By Matt Beamer
Well, it was no Boston, but that didn't stop 29 PCVs and Peace Corp staff members from running hard and having fun at this year's Kigali International Peace Marathon on May 22, 2011. It was the seventh edition of the annual event, and the theme was something that John F. Kennedy, an athlete himself, might have endorsed: "Sport is Life."It was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's Peace Corps that PCVs and staff put forth an extraordinary effort to participate in the race.
The weekend kicked off with the quintessential carbo-loading dinner on Saturday night, the eve of the marathon. The Peace Corps athletes (marathoners, half-marathoners, and marathon relay runners) were graciously hosted by D.M.O. Brooke Hopper. Brooke, perhaps drawing on her own Peace Corps experience, led a group of PCVs on the official support team in the preparation of food which more than a few of us had began to forget even existed. There was delicious pasta with fresh vegetables, garlic bread, fresh green salad, fruit salad, and a delicious chocolate zucchini rum cake with raspberries on top (see recipe on page 38), not to mention the assorted raw vegetables scat
tered throughout the dining area. For hydra-tion needs, cases full of a rainbow of Fantas were on hand, kept cool in a dedicated beverage refrigerator.
As runners and support crew members fueled up for the race, there was a palpable feeling of excitement in the air. For most of the relay runners, it was the first time meeting their teammates, and excited discussions about the team order were taking place in every group in the happily crowded front room.
Halfway through the evening, Dr. Elite made one or two hearts thump a little faster when he handed out bib numbers and timing chips to all of the runners. And, as this event was to celebrate Peace Corps' 50th anniversary, each participant received a khaki Peace Corps Rwanda hat and a Peace Corps Rwanda t-shirt in either blue, black, or white, on the back of which was the apropos imperative "KOMERA."
After leaving Brooke's house, most of the runners called the case de passage home for the night before the marathon, and the whole building seemed to be alive with the pre-race jitters. Sometime around midnight the occupants of the case finally fell into a fitful, uneasy sleep, aware that in six hours the buses would come and race day would begin.
On Sunday, May 22, race day, the athletes started stirring around 5 AM. Breakfast was a continuation of the paradisiacal dinner of the night before, and nervous runners quietly ate plates of pasta, bread, and salad or paced and talked more than thy ate, anxious for the 8 AM start.
Finally, around 6:15 AM, the buses arrived to take all of the participants and the support team to Amahoro National Stadium, where the race would begin and finish. Upon arriving at the stadium, we were greeted by the sight of hundreds of other athletes preparing themselves for the competition. A couple of the more adventurous PCVs joined a large group of Rwandans in a very dynamic warm-up, replete with squats, jumps, and some frantic waving of arms and legs in an effort to jump-start their muscles. Those who declined to take place in the early warm-up stood or sat around the track soaking up the atmosphere.
As with any race, there were a wide variety of runners on hand: lithe professionals and semi-professionals, weekend runners, and everyone in between. And, as the emcee of the event told those in attendance several times, there were participants from all over the world, with a solid contingent of runners hailing from Rwanda and the rest of the East African Community. A large number of Europeans, Asians, and Americans represented a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations. There was even a special guest brought along by the Peace Corps support crew: Flat Kennedy, a two-dimensional JFK reaching down to shake a supporter's hand with a smile. After being unrolled from his tote bag, he patiently posed for photo after photo with runners of all ages and nationalities. Shortly before the scheduled 8 AM start, there was even a group picture of the vi-sionary and his vision as PCVs and staff gathered around the poster at one end of the track.
After the commemorative photo, all of the runners were ushered outside of the stadium. There was some confusion, however, as to when and where the start would take place. Indeed, after standing in a dirt parking lot near the stadium for several minutes, there was frantic action from one of the marathon officials as he waved the full-marathon and first-leg relay runners back into the stadium. Not everyone made it to the starting line on time, but the starter counted down, and, with a loud "GO!" the marathon began at around 8:25 AM, followed by the half-marathon about five minutes later and the 5-kilometer fun run five or so minutes after that.
The day was heating up nicely, so those who were awaiting their leg of the relay took shelter in the shade in the upper reaches of the stadium, waiting and watching for signs of the first runners.
It didn't take long for the first marathoners to come through, and before long there were loud cheers every few minutes as each Peace Corps runner ran around the track in the distinctive Peace Corps t-shirts. Those doing the relay were free to collapse on the infield after handing off their timing chip to the next runner, but those in the half-marathon and the full marathon had to once again exit the stadium to brave the heat and the deceivingly hilly (although flat for Rwanda) course. PCVs Kayla Ahrens, Joey Young, Jennifer Olsen and Kelly Miller were the brave half-marathoners who set out for a second lap. The lone wolf in the marathon, committed to four tortuous laps, was Steve "Charles" Cahill.
There continued to be a steady stream of runners in and out of the colorful Amahoro National Stadium throughout rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. Each time a Peace Corps runner was on the track, there was a great swelling of support both from the official support team and from the other runners, and before long those blue, white, and black shirts were crossing the finish line, collecting a finisher's medal as they did so.
The first male marathoner to cross the finish line was ILPCITIROCHIR KAMBIE Felix of Kenya in a time of 2:17:04, and the women's marathon champion was J RUTTO Beatrice, also of Kenya, in a time of 2:51:45. For the Peace Corps, Steve finished the marathon in 4:41:33, placing 83rd overall. The top Peace Corps finisher in the half-marathon was Kayla Ahrens in a time of 2:11:42, placing 281st. The top Peace Corps relay team crossed the line in 3:55:03, placing 9th among relay teams.
After the race, there was a general feeling of accomplishment among the Peace Corps athletes. When asked about his full marathon experience, Steve responded, "I felt good about it. I didn't walk a step, and I thought I was going to die, but I didn't. I'll do it again next year."
Overall, the marathon was a great way to celebrate 50 years of Peace Corps. Thanks must be given to the help of the support team, who prepared the last supper before the race and cheered on runners both in the stadium and in front of the Peace Corps office as runners passed by twice on each lap. Also, the work done by Mary, Brooke, Dr. Elite, and all of the Peace Corps staff who participated on the relay teams made the event a resounding success. Just remember, "Sport is Life" and komera.
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