover in less than a week and complete the Comrades Marathon. All the research I did, on Google I must point out, showed that the medication I was on was serious and it was not advisable to embark on severe physical exercise within a month of taking this medication. To make matters worse, the doctor had indicated that this was just interim treatment and I would get the actual medication after further tests had been carried out. My Comrades Marathon dream was seriously under threat. Barring any miracle, the realization of this dream had to wait for another day. I had to stay in bed and continue dreaming while I took my medication and worked my way to good health.

On Wednesday I returned to the doctor as he had instructed me to. I was feeling much better. I had started believing that I would run the Comrades in four days’ time. However, the situation worsened. The doctor told me that he was waiting for the results of the tests he conducted on Monday. He was, however, worried that the illness could be worse than he had initially thought. He indicated that I may have to consult a specialist. He told me that the he was not being an alarmist, there was not need to panic, but I exhibited some signs of prostate cancer.

I must confess, the doctor’s fears came at the best time. I was so engrossed in running the Comrades Marathon at that time. I did not worry much about anything, including the possibility of having prostate cancer. I was more worried about missing the Comrades Marathon. It was probably a stupid thing in the eyes of many, but I am glad I had the Comrades Marathon worries as a distraction. The Comrades Marathon provided so much refuge from all thoughts or worries about the possibility of having cancer to me. 

Two days before the Comrades Marathon the doctor called me and confirmed that the possibility of cancer had been ruled out, but I had to take stronger medication for a month. This call came when I was already in Durban. I had decided to run the Comrades Marathon anyway, whether I would finish it or not. Growing up, my father always told me that “the biggest (and probably the only) failure in life, is the failure to try.” I do not know where he got that, but I am glad he did not forget it and passed it on to me. I had decided not to give up on my Comrades Marathon dream. I was not ready to be a failure. I had decided to try and live to tell that “I tried.” So, I gave the Comrades Marathon a try and lived to tell that I tried and I made it. It is a long story and deserves to be told another day. For now, I will focus on the Mandela Day Marathon.

In 2014, I had done the half marathon, of the Mandela Day marathon, to avoid the “Struggle Hill”. The Struggle Hill is about 5 kilometers of intense uphill. The half marathon starts just after the highest point on the marathon course. The highest point is a few kilometers after the Struggle Hill. However, in 2015 I was ready to become a struggle hero in my own right. I decided to tackle the Struggle Hill and registered for the full marathon.

I forgot my sunscreen (a slightly expensive brand) at home and had to buy a very cheap one the night before the race. For some reason, I thought for this sunscreen to be effective, I had to apply as much as possible and I did exactly that. This made my bald head and face white. The bald white head and face attracted a lot of attention from the spectators along the course. Those who watch the television series “Isibaya” will recall that around that time (or not so long before that time) one of the characters on the show had been turned into a zombie. The zombie was known as “Mgijimi”. A lot of the spectators shouted “gijima Mgijimi” whenever I passed them. At first I did not realize that the remarks where directed at me. It was only as I was struggling on the Struggle Hill that I realized that I was the famous Mgijimi character of this race. An elderly woman approached me and said, “can I take a picture with you Mgijimi”. I obliged and we took the picture. From there, I proudly waved at the spectators whenever they said something about Mgijimi, good or bad.

I hobbled to the top of Struggle Hill. When I got to the top, feeling proud of myself, I looked back see what I had conquered. The view into the valleys was magnificent. I immediately forgot of the struggle I had just gone through. My Struggle Hill encounter made me realize that in life it was important to climb a hill without looking back to enjoy the view when you get to the top. I, however, had to quickly get out this momentary slumber. I still had more than a half marathon to get to the finish line.

I carried my Mgijimi title with pride all the way. At some point, we ran next to a cemetery. I remember a guy screaming “Mgijimi, do not pass your home on the right.” The cemetery was on our righthand side and he was reminding me that I was a ghost. He was right to some extent. At that point I was tired. I was dead to be honest. But, I had started something and I was not going to stop until I finished.

A few kilometers later, I got to the Midmar Dam. The view was another welcome distraction to the pain I was going through. There were few spectators on this part of the race. This made it a good part of the race to walk and recharge. I shuffled for a kilometer or so before getting to the next water point. After refueling at the water point and getting a few “you are almost there Mgijimi” remarks, I gave it another try. I managed to cross the finish line at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site after 4 hours 52 minutes. I had conquered another tough marathon, the Mandela Day Marathon.

I had a lot of time on the bus, from Pietermaritzburg to Johannesburg later that afternoon, to review my race. As I went through the highs and lows of my race, I imagined myself doing this (running a marathon) 100 times. I quickly convinced myself that I could easily run 100 marathons in my lifetime. The thought kept playing in mind. I worried about losing interest in running later in my life. I also worried about unforeseen health problems or injuries among other things. I then decided that I was going to run 100 marathons before I turned 40. Life begins at 40 as they say. I want to start my life having completed 100 standard marathons. That was the birth of my 100BEFORE40 adventure.

If its not on Facebook, it did not happen. I documented my Mandela Day Marathon, struggle hero moments on Facebook as follows:

"A wise man once said "a great leader takes his followers with him on his journey" — with Innocent Razano."