Half Marathon in Zambia -- what?!

Esther took good care of me in prepping for the half marathon.  Breakfast was oatmeal, peanut butter and a banana.  It was a perfect morning for a run!  We started at 7 am; temperatures were around 44 degrees.  Everyone else was cold, but I was loving the temperatures!  It was a chilly start, but perfect weather to run in.

What an experience!  There were several people that had planned the half marathon a few months ago.  It just so happened that I ended up being here at the same time!  There were 5 of us that ran it, 3 were out on bikes with us on the course.  It was a very challenging run for me—rough terrain, sand, rocks, dealing with the altitude—but, overall, I felt great during the run.  What beautiful country!  I encountered many people and villages along the way, along with oxen and carts.  Of course, I was snapping pictures!  Several times, children would come out and run with us.  Finished in one of my slowest times in a very long time (2:25:03), but I was happy with that.  I had no expectations for this run, just to experience Zambia!  What a privilege it was for me to be here and experience this. 

the group at the start

entering a town on the course (Chris - my support!)

small village on the course

passed this ox cart, had to take a photo...not something you see every day in PA

some of the terrain on the course

the trail went around this mountain

some of the children joining me on the run

passing a water hole

finishing...up hill, of course

So thankful for Chris, great support along the way!

all of us at the finish

After lunch on Saturday, John and Esther took us on a tour of the Macha Research Facility.  It was interesting to hear of the work there and things that go into their malaria research.  They showed us the “mosquito dome” where they test many things with the mosquitos in their malaria research.

mosquito dome

We had an opportunity for some down time and much needed rest on Saturday afternoon.  This was a treat—our first real down time in the two weeks of our trip.  Jake and Nancy, our missionaries in Zimbabwe, arrived in the afternoon.  Jake will be preaching at church tomorrow.  We will travel with Jake and Nancy to Zimbabwe on Monday.  We had a nice time visiting with Jake and Nancy, and hearing many of their stories.  They have been serving with us for 27 years!

On Saturday night, Eric and Corie hosted a pizza party to celebrate our half marathon.  It was fun to gather with the others to fellowship together.  Chris presented each of us with a finishers certificate. While I was in the US before coming on the trip, I had heard Chris was presenting certificates.  I was determined to somehow provide a medal of some sort, especially to commemorate my half marathon experience in Zambia.  I worked with Bruce and Joleen to have some “medals” made by a deacon friend at a BIC church in Choma who does woodworking.  I sent a drawing to Bruce ahead of time so when I arrived in Choma, he had the completed “medals” for me.  It is the continent of Africa cut out of wood and engraved with “2015 Macha 13.1.”  These medals were presented to all of us with Chris’ certificates at our pizza party.  It was a fun surprise for everyone!

  

All in all, just a great day!  It’s beautiful here.  The weather is just gorgeous!  It’s hard to believe we are winding down with only about a week left to our trip!