The rules are the rules...
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| The Goodie Bag... |
35 - AEL Milling Mielie Marathon, Welkom, South Africa - 20 January 2018
On
31 December 2017, while I was “taking stock” of my 17 Marathons for
2017 medals, my daughter, Kami, asked me if I was going to run 18 marathons in
2018. I told her that I had initially challenged myself to run 18 marathons in
2018, 19 marathons in 2019 and the list goes on, but I now had other ideas.
Instead of fixing the number of marathons at 18, the 2018 challenge was to run
at least 18 marathons. In other words, the goal was to run as many marathons as
I could, provided they were at least 18. This marked the birth of the AtLeast18MarathonsFor2018 challenge.
Missing
the Prison to Prison Marathon 2017 because of a delayed flight reminded me not to
leave things for the last minute. The Prison to Prison Marathon was the last
marathon on my list for 2017. It was scheduled for 9 December. Missing this
race put the 17 marathons for 2017 challenge into serious jeopardy. Luckily, there
was one very small marathon on the calendar and not far from Johannesburg. I
was able to complete my 17 Marathons for 2017 challenge at this race.
To
avoid a repeat of the anxious moments of December 2017, I decided to run as
many marathons as possible during the first half of 2018. This way, I would be
able to hit the 18 marathons mark early, and with many marathons still
available, in the year. The Mielie Marathon was the first marathon on the
calendars of all provinces that I looked at. When I noticed that it was Welkom,
a 3-hour drive from Johannesburg, I decided to try it. I had never set foot in
Welkom before. This was going to be some form of runcation very early in the
year. It also gave me an opportunity to add a new marathon to my 100BEFORE40
list. That was it, the 100BEFORE40 train was going Welkom.
I
arrived in Welkom on Friday afternoon around 16h00. I checked into my B&B
and took a nap for a few hours. I then collected my “goodie bag” and race
number later that evening.
The
start of the race was a low-key affair. There were not too many people running
the marathon. I doubt if they exceeded 200. Everyone seemed excited and ready
to take on the 2018 running season. The race started at exactly 05h30. For the first
10 or so kilometers, the people that I ran past or ran past me all looked
excited and ready for this. Many flew past me and made me question my fitness
so early into the race and the year.
I
had a vague idea of the course and understood it to be flat. I did not think it
was literally flat. There were a few bumps on the route elevation profile that
I had seen. These, however, turned out to be bridges over railway lines or
roads underneath. Being the first race of the year, I set the pacer on my watch
for a 3:55:50 finish. I then divided my race into four laps of 10km each. I
would run the first 10km lap about two minutes behind my target time. For the second
10km lap, I would ramp up the speed a bit to about 2 minutes ahead of my target
time. The third 10km lap would be a repeat of the first 10km lap. The fourth would
be a repeat of the second 10km lap. The last two kilometers and two hundred
meters depended on whether I was ahead of or behind schedule. This was a great
plan on paper. I just had to implement it with some degree of military
precision.
I
managed to stick to the plan until about 37 kilometers. At that stage, it was a
mind over body affair. Mathematically I could still make it, and I had my mind
set on it. However, the body had other ideas. No matter how hard I tried, the
pace stayed the same, behind the targeted time. At about 38 kilometers, I came across a
guy that was lying on the road side almost lifeless. I initially ran past him, but stopped
about 10 kilometers away and went back to check on him. He looked finished and completely out of it. I
asked him if he wanted me to call an ambulance for him. He assured me, albeit in
a not so convincing manner, that he was fine and he would finish the race slowly. I then left
and continued with my own struggle.
As
I had sort of predicated, the last two kilometers were anybody’s game. I was
about three minutes behind schedule. There was not much energy left in the tank
and all the hope of a "sub-4 hour finish" start to the year were fading with every step. This
two-kilometer stretch seemed longer than a Saturday morning Parkrun. I must
have given up on the sub 4 finish three or four times during these last two kilometers. The 41st kilometer was the most taxing. I took three walk breaks in that kilometer stretch. One
of the marshals assured me that I was in with a good chance for a sub-4 hour finish and I should
not throw that chance away. I don’t know if he meant it, but that was the motivation
that I needed. I then upped the tempo from that point until the finish line. I got to the home
stretch with about a minute and a half before the clock hit four hours. At that
moment, I realized that I could even walk to the finish line and still finish
under four hours. I resisted the temptation to walk and ran the home stretch head up, stomach in and chest
out, hiding all the fatigue.
As
I crossed the finish line, one Tannie came to me and asked me whether I had a letter from the Zimbabwe athletics federation to run outside Zimbabwe. That became the highlight of the race for me and I shared the
ordeal on Facebook in detail (see below).
Besides
Tannie’s antics, I had every reason to celebrate the Mielie Marathon. I had
started the year, and the AtLeast18MarathonsFor2018 challenge with a bang. It
was a sub-4 hour finish!!!
As
you, or should, by now know, if it is not on Facebook, it did not happen. I
made sure that the Mielie Marathon had happened by recording the race as
follows:
#100BEFORE40 Marathon_1_of-@least18_Marathons_for_2018, Mielie
Marathon fully loaded, 3:59:13. Great way to start the 2018 running season. One
down, at least 17 more to go. Lots of water and cola at water stations (because
there were not too many people😄). Very flat and a good race to get a fast qualifying time
for those who are seeking to qualify for the Big C or OMTOM. Almost got
disqualified at the end. One Tannie asked me why I was wearing my Zim Flag
vest. Told her because I am from Zimbabwe. Out of the blue she says where is your letter
permitting you to run here? Really now😠😠😠🙄. I was
probably number 110 (because there were a few people running, had there been
thousands - I would have been number 1000+). I calmly said I don’t need one.
She said the rules are the rules. I then asked what rules? I have a permanent
ASA license, that means I am a member of a local club. She then said oh, which
club? By that time, I was losing patience and told her that you should have
started there Tannie, instead of asking me about a letter. She didn’t like it,
but it was a fact. Anyway, she then checked my race number, saw Team Vitality
and said okay you can go. Maybe that is what the rules say, but for a marathon
that battles to attract 500 people to be worrying about those nonsense rules
for a social runner like me is just plain silly. Anyway, the referee’s word is
final. Road trip time now🏃🏃🏃🚂🚂🚂🏃🏿♂
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