"Rolling" on the XXL Bus with Shahieda et al...

39 - Gift of the Givers Township Marathon - Eldorado Park, South Africa, 25 February 2018

After completing the KIX Senshu International Marathon, I promised to go and play with “other children” at the Gift of the Givers Township Marathon. Honestly, it was just a promise. One that I was not sure I would keep. I had not even registered for the race. I also did not know if there would be late entries on race day. But you know how runners roll. We make decisions on the go when it comes to running matters. You just dream it up and find a way of turning it into reality. As the week progressed, I was not sure that I would be able to run the Township Marathon and kept a very low profile. I didn’t even tell my wife that I would follow through on the promise and run the Township Marathon.

Photo - Malepe Makgaka

I spent the day before the Township Marathon wondering whether to go to the race or not. Finally, just before I went to sleep, I put together my running stuff, getting ready for the race. When the alarm went off in the morning, I snoozed it three times. I only managed to drag myself out of bed an hour after my alarm first went off. I met a few familiar faces including Don Rukanda, Boyce Joko, and Shaheida Thungo just before the race started. They were planning to run a “sub-finish” time and seemed quite relaxed about the race. I then decided to join Shahieda’s XXL Bus. A long time ago I read about Shahieda being one of the pioneer lady bus drivers. I have seen her have a good day at the office. I have also seen her have a bad day at the office. I therefore decided to hop along and see how she does it and still remains passionate about it. They say, “do not judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” Well, to understand how Shahieda and other lady bus drivers do it, I had to run in her shoes for 26.2 miles. 

The bus started with a few familiar faces, the core passengers. It slowly grew as the kilometers went by. There were a few guys doing the half marathon who jumped on to the bus, understandably so. The pace was quite comfortable. It made the hard work look so easy. It also made me realize that running a marathon under five hours is not that difficult, if you know what you are doing. But that is not to say it is easy. Running a marathon is a challenging task. Pounding the pavement for 42 kilometers and 195 meters or 26 miles and 385 yards requires sheer determination and focus. You go through all sorts of emotions from the time you cross the start line until the time you cross the finish line. 

I have run on a bus before. However, on each occasion, I ended up jumping off before we reached our destination, the finish line. The Township Marathon was different. The kilometers seemed to fly-by much quicker, especially in the early stages of the race. The energy on the bus was electrifying. We had regular walk breaks, prayers, and countdowns in German by Don. From the moment I hopped on to the bus, I knew this was going to be a race with a difference. It promised to be an extended fun run more than anything else. I jumped off the bus around the 11th kilometer, to help one sister who was running a half marathon. As part of my “community service” as Shahieda called it, I was not going to let this sister battle on her own. I paced her until we parted ways at the half marathon and marathon split point, just after the 20-kilometer mark.

I rejoined the bus around the 22-kilometer mark. The mood was still jovial. We carried on for another five or so kilometers before Shahieda complained of chest pains. She asked us to carry on and assured us that she would be fine. I was devastated. This was my one chance to run a marathon in this bus driver’s shoes. Now chest pains? I mean, not even the rain spoiled the mood on the bus. However, she did not give up. After a few kilometers, there she was “rolling” and encouraging all of us to keep “rolling”. It was such a relief for me. I could not stomach the idea of leaving the bus driver behind. I must say Don had done a good job keeping the bus together in Shahieda’s absence. Then there was Meme with a whole grocery store by the roadside. We were spoilt for choice. Mageu, chips, you name it. It was all there. We later met Meme one more time around the 39-kilometer mark for another feast.

the look when you have killed it...

From there, it was serious business as we chased the 5-hour finish. There was a long hill right at the tail of the course. It proved to be a test of character for a few people on the bus. This is when I got to really appreciate the hard work of bus drivers, Shahieda in particular. On the one hand she had to focus on delivering the bus on time. On the other hand, she had to focus on not leaving the passengers behind. It’s a delicate balance to strike if you ask me. In the end, the bus was delivered after 4:58:43. Did I mention that Shahieda was not feeling well? Yes, she was not feeling well, but for the love of helping others, she was on the road making sure that those who were yet to qualify for the Comrades Marathon and the Two Oceans Marathon qualified. If that is not passion and selflessness, I don't know what is. You can check out her story here http://www.thatindierunner.com/2016/08/shahieda-thungo.html

The Township Marathon was a different day on the road for the 100BEFORE40 train. Marathon 6 of AtLeast18MarathonsFor2018 was completed in different style. It was a slow and fun filled adventure on the XXL Bus. Thanks a million to Shahieda, Don, Noni, Thabo, Tanya and other passengers, and Meme for the great experience on the bus.

As you, or should by now, know, if it is not on Facebook, it did not happen. I documented the adventure on Facebook as follows:

#100BEFORE40 Marathon 6 of AtLeast18MarathonsFor2018, Gift of the Givers Township Marathon, fully loaded. Today I decided to play with the other kids and, boy it was great!!! Thanks to Shahieda Thungo and Don Rukanda the reliable 🚌🚌 driver and assistant, respectively. You reminded me that running a marathon doesn’t have to be work (and pain) all the time. Sometimes, today was one such moment, you just have to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. 4:58:43 finish and loads of fun. What else can a guy ask for🙏🙏🙏