Mashindano (Competitions)

I am going to try to make this a quick post, as the internet connection this morning has been on and off, pretty much in synch with the rain.

This week has seen a glorious plethora of sporting competitions in the city of Arusha. I am unsure if this week is different from other weeks, or it is just that this week I am actually aware of all (or some) of the events going on. The week started on Saturday, with the opening of the soccer tournament of tour companies. This is an annual event that roughly 10 companies participate in, with the winning team receiving a jackpot of $5,000. It is hosted now, at the end of May because it is the low season, and so most people in the tourism industry don't have any work. This week has been group play - 4 games a day with each team playing a total of 5 games in the group stage. Of course, most teams make this a full day (week) event, and arrive in style waving flags and crowding into safari cars and busses, then staying and cheering on friends, as just about everyone in the safari industries seems to know one another.

I have been enjoying the festive atmosphere, and have often picked up my friend's neices and nephews to watch with them, eating roasted peanuts and ice cream. (The peanuts are decicious, and sometimes if you are lucky they are still hot, while the ice cream looks like it ought to taste like rainbow sorbet, but is most likely frozen sugar water and a very very stale cone).

Saturday morning, I noticed a number of runner looking people running around the track (I believe the track is made of packed dirt with a very light layer of sand/gravel on top). After watching them run a few slow leisurely laps, I was surprised to see them racing! They started to a whistle, and I didn't realize that the 400 was a race until it was almost through. The next event was the 10,000, which wasn't held until close to an hour after the 400. This time I was ready with my stopwatch, and eyes pealed for the start. I could tell by looking at the runners that they were distance runners, but after timing the first lap in 68, I figured perhaps they were running a 3,000, or at most the 5k. But they just kept running! The lead runner (running the second 5k entirely alone) finished in 29.07, which is a great time. I have no idea what his name is, how old he is, or if running is his professional career. With the vast majority of the spectators being soccer fans (the game was going on in the infield throughout the race), there was little interest in the track race going on, although towards the end there was enough interest for cheering through the last lap or two. I was probaby the only person interested in the times, and was even asked at one point if I was a professional scout, since I was writing down lap times (uniformly 69-70 seconds).

As I have been watching the soccer competition for the was week, I have seen these guys running their workouts every morning. yesterday, I saw a guy run a Quentin Cassidy workout - 60 second 400 intervals with a 100meter jogging rest. I wasn't keeping track, but I would guess he ran 20...or more.

All this watching of running has made me really want to run, so I was pleasantly surprised on Tuesday morning when I went for my first "real" run in quite a while that I could run for 35 minutes fairly easily without even feeling sore afterwards. I guess all the walking around gets you more into shape than you realize. It was also kind of fun to have people yelling for the first couple minutes (since I started in town) all kinds of encouragement in Kiswahili and Kimaasai. However, after a few minutes I was very happy to be in the middle of nowhere and on my own.