The Secret Marathon by Martin Parnell

Author:Martin Parnell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RMB | Rocky Mountain Books
Published: 2018-11-12T16:00:00+00:00

KATE’S JOURNEY: THE SECRET MARATHON

Dust swirled around the runners’ shuffling feet. Wherever I looked, excited faces peered back, eager for the race to begin. The early morning light glanced off the hollow caves where the big Buddhas once looked out over the mountainous Afghan city of Bamyan, before becoming target practice for the Taliban. Now only the ravages of war remained, that and the scene in front of me, the second Marathon of Afghanistan.

It felt unbelievable to finally stand here at the start line. I was decked out in my loose-fitting clothes, covered head to toe. An audio mic was taped inside my headscarf with the receiver clipped onto my running belt. My camera was on a short extendable stick, which I held in one hand. My running belt carried my four bottles of water into which my calories were premixed. These four bottles, totalling 0.7 L (or 3 cups) of water would have to last me the whole way. Salt tablets fit into another compartment, and my phone (also my backup camera) filled the final compartment. I had two running bibs on, my official number – 61 – on the front and my unofficial number – 261 – on the back. Kathrine Switzer’s number. As I looked out at women in periwinkle-blue burqas cheering on young girls lined up to run in the 10-km race, I felt these women were carving out the same kind of path women like Ms. Switzer had carved for me.

The race was not without risk. We were told about the route only a week before the event and were sworn to secrecy to avoid being targeted by terrorists. Each person had taken a risk to be here. Armed guards lined the entire route and National Defense Service trucks followed closely behind each female runner, reminding us that this is a country is still very much at war.

The race followed a dirt path that merged onto asphalt. It started at 2500 m and climbed another 500 m up the mountainous desert region for the first half and then downhill for the second half. The air around me contained only 75 per cent of the oxygen I’m used to breathing, and I could feel my lungs gasping with every breath.

As I ran past the women in the race, we smiled at each other, each woman giving me a giant high-five and reaching out to hug me as I passed. Six Afghan women supported by Free to Run ran in the marathon along with seven women from other countries, 76 Afghan men and 11 international men. The men are as important as the women in this race because they have chosen to run alongside women. They are demonstrating that there can be a new way of understanding equality here in Afghanistan.

The constant uphill made my legs heavy, and I could feel myself slowing as though running through molasses. I thought of my friends, family and Leor, who trained with me. They were with me in spirit as I struggled up the hill.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.