Nairobi Marathon
What is it like to run with the fastest people in the world?
I was about to find out…
It’s not everyday you get to run a marathon with some of the fastest people in the world. When I saw that the Nairobi marathon was going to be held at the end of October and I was planning to be in Africa around that time, I knew I had to make it work out so that I would be in Kenya for the race. Registration was $35 so it was a no brainer. If I registered and travel plans didn’t work in my favor, I wasn’t losing much money.
Since I really had my heart set on running the Nairobi Marathon, I made it work with our travel schedule. When I registered for the full 26.2 miles (41 KM) I also registered Clayton for the 10K, which would be his first ever running race.
For most people, running a marathon is something that begins months before the actual race. People memorize the course and train specifically for that environment. If it’s a hilly course, they run hills. If it’s a hot destination, they train in the heat. If it’s an early morning race, they wake up extra early for training runs to simulate that situation. And then there’s the training schedule that people execute weeks out. Most people start marathon training 16 weeks prior to the race and add mileage every week. Diets change and alcohol consumption is limited or stops entirely. As the day gets closer, clothing is planned out as well as race fuel and hydration. People know exactly what they’re going to eat the night before the race. Running a marathon is like science for some. They have everything planned out perfectly and they have thought of every situation possible.
And then there’s me. I’m traveling through China, South Korea, Japan and South Africa leading up to the marathon. I’m eating food that I’ve never eaten, staying in counties where you can’t drink the water, taking malaria pills for the first time and sleeping on hotel beds for months. I looked at the online race packet when I registered for the marathon but I never looked at it again until a few days before the race. Why did I really need to study the course? I didn’t know the layout of the city nor the conditions of the roads. Is it hot in Nairobi in October? I would find out race day. Everything about running this race was unknown and that’s why I was excited to run the Nairobi Marathon. The only thing I did know was that it was going to be epic.
After I finished the marathon many friends asked me to write about my race experience. I did. But then I deleted everything I wrote. Three months later I was finally inspired to write about the Nairobi Marathon. I was on Facebook and someone’s post asked “What’s your running sock brand of choice? Do you wear a different brand on the bike?” Many people commented about their favorite $15 pair of socks for running and for biking. For whatever reason, this post irritated me.
I’m an avid runner and I've run more than 12 marathons. I’ve also done countless triathlons and even an Ironman so I understand the importance of good gear for running and biking but are we such a consumer culture that we need to have a specific brand of running socks? Is it imperative that we have a pair of socks for running and another type of sock for biking? Does one pair or running socks really need to cost $15? I understand that some socks may cause blisters and some socks slide down your shoe when you’re running. I get it. But I don’t.
When I read this post I immediately thought about the Nairobi Marathon. I bought a pair of socks at a discount store in South Africa because I had an open wound on my ankle which needed to be kept clean. I had to buy a pair of high-ankled socks so my wound wouldn’t get infected from all the dust and debris. One week later, I ended up racing the Nairobi Marathon in those socks. They had no brandname and they were just fine. In fact, I still run in them regularly.
After remembering my Nairobi Marathon running socks, I thought about the top runners in Nairobi. Do they have a favorite brand of running socks? Do they ask friends which socks they recommend? I do remember seeing a male runner who finished the marathon in about 2:15 racing in a pair of Nike running shorts. They were pink and they were women's shorts. They were probably second hand and most likely sent from a charity organization from abroad. So no, I bet the top runners in Nairobi don’t have a favorite brand of running socks.
I also bet the wheelchair entrants don’t have the top of the line aerodynamic wheelchairs. In fact, I vividly recall running past some of the wheelchair participants. They were using old, beat up wheelchairs that were scratching the road as they raced 26.2 miles. I remember thinking if they could race uphill in a rusty old wheelchair, then I had nothing to complain about.
No running gels were given out during the race but they did have water stations every 3km. Full bottles of water were handed out. In a continent where water is scarce, I would take one sip of water and throw away the rest of the bottle. That bothered me during the race and I still don’t see the logic behind it.
There were only a few spectators watching the race and hardly anyone cheering us on. I don’t remember GPS watches going off every mile or kilometer like most marathons I’ve run. The sound I do remember was the Half Marathon lead group of runners. As they approached me they sounded like a pack of strong but light-footed gazelles. They gracefully blazed past me in unison with a running form belonging only to a Kenyan.
The finish line was on a track in a stadium and I remember crossing the finish line and receiving my medal. It was a bit chaotic the last 800 meters of the race because people were leaving the stadium where I had to enter. As I was running the last minutes of the race I had to weave through crowds of people who had already finished the Half Marathon, 10K and 5k.
I remember the packet pickup which was just that - a place to pick up your packet. No vendors nor free samples. The post marathon festivities were also very basic. There were no post race refreshments and I had to search for water because they ran out. However, people were still mingling, relaxing (some dancing) and enjoying the atmosphere.
Clayton and I stayed after the race to watch the awards show. I remember thinking that I had just run a marathon with the fastest runners in the world… in their country. I don’t have any crazy story about running barefoot through the dusty roads and spotting lions along the course. In fact, I didn’t see anything too unusual for a marathon. But, I did see people accomplish so much with so little, all while running without brandname socks.
