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On the eve of the London Marathon, I'm ready for the biblical task ahead On the eve of the London Marathon, I'm ready for the biblical task ahead
(5 months later)
I have never run a marathon before. And I sure as hell will never run one again. In fact, I may not be able to run one on Sunday either – but that's still the plan. Though, to be honest, calling it a plan would be misleading. The word plan suggests an appropriate level of preparation.I have never run a marathon before. And I sure as hell will never run one again. In fact, I may not be able to run one on Sunday either – but that's still the plan. Though, to be honest, calling it a plan would be misleading. The word plan suggests an appropriate level of preparation.
It all started so well. I had a chart. Five miles one day, eight miles a few days later. Packed up the booze and ciggies. Lost a stone and a half. Had loads of time to go. I even got up to doing 17 miles at the end of November. But then training went pear-shaped and so did the figure. I thought I'd take a break for a couple of weeks to protect my aching knees and the break kept on getting longer and longer. And just one fag wasn't going to hurt now, was it?It all started so well. I had a chart. Five miles one day, eight miles a few days later. Packed up the booze and ciggies. Lost a stone and a half. Had loads of time to go. I even got up to doing 17 miles at the end of November. But then training went pear-shaped and so did the figure. I thought I'd take a break for a couple of weeks to protect my aching knees and the break kept on getting longer and longer. And just one fag wasn't going to hurt now, was it?
It could be a parable from the Bible where my road to fecklessness is contrasted with that of my saintly running partner, the playwright Mark Ravenhill. He had a plan and stuck to it and now has the body of an Olympian god. So while he is sprinting to the finish, I will be sucking on my inhaler while being overtaken by a banana and pantomime horse somewhere south of Tower Bridge. The potential for public humiliation is endless.It could be a parable from the Bible where my road to fecklessness is contrasted with that of my saintly running partner, the playwright Mark Ravenhill. He had a plan and stuck to it and now has the body of an Olympian god. So while he is sprinting to the finish, I will be sucking on my inhaler while being overtaken by a banana and pantomime horse somewhere south of Tower Bridge. The potential for public humiliation is endless.
Nonetheless, I am bloody well going to do it – however massively ill prepared. But why? The original marathon runner Pheidippides, chosen for his athleticism to deliver a message of the Athenian victory over the Persians, dropped dead after his 26 miles. It's hardly an encouragement.Nonetheless, I am bloody well going to do it – however massively ill prepared. But why? The original marathon runner Pheidippides, chosen for his athleticism to deliver a message of the Athenian victory over the Persians, dropped dead after his 26 miles. It's hardly an encouragement.
First, I remind myself of the charity I am running for. On the outskirts of Accra in Ghana is a sprawling slum called Old Fadama, known to locals as Sodom and Gomorrah. I spent a morning there once. The first thing you notice is the stench. On the edge of a stagnant lagoon, this makeshift collection of ramshackle dwellings feels like one huge open sewer, strewn with plastic bags and various forms of discarded waste. Even its inhabitants are made to feel like waste, many having travelled down from the north to escape poverty and ritual violence.First, I remind myself of the charity I am running for. On the outskirts of Accra in Ghana is a sprawling slum called Old Fadama, known to locals as Sodom and Gomorrah. I spent a morning there once. The first thing you notice is the stench. On the edge of a stagnant lagoon, this makeshift collection of ramshackle dwellings feels like one huge open sewer, strewn with plastic bags and various forms of discarded waste. Even its inhabitants are made to feel like waste, many having travelled down from the north to escape poverty and ritual violence.
But there is no escape from either in Sodom and Gomorrah. And with apparently little prospect of other work, many women get sucked into prostitution, with "boyfriends" acting as pimps. Many quickly get HIV as clients refuse to wear condoms. Many get pregnant. The charity Mark and I are running for, Theatre for a Change, uses theatre and roleplay as a way to help these women imagine another life, to rehearse the confidence to say no to their pimps, and to think about alternative forms of income.But there is no escape from either in Sodom and Gomorrah. And with apparently little prospect of other work, many women get sucked into prostitution, with "boyfriends" acting as pimps. Many quickly get HIV as clients refuse to wear condoms. Many get pregnant. The charity Mark and I are running for, Theatre for a Change, uses theatre and roleplay as a way to help these women imagine another life, to rehearse the confidence to say no to their pimps, and to think about alternative forms of income.
Second, I am running in a small act of solidarity with the people of Boston. No doubt that will be uppermost in the minds of many runners. The best defiance I have to offer against those sick minds who planted bombs next to small children is to show that they won't scare people into staying at home – but remembering also that as the world concentrates on Boston, bombs going off in Iraq remains a daily occurrence. Thirty-seven people died in Iraq on the day of the Boston bombing.Second, I am running in a small act of solidarity with the people of Boston. No doubt that will be uppermost in the minds of many runners. The best defiance I have to offer against those sick minds who planted bombs next to small children is to show that they won't scare people into staying at home – but remembering also that as the world concentrates on Boston, bombs going off in Iraq remains a daily occurrence. Thirty-seven people died in Iraq on the day of the Boston bombing.
But, ultimately, I will be running because I said I would. I am genuinely terrified at the thought of such a distance. And agreeing to it was writing a cheque that I had no idea how I was going to cash. But written the cheque I have. And the day of reckoning has now arrived. Yep, that does sound pretty biblical to me. As US president Barack Obama put it on Thursday: "Scripture tells us to run with endurance the race that is set before us."But, ultimately, I will be running because I said I would. I am genuinely terrified at the thought of such a distance. And agreeing to it was writing a cheque that I had no idea how I was going to cash. But written the cheque I have. And the day of reckoning has now arrived. Yep, that does sound pretty biblical to me. As US president Barack Obama put it on Thursday: "Scripture tells us to run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Twitter: @giles_fraserTwitter: @giles_fraser
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