So many common places for the shortest race of the circuit!
‘The seasons are no longer the way they once were’, the rain season is late this year and the torrid heat made the shortest race of the circuit more demanding. ‘Nothing drenches your thirst more than a glass of water’, at the arrival the manual water pump of the Mungu School is assaulted by the young thirsty athletes. ‘Nothing is more refreshing than the shade of a tree’, at the end the 250 participants fought for a place under one of the huge secular mangoes in the schoolyard.
Two rounds for the Seniors, one for the Juniors. The circuit allows those who are not running to follow the others, cheers and hoax alternate uproars and laughs, a few clouds cover the sun for a couple of minutes slowing down the slow cooking of coaches and athletes, the first prize, other than the usual refund, is a big umbrella for the imminent rain season, but at the end the winners open it to make a shade to themselves and a swarm of lucky friends.
The four marathon runners who Wednesday run at a fast pace for 22 km have a heavy stride and the smile of who has transformed a training, which was supposed to be a test, in a race with the knife in the teeth … but it is right like this running must foremost be fun, if the sport is not fun it becomes something else.
Today present once again at the arrival the promising Lucky, more or less 20 years old, very strong, up against a reparatory wedding, grade 12 exams, a son coming soon, a 16 year old ‘wife’, a job to find or to make up, common and normal problems for many boys like him … some promising female winners of the previous editions have found themselves in the same position, the families often still encourage the getting away from home of their daughters through marriage, there is little far-sightedness, a lot of ignorance and confusion caused also by the 34,000 churches officially registered in Zambia, there are those who say the condom is only safe at 20% … that HIV is punishment from God … you cannot get married in a catholic church if the husband has not paid the full lobola (bride price) … and you will not receive a funeral in the church if you do not pay the monthly mutulo … and the more you have the more you put … the negative effects of churches and cults which see Africa as a land to be conquered is deleterious at least as much as the many vilified multinationals.
Never Give Up Lucky! Hopefully you will have the same strength, resistance and resilience which you have demonstrated on the difficult running tracks.
In the race of the Seniors Lucky was preceded by the, for now, dominating Eugene Chambwa and Sydney Mweemba. Among the Senior Girls victory for Milica Mweswa who taught a lesson to in order Paides Mulyata and the restored to life Esther Mweswa. The Junior Ackim Mwanza won at best leaving behind Gift Matimba and Frighten Mweemba. Ramona Muyoya, Silvia Makala and Mercy Kapempe occupied the podium of the Junior Girls before going to cheer and make noise along the track.