Running in South Africa - You gotta love it

There's a faint pink hue in the sky but otherwise it's still dark. Yet in this inky darkness a coalescing stream of cars flows with purpose. Soon orange spotlights and the bubbling chatter of nearly 2000 runners crowds out the darkness - a fusion of age, race, gender, social status and skill. They talk easily, merrily as the announcer’s instructions roll over the crowd explaining the course. Moments later the somewhat uncertain sound of South Africa's gift to music - the vuvuzela, heralds the start of the 32km race.

The huddle of runners, without pausing its conversation, flows forward like a living river eager to run its course. The rich smell of curry wafts tantalizingly in the slightly humid morning air, as the runners make their way past high-rise apartments and old 1950 houses complete with stoep, out-house and corrugated iron roof.

The jovial tide of runners suddenly swirls about as it reaches the first water table and the runner's 3 step dance ensues. Grab dangling water sachet with grateful grunt. Rip, spit, squeeze and savour plastic flavoured liquid. Toss disgorged water sachet in general direction of bin. And then the flow resumes as the bubbling river of runners flows over hills and plummets through valleys.

The friendly spirit sees Marshall being thanked hundreds of times, as he smilingly guides the flowing mass. Soon the front runners, those works of art in motion, are seen returning - a trickle of brilliance that alters not for hill or vale. The bubbling spirit of the flowing group continues even as the warm arms of Africa's sun begin to press upon it.

Black, white, male, female, old, young - strangers on a shared journey - one people. "It's quite a tough run", the stranger says as we share a common pace, a common space for a few moments. I nod sagely, in that way only a fellow runner can do. "Ja, but it's a good training run," he says as the tide and topography separate us. "I'm doing the Postnet marathon", says another runner to his companion. "Ja that's good. I'm gonna also run Two Oceans as part of my peak week training for Comrades", he replies as they too merge into the river of runners.

"Aah, I think to myself, where else would you hear talk like this? Where else would a 32km, a marathon, an ultra marathon, be a training run? Where else does the vuvuzela start a race? Where else do so many races, so many faces smile and talk and journey together?

The unrelenting passion of the announcers voice heralds the end. A welcome, warming, wonderful sound. I collect my spot-the-shirt-beneath-the-adverts t-shirt as I let the laughter, the chatter, the camaraderie of my fellow runners wash over me. Aah, running in South Africa, you gotta love it!

Yours in running easy
Craig Blewett
(after running the SparkPort 32km Challenge on Sunday)

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