On a hot Sunday in Cape Town, the streets were littered with runners, among them serious ones, experienced ones, novices and those who had come out to enjoy the world-class event.
I write to congratulate not the runners but the community of all the areas along the route, the Claremont, Mowbray, Salt River, Goodwood running clubs who had people standing on the side with tables, snacks, water – and more importantly, encouragement.
I am writing to say hats off to the cheerleaders and supporters.
If you have never run, you might not know what’s the big deal. I’ll be honest – until fairly recently I had never imagined I’d fall in love with running.
Growing up I had two friends who were the best 100m and 200m runners at school. I used to call them my horses. I would tell them about Bible verses, one of which says the wicked run when no one is chasing them.
And then came along Covid-19. Everything changed, not least our lifestyles. It’s then that I took out my sneakers and started running. And what started as a hobby turned into habit. It opened up my mind. I had tried it as a boy and came back to it as a man. Running became part of my life.
In all the races I have run since then, I have observed this beautiful practice of people standing on the side with sweets, cut oranges, potatoes, water, rubbing salts, salty food to ingest, and many other things we as runners need when tackling long distances.
I have always asked myself how on earth is it possible? How would an individual wake up early in the morning to go out on the streets to feed strangers and encourage them to run? How on earth, in these trying times, economically challenging, are people able to budget for others?
The cheerleaders come with not only food, but with their voices and creativity. They carry placards that inspire and encourage. For instance this past Sunday one stayed in my mind was “You are running better than the government”. Isn’t that inspiring, deep and true?
These people bring a very good vibe, and really boost your confidence. While many of them are there to support their spouses, children, loved ones, this doesn’t stop them from supporting the many others on the road as well.
And the reality is that some of us have no one who is able or willing to drive out there and shout our names on race day. So thank goodness for the supporters along the way who shout encouragement at us as if they know us.
Of course you’re probably wondering about how I performed in the race. Unfortunately I ran with two injuries and that humbled me big time. I had to walk a big walk from just outside of Claremont to the finish line but I managed to make it before the cut-off time. There was a time I thought of giving up but these strangers kept telling me it was possible. Indeed it was.
What you do not know is that I wrote this piece while running and walking. I was contemplating an exit and thinking about hanging up my running shoes. In fact I still have that in mind, but in the next few months, I will make that call. In the meantime, I am so grateful to the cheerleaders. They rock. Siyabonga.