By Brian Hayes
(With apologies for feeble attempts to wax poetical at times)
Valentines Day is often an occasion for incidents of impetuousness, and for Marathon clinic members this is no exception.
On 14th February 2009 Leang and I were “spicing up” our Valentines night by attending a concert in Chiang Mai, Thailand which was billed as “Romantic Italian and Spanish classical guitar serenades”.
A world class Italian classical guitarist was to perform at the Payap University concert-hall at 8.00.pm.
However, when parking the family truck at the concert hall, we suddenly both looked at each other, as across the road from us there appeared to be a “gantry” being set up on the University entrance drive-way. In unison we said, “That must be a start/finish line for a race event.”
Without discussion, just gentle nodding of heads, we quickly investigated and within minutes we were both registered for a “mini-marathon” (10.5km) starting the next morning at 5.45 am.
I like to think and plan, and consciously go through a race “in my mind” before hand. But this impulsive decision left no time for that, no time to ponder the fact that within less than 10 hours we would be “racing” (in Wellington Marathon Clinic uniform) a distance of 10.5km - a distance race that neither of us had competed in before. Fortunately, probably, we had no choice right then but to put it out of our minds and so we settled into our chairs to partake of the sweet serenades of the strumming sonnets of the Italian Maestro.
Does this recklessness ring bells for other marathon clinic runners and walkers?
The result of our impetuous Valentines Day courage came home to roost the following morning. While stealthily manoeuvring the truck out of the driveway at 5.00 am we managed to awaken the neighbour’s rooster, who woke the neighbours’ dogs, who woke the suburbs’ dogs - and a sustained chorus of barking followed us through the early Sunday morning darkness as far as the University some 5km distance.
But now was the time for me to really start concentrating, - shoe laces tight, race numbers pinned on properly, chaffing cream in the appropriate spots, water intake about right, gloves on for the early morning chill?, hat (no!), sunglasses (maybe), what km pace to attempt. Leang was much more relaxed about it all.
While warming up at the start line there was a lot of “off – trek” activity. There was a good mix of local runners and walkers of all ages but mostly there were hundreds of University students. The students were in teams of approx 50 and they were performing a variety of dance routines / cheer leader type activities to either impress any opposition or to frighten them. It was all very colourful with very imaginative dance sequences and activities of physical endurance. All these being performed with a high degree of military precision. This all contributed to the friendly happy atmosphere with the emphasis being on “sabai sabai” - to enjoy oneself.
The race was about to start. As the tomato red sun peeped over the horizon and slid slowly upwards a hush descended on the crowd. There followed the sounds of a soft, rumbling murmur which quickly roared to a cheering crescendo. The countdown had finished and suddenly the masses started charging forward.
Having stood for nearly 30 minutes in the coolish 12-degree temperature, during the pre-race entertainment, I took some time to get into a rhythm. My legs were very stiff and I am sure that I simply hobbled the first 500 metres. Hundreds of young people raced off at a high speed past me and I had to have a stern word to myself to “keep it steady”.
Some 20 minutes later at the 5km mark I had passed most of these students and only a small group of about 50 were in the front. I was very pleased to be able to stay close and finished fast in a pleasing time.
Leang reports that when she was about to start she had a conversation with a woman runner. Leang told her “I am a walker”. The woman replied, “If you are a walker then you should be in the 3km race. People cannot walk 10km”. [It is true that walking long distances is not popular in Thailand due to the hot weather]
The woman raced on and Leang started walking. At the 8km mark Leang saw the woman painstakingly dawdling so as she passed the woman she gave her a warm smile. The fable of the tortoise and the hare comes to mind.
The course was on main roads that circumnavigate the University campus. We passed mirror-like lagoons with herons scarring the surface, our footsteps drumming rhythm in time to the croaking of early morning frogs, and our breath gasping in time to the exhaust pipe vibrations of some early bird tuk-tuks (motorbike taxis) out to catch any early (worm?) clientele.
The smells of open air morning food-stalls in the market-place was an incentive to finish quickly as the organisers provided free breakfasts for every entrant. It was a rare feast and included percolated local ground coffee beans harvested from a nearby mountain range. But the quickly rising sun was now becoming hot so time to remove gloves and hats and concentrate on the task at hand.
Unfortunately the course was a little shorter than advertised, (by 600-700 metres) so my recorded time (37mins.34sec) for the 10.5 was more likely to have been about 41 minutes. Leang received a trophy for 4th place in her age group and I also had a trophy for 1st in my age group.
But it was an exciting interlude for us as I particularly was feeling a bit “flat” after having run a marathon 3 weeks earlier. Four clinic members and three others from NZ were in Thailand to compete in the Khon Khaen Marathon / half marathon.
The Payap mini-marathon was just one of the many small and very different experiences we had in Thailand. Our colleague in the clinic, Sue Hamlett can report much better than I can on the bigger event at Khon Khaen. For Leang and I though, we will be returning to the Payap University event next year, and Leang’s 80 year old father wants to enter too. It would be his first ever race event – the 10km walk !!! (But Leang persuasively advised her father that he is to do the 3km event first before looking at the 10km event.)
