Thabiti still wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to run in the Lewa Marathon. Not that this could be called running. They were being forced to walk by the sheer number of people around them.
He looked ahead as one competitor broke away from the pack and overtook the line of people by running along the grass beside the path. Ahead, he could see the bright pink top of Nina Scott Watson.
Some runners, who wore white tops with green and red sleeves, stopped in front of them at the first water stop. He and Marina skirted around them and found the path ahead clearer.
Marina commented, “Nina and Robert are quite quick now they have space to run. Shall we jog along for a while?”
As his muscles warmed up, he found it easier to run, especially once the path reached the summit of a small hill and they began a steady descent.
As they approached the third water stop, he heard Craig’s voice shout, “Well done, keep going.”
Looking about, he spotted the Subaru parked by a bend in the track and Craig in the passenger seat with the door open. Thabiti waved as they ran past.
“Let’s stop here,” panted Marina. “There’s another half kilometre of flat ground before we start a steep climb.”
She grabbed a plastic cup of water from the wooden trestle table, handed it to Thabiti and took another for herself. They moved away from the group gathered around the table and sipped their water.
“Wow, look at the skyline along the top of that hill.” Marina pointed excitedly. “I can see two giraffes silhouetted against it.”
Mama Rose joined them and asked, “Everything OK?”
Thabiti nodded as Marina pointed to the dark shapes of the giraffes against the orange-tinted sky.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Mama Rose commented. “Where else in the world could you organise a running race with no barriers between the wildlife and competitors.”
Marina asked, “Have you seen anyone else come past?”
Rose nodded. “We were too late to see Chris and his army mates, but arrived just in time to see Chloe. There must have been a scuffle for water as someone bumped into her and pushed her onto the table.”
“Is she OK?” Marina asked in a concerned voice.
“She’s fine. Just a little put out, I think. And a little wet from the water that was spilt on her.” Rose stared up the track as competitors ran, jogged, and strode purposefully past. “And Nina and Robert weren’t far behind.” More people passed them. “You better keep going before you get too cold and stiff.”
Thabiti looked at Marina and they jogged on.