A few days working with elite marathoners from predominantly African nations is always a highlight for me. Yes, I know they are fast and extremely good at what they do but for me, it's about much more than their amazing physiology.
Take one prominent performer for instance. An emerging talent from Lesotho, this particular athlete embodies the cliche of African distance runners formative years running to and from school. It's just that she walked to class (and back) every day before she started running, a 16km round trip at that. What if it rained or snowed in the landlocked mountain kingdom? No school for weeks on end. Now under the wing of a leading coach, her tight neck and shoulders are a testament, not to Crossfit, but to the daily hand washing of her clothes in between training runs.
Then there are some guys from Joberg, all world-class talents who are gradually climbing up the world marathon rankings. Coached by one of South Africa's greatest ever distance running exports, they train daily around a park in the City of Gold. Long runs too. Round and round they go, mostly twice daily except for Saturdays (rest day) and Sundays (long runs). It's safe there, they say, when asked if they don't get bored or dizzy. No romanticism or waxing lyrical about the "Runner's High" for these guys. Like most of their competitors, they're literally running for their lives in order to put food on the table.
I could go on and on. But these are just two examples of the commitment and sacrifice it takes for these guys and girls in perform on the world stage, mostly with modest (if any) sponsorship. Yet they still smile, and smile a lot. Win or lose, they always look the same and keep their emotions well in check.
