On the drive back to Lesotho from my race yesterday morning, I got to thinking about how my life in Southern Africa is good for my running career. As we're all well aware, I never ran a day of my life whilst living in the US of A...other than running from one base to another during my jr. high and high school softball days...so my familiarity with the running set there is limited. All of these things may be true in the US and other parts of the world, but I'm in Southern Africa right now, so roll with it...
Having said all of that, I'll let you in on why I think starting and maintaining a "competetive" running habit is easier in South Africa:
1) Regularly Scheduled Races: As evidenced by this runner's calendar, you'll note that races take place all over the country on almost every weekend, and some weekdays too. The fact that they're compiled in a nifty matrix with race organizer contact details doesn't hurt either. No matter where you are in the country, if you want to race, there is one within reach.
2) Popular Races: The whole time I lived in the US, I never knew anything about ultra/ marathons except for the NY and Chicago Marathons, and Peach Tree Road Race in Georgia. Even when I could care less about running in South Africa, I still knew when and where the Comrades and Two Oceans Marathons were. Additionally, I knew all about the famed Soweto and Two Cities Marathons, and was forced to watch whilst with other friends. True, I'm now more in tune with the racing scene now that I'm trying my best to be a part of it, but the only time the Peach Tree Road race came to mind was when I had to deal with resulting midtown traffic.
Perhaps I'm a more than slightly freaked out by/curious about Ultra Marathons lately. If you are too, here's a list of ultras around the world. A lot of them are in the US...
3) South Africans are Sports Freaks: Football (soccer), Cricket, Rugby, Competitive running, you name it...South Africans love their sports. Yes, I did make a blanket statement, but it's a true one. Just about everyone here is actively involved in at least one sport...they put the F in fanatic...on the sidelines and in the game. Social life revolves around sports and being outside. Perhaps this is what tipped my curiosity about running over the edge. When in Rome (or South Africa as the case may be)...
4) Organized Race Clubs: If you want to run with a registered group, Southern Africa/South Africa is the place to be. Just check out the listing of running clubs in the Free State alone!
5) Low Race Fees: One of the virtual runners I regularly stalk wrote a post on how expensive race fees are becoming in the US. In South Africa (RSA), race fees seem to range from R50 to R60 (about $9) including a temporary running license. Larger, more popular races like the Two Oceans are more expensive. For instance, as a non-South African citizen, I paid a little over $100 for a re-usable racing chip, t-shirt, and entry fee. If I were a citizen of RSA, I'd pay about $60 for the same things. Luckily for me, this race only comes along once a year and hopefully by the next time it rolls around, I'll finally have my Lesotho residence permit and can apply the "rest of Africa" fee!
As I said before, all of these examples may be just as true in the US, but I just wasn't focused on it when I was there. Either way...I love living and running in Southern Africa and will never hide that fact!
I hope that where ever you are, you find a way to stay active and find as many opportunities as possible to stay involved. Just take the example of my friends, former Peace Corp buddies, and amazing supporters- Marti & Dave. These two inspirational individuals are really big into cycling. In fact, they are in the midst of biking from San Diego to the Adventure Cycling Association's trail across the southern USA!!!
If you want to follow along with Marti and Dave's adventures, check out their online journal:My Fine Cycle. You can also access the link to their blog on the side panel of my blog under "Folks I'm Running With"!
Enjoy and be inspired!!!
Until next time...one foot in front of the other...keep it movin'!
Yours in(spiration) training,
Dani
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