Lewa Marathon: Tough course for a worthy cause

**The eldest runner John Ruengo during the annual Safaricom Lewa Marathon was held at the Lewa Downs Conservancy,Isiolo County. June 30th,2015. Photo/Elvis Ogina (Nairobi)**

My hermit tendencies that always lead me the opposite direction from crowds buckled last weekend as I joined the throng tackling one of the most grueling tasks on earth: Safaricom Lewa Marathon.

Class was not a barrier as blue bloods brushed shoulders with common folk.

From tiny babes bubbling for the 10-kilometre fun run to toothless hags attempting the half marathon, a diverse race joined hands to assert their support for a healthier man and for conservation.

Well, I did not run and if you are wondering why, the Safaricom Lewa Marathon is not one to be attempted without practice and I am not one to quit.

Running at 5,500 feet above sea level in unforgiving terrain easily qualifies for armed forces training. As a matter of fact, the British Army Training Unit use it as part of their training regime.

But if the course is formidable for youth, or fit enough to train for elite armed forces, it sure must be utter hell for anyone above the age of fifty.

The human spirit again shone as an impressive number old men and women defied age, and faced off with participants half their ages.

Running tall at the front of this pack was octogenarian John Rwengo Gituchi.

Impressively, Rwengo, 85, the oldest participant in the marathon came first in the 52 years and above category and was awarded a token for his effort.

A living legend, he reckons that he can take on individuals way younger than him and asserts himself to be the world’s oldest male marathoner.

It might seem far-fetched, but his claim holds water after centenarian Fauja Singh, a British marathoner retired after crossing the finish line in a 10-kilometre race in Hong Kong in 2013.

Fauja, with an eight inch foot, was aged 101 then and was retiring after 13 years of competitive running.

While he (Fauja) took up the sport at age 89 as a way of coping with the deaths of his wife and son, Rwengo’s case is different.

Speaking to Sunday Magazine after his stellar performance in Lewa in which he did not seem to break a sweat, the sprightly Mzee Rwengo gladly talked about his journey through marathons.

Decked in a black track-suit bottom with white stripe, a red tee, and his trademark bandana, and waving a miniature Kenyan flag, he impressed not only with his lean upright physique that belied his age, but also with his standard Kiswahili and English.

Born in Karatina, Nyeri County, he started running in 1948 while in Standard Three.

In what would be frowned in current times but was norm during his youth, he jokingly explains that the running “gene” came from his mother who was a runner in her own right.

“Whenever my father wanted to punish my mother, she would evade physical assault which was common then, by bolting.”

Rwengo would pick up the sport in Standard Three after his family moved to Sagana. This is also where he attended school.

While he started attending school in Kabiruini School, he sat the Common Entrance Examination in 1949 at Nguviu Boys in Meru County.

He later joined Kangaru Boys High in the same County and settled for a running career sitting his final examinations.

In the 60’s and 70’s, Mzee Rwengo took part in and won several Divisional, District and Provincial races.

He takes special pride at the Central provincial record for ten kilometres, or 6 miles (24 laps) as it was then called, that he set in Nanyuki in 1961.

The competition he relishes the most in his career, however, is the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, which later became known as the Commonwealth Games, held in Perry Lakes Stadium in Perth, Australia.

After braving the tough qualifying rounds to win a spot in the travelling team, Mzee Rwengo says some of the contestants were wondering why the Kenyan government had spent a fortune to be represented by a four-feet nine inches tall athlete in the 26 mile race, that is present day full marathon.

As fate would have it, however, Mzee Rwengo stunned them by coming in third.

In the three weeks that he was Down Under, fame and a small fortune followed him as the same naysayers presented him to athletes from other countries as the David who who was not afraid of any Goliath of marathons.

He gleefully recounts how heavy his wallet was, bulging with foreign currency after he returned from Australia.

Even though he gets the names of the games, and the dates mixed up, what is certain is that Mzee Rwengo is in extremely good shape for a man who was born three decades before Kenya attained independence.

Mzee Rwengo, who lives in four-acre farm in Mutunyi sub-location, Timau, Meru County has been a constant feature for the 16 years the Safaricom Lewa Marathon has been in running.

He has also participated in the Nyeri Half, Meru County, and Standard Chartered marathons.

Even as he attributes his great shape to genetics, he is not afraid to reveal the special ingredients and training regime that he swears to be the source of vivaciousness.

“To keep as fit as I am, I run five kilometres four times a week,” he says.

“To maintain my energy levels for such arduous tasks like running a marathon, I travel eight kilometres to the camel inspection centre in Isiolo town to collect my weekly supply of camel meat and bones.

“I use the bones to make soup which fortify with herbs. Camels also eat a variety of bush trees and shrubs that ensure that their meat and soup is highly nutritious for athletes.

“I also eat other foods that are rich in proteins; vegetables like cabbages and carrots and a lot of fruits.”

Mzee Rwengo urges people to engage in manual work as it is part of exercise. He also encourages the youth who are keen on becoming athletes, to avoid consuming alcohol because “it drains blood.”

Those are words of advice that are not easy to ignore considering that they come from a man who has 11 children, and runs alongside his 52-year old son, and a granddaughter. This was the 16th edition of the marathon, which is organised by Tusk Charity in conjunction with Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Safaricom.

Bright and early on Friday, I huddled next to other drowsy faces taking on the approximately four-hour drive from the capital over some 250 kilometres.

We headed north, out through Thika Road, passed through Thika, Makuyu and Karatina.

Right before Nyeri Town, about 16 kilometres, we turned right through Naro Moru to Nanyuki where we made a pit stop for lunch before proceeding on to Timau.

Approximately 15 kilometres after Timau, we turned left towards Isiolo at the Meru/Isiolo junction.

Three kilometres further on, at the bottom of a hill on the left hand side, the main entrance of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy came into view.

A few metres in, we disembarked for a series of security checks what with the assurance of walk-through metal detectors, sniffer dogs, CCTV cameras, and several armed guards

Established in 1994, the 62,000-acre conservancy is a haven of grasslands, acacia groves and wetland.

It is also home to some of the planet’s most endangered species as well as a wide variety of wildlife with over 70 mammal and 350 bird species.

Lewa provides a sanctuary to two endangered species, the black and white rhinoceros, and has built up its population to over 120 animals.

As a result of its successful wildlife management policy, the conservancy has managed to relocate some species to repopulate other parks and reserves in Kenya.

The Safaricom Tented Village — with close to three hundred units surrounding a central mess — we put up in ran under strict rules to ensure minimal disturbance of nature.

That means pollution of any kind is frowned upon. Wandering past the secured perimeter was at ones risk and the danger involved was painted by a pride of nine who heartily devoured a zebra close to our camps entrance

To the North of the stoic acacia savannah grassland around the Serakoi Wetlands where Lewa is, is Samburu Hills and Mount Lolokwe.

We were also blessed to have a splendid view of Mount Kenya to the south.

We were, however, also on the leeward side of the mountain and been advised to carry warm clothing to counter the cold, but I was unrehearsed for its near zero, chilling intensity.

Watching the race from the side-lines, the sombre mass identified by running numbers fitted with chip timing devices ready to face the dirt road, over two 21-kilometre loops, I could not help but marvel at the sheer determination that is the human spirit — which restored my faith in humanity, and the future of wildlife.