Now, let me just say I know what is meant by "Africa Hot".   It means HOT!! And I know what everyone says about dry heat being better than humid heat.   WRONG!  It is still HOT!!

June 30 began long before dawn.  I had set my alarm for 5, but the attendants brought the hot water for washing and lanterns to the tent at 4 am!  So we laid there wrapped up in our blankets for a while. (Yes, it got COLD at night.)   By the time we got to the start, the sun was up and we took off our jackets.

I knew it would be an interesting race as soon as we arrived.  One of the race officials came up to Jock (our driver) and said they had just chased 2 lions away from the road about the 8K mark. My thought was - last night some of us had seen 5 lions - where were the other 3?   Also, about an hour before we got there a bull elephant had tried to come towards the starting line.  Wonder if he wanted to run? He could certainly squash all the competition.

 There were about 500 competitors in the half and full marathons.  Most were running the half.  This is really a big thing in Kenya, as there is prize money and teams were competing for it too.  The money might equal their entire yearly wages!

There were porta pots, Kenyan style.  Instead of the plastic huts we are used to, these are made with brush sides and open to the sky.  But just as messy as home.  I got to the start and made one last trip.  When I got out, I saw everyone running down the road.  Yikes!  I was already near the back of the pack.

The course was on dirt roads, dusty and somewhat rutty.  There were aid stations every 2 to 3K. Each station had bottled water, sponges, some kind of electrolyte drink that is used in England. There was also a porta pot at most of them.  You would NOT want to go away from the road into the grass. The grass can hide lots of things - snakes, lions, etc.  

I started out with running 10 minutes and walking 1.  There was NO shade and it was hilly.  The altitude was about 5500 ft.  It was without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever done.  But it was one of the most beautiful, and I'm very glad I did it.

There was an airplane and a helicopter constantly monitoring the course to chase away dangerous wildlife, and armed rangers stationed every couple miles or so.  I still saw lots of life. How many times can you run a race and have zebras run across the road in front of you?  And see a couple of elephants along the way. (Not too close, thank you).  Giraffes, impalas and ostriches, who were is full mating season. Not many bugs.  In fact, there were not many bugs the entire time.  

The scenery along the course didn't change much - grassland savanna with trees here and there. The only shade was near the start in a swampy area.   The race started with a long, gradual uphill and I don't remember many downhills. The course was two loops. When I got to about 4K from the finish of the first loop the first marathoners lapped me. I finished the half in about 2:48 and was really tempted to stop.  But then two friends met me and we continued together.  

I can't say enough about the course support.  The stations were manned the entire time, and the volunteers cheered and were really helpful.  They had radios and kept sending our numbers to the finish so people knew where we were.  The helicopter kept watch on us the entire time.  The 3 of us finished together in just over 7 hours or so.  We were absolutely last.  

After we got our medals and kikoys (an African wrap that you see the men and women wear) we went back to the camp for lunch.  I was a bit woozy later (not really new as it has happened in other marathons). I would go back again and probably run the half.  As long as there were no vultures or hyenas at the finish line!