My Rhythm of Life: Nike Run Jozi Night Race

On March 21, 2010 Avon and I hit the streets of Jozi with a 10 000 other excited runners. If you are not a runner you are probably thinking what could convince people to run 10km for Mahala (for free). But once you have the running bug it is so addictive. There is something so magical about being amongst a group of people with different shapes, sizes, colours, personalities, energies and yet one mutual goal – to cross that finish line. But this run was different as it stirred something in my heart.

Now I haven’t run for probably over a year but my friend Rachel had a medical condition which required her to walk the race and that was what convinced me that maybe this would be a good idea for me to get involved and support my hubby in his new running hobby.

I was so excited that I did go because the excitement of everyone was just so contagious. We all had to wear our bright yellow Nike shirts which made each of us feel like a beam of sunlight during the wet weather. It was funny coz on the highway you could spot all the racers in their cars and it was just fun waving to each other so randomly. It was like we were saying – RAIN OR SHINE…..WE ARE GOING TO RUN THIS RACE! Rachel said “When else could you feel so comfortable waving to a stranger.”

But I think the excitement of the race kinda fogged my reality that I was a breastfeeding mother. The race started at 7pm and my last express was at 3pm. I remember standing there 5 minutes before the race was kicking off and realising – Ooopsy my milk is kicking in – feels like pins and needles in your boobs. I also hadn’t eaten since 2pm and I had a day dream of me passing out on a random street in Hilbrow.

5pm...still 2 hours to go before the race start.

Then Bang the fireworks kicked in, the race had started and there was no time for turning around. The sight of thousands of people in bright shirts running through the dark city gave me chills down my back. It was like a river of gold passing over the Nelson Mandela Bridge. Funny enough Rachel’s walk was equivalent to my run (I run slow) so I did get quite a work out.

The River of Gold heading for Hillbrow

As we moved deeper and deeper into the heart of Johannesburg the reality of city life hit me – it wasn’t an easy life. Everyone was supporting the runners from the drunkards to the street kids to the prostitutes and gang members. I didn’t know quite how to take it all in – I felt ashamed and guilty for feeling so excited about being in Hillbrow at this time of night…because I would never be caught dead in these parts of Johannesburg on foot. It was like we were showing off with all our cool expensive shoes, gear, phones, i-pods ect. Like we had such a great life we could afford to run through these streets of poverty for free. Kids would run beside us and would ask us for our reflector bands or even just for a Hi-five. Women would sing and cheer – “Come on you can do it my sister push!!!!” One drunken man was singing “Welcome to Jozi, where you can become famous….” which was probably the Jozi remix to the New York song by Alicia Keys and JZ.

But my heart sank! What was I really doing here? What was God trying to show me? I remember running and picturing what life was like behind the walls of the homes we passed by. What was cooking for dinner? Were these people genuinely happy? What are their daily struggles? Where are the parents for these children? How close is drug abuse, gang membership, prostitution ect close to the lives of these innocent children? What was Nike doing right here in the heart of poverty in Johannesburg? Did my R70 race entry contribute to anything? Part of me just wanted to ignore it all and turn a blind eye and just look at how beautiful the city is at night but I knew that wasn’t me! I big part of me wanted to take my shoes and clothes off and say – here you need it more than I do!

Then the song “You are the God of this City!” by Chris Tomlin came to my mind and played over and over again. The lyrics and the experience of being in this part of town couldn’t become more real:

You're the God of this City

You're the King of these people

You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness

You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless

You are

I finished the race exhausted both physically and emotionally. The Nike Run Jozi Race made me realise that greater things are yet to come…..Greater things are still to be done in this City!!!!! I hope I wasn’t the only one who’s heart was stirred in this way. .. I hope the run created a passion and a hunger to make a difference NOW. Let’s pray that next year when this race happens we won’t be using the slogan “Take back the streets,” but something along the lines of “Give back to the streets.”