Tag Archives: Akon

“Best of the best!” Still dreaming? Bonus! My new word!!!

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Gambian runner Pa Modou Sarr By Pa Modou.

……….. wow! If only I can be permitted by the English language to add a word to the dictionary then it will be “KEDAP” and my meaning of it will be the team of teams or best of the best! The letters in the word have their meaning and with all due respect I have came to realize that this word deserve to be added to the English dictionary. If am ask to do a thesis for this I will surely write more than a manual in defense of KEDAP! Despite not been a university graduate or a professor, take me on it and I will hammer home the points straight. Love4Gambia has without doubt played an integral role in the building of my word (KEDAP!)…..(Much more about KEDAP  in my next blog).

A Canadian and a Gambia runner celebrateBeing my second blog post, I feel a bit unsure of the reaction I might get compared to the first blog I posted before. As a team member for the Love4Gambia run, I have had series of days that I have thought it was all a dream. The whole team has evolve from Canadians and Gambians to a cemented brotherly and sisterly tie that has been built to not only  foster the relationship we have as a team but to save the lives of young Gambians and west African through the peer health education program of the Nova Scotia Gambia Association (Ashley and Kebba have showed us how much of brother and sister they are by always been on opposite ends of any discussion..:)). The idea was conceived and planned for by Coach Erin with the help of those people who share this great idea of helping to save the lives of young people in the Gambia thumbs up for your achievement (don’t worry coach Erin I mean our achievement!!!…:)) .

Taking a trip back to that faithful day when the team assembled at west field prepared to take off to Banjul, I said to myself whiles driving to the office “we are going to accomplish our mission today” and the answer came YES! (Do your best and forget the rest). Despite having a blistered toe, I couldn’t at the time in anyway ruin my coach’s wish of getting the whole team to the ocean. (Don’t get worried coach am all fine and kicking around now and as for the nurse…hmmmmmm am sorry!!!  At least am in charge now since am writing the blog..) As a matter of fact what kept me going was the leadership strength built in Erin as a person who inspires and drives the entire team to this historic run, I was also motivated to make more kilo meters than Spiderman (tell u what, he was doing everything possible to sing his song for me but hmmm I was already inspired to go for it by my able coach… Spider don’t worry when we go to Lagos you can try again…lol). As a team we were able to reach the Ocean of course not without Cathy going on to get her 5KM..lol (tell you what she has done more running of the NSGA so she needed the rest! I salute you Dr. what could we do without your support).

running team runs victoriously into the Atlantic Ocean in BanjulThe sense of accomplishment I felt as we hold hands and raise them in the air before we get into the ocean was something I have never felt before, I cried. The water felt so good and I felt so happy and proud of everyone most especially Erin who ran every kilometer from Koina to Banjul. May I once again in writing say thank you to Erin and to all those who have donated to this worthy cause and those who have followed every step of our run. As a team for the world, we played our part and you played your part and I personally value every penny been put in to this run. Without doubt this will go a long way in saving the lives of many vulnerable young people in the Gambia. LOVE YOU ALL. NAMASTE!!!!!!

BONUS!

  •       When we were dropping off Erin and Ashley at the airport we dove for almost two KM without anyone mentioning a word, everyone was thinking and my next blog will interview all the team members present in the truck what they were thinking!!!.
  •       Am missing aunty Debby’s inspirational messages ..:(
  •       I put on the T-Shirt we were given which reads.. “I RAN WITH ERIN ACROSS THE GAMBIA FOR NSGA” in the bank the security guy told me “ I heard the prize for this run was won by a TUBAB!” I looked and him and said “ be careful man”
  •       AKON is still with me..:)Confession time who hide my Akon on the trip!!!

Big Running Shoes

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Monday, August 1

Leybato Guest House

Ashley and I have been doing a lot of things on our one week post-run-across-the-country holiday.  We’ve been lying on the beach. We’ve been swimming, believing that the Smiling Coast’s water can cure all. We’ve been practicing yoga on the beach. We’ve been spending as much time as possible with our guys Spider, Kebba, Pa Modou and Pa’s wife Agie. We’ve been crying every morning at breakfast.  We’ve been trying to hold onto as many Love4Gambia moments as possible.

In our moment-capturing, we’ve developed this list of “roles” that each of our invaluable team members played. When we began, we had titles like “runner, logistic man, driver, nurse” but very quickly realized that we were a team that would take care of each other together.  Titles and duties weren’t necessary.

Ashley Sharpe

  • Be the nurse
  • Take care of Erin, should she need taking care of
  • Feed Erin
  • Water Erin
  • Mix the team’s Gatorade
  • Be the manager
  • Tell Erin what to do when Erin is no longer functioning at full capacity
  • Put Erin to bed
  • Sometimes wash Erin’s running gear (what a girl)
  • Sunscreen Erin
  • Lead team effort to make Erin eat more
  • Push Erin out of the truck when she doesn’t want to run
  • Run 100km across African country
  • Run farther and longer than ever before
  • Tape Erin
  • Massage Erin’s quads
  • Manage the boys
  • Try to prevent the boys from harming themselves
  • Threaten not to take care of boys should they harm themselves through stupidity and stubbornness
  • Sing special Canadian songs while running
  • Negotiate permission for Erin to have one single Julbrew on a school night
  • Participate in many giggle-fests
  • Possible contributor to Akon-conspiracy (?)
  • Monitor pathway between Erin’s brain and mouth and intervene when necessary (understanding that running 25km a day makes one emotionally labile)
  • Drive the NSGA truck through the bush after relearning a stick shift on an African dirt road
  • Manage all of the money
  • Manage our room key
  • Yell at boys “no crying in the truck” when necessary
  • Be an irreplaceable part of the team

Pa Modou Sarr

  • Run 136km across The Gambia
  • Run even when not feeling like it
  • Be DJ extraordinaire for 424FM: All Akon All the Time
  • Sing Akon when Akon is not playing
  • Develop interrogation skills for upcoming film appearance as CIA Agent Momodou M. Sarr
  • Entertain team with dramatic performance as President and continue performance much longer than a lesser skilled person could ever continue
  • Tease the Fula
  • Become brothers with the Fula
  • Arrange media appearances, electricity or no electricity
  • Hold Erin’s hand during media appearances
  • Remain at the ready to assist falling runners: “Careful Ashley!”
  • Take care of Ashley while Ashley is sick and Erin is running
  • Become Ashley (for 1 day)
  • Pack the truck
  • Unpack the truck
  • Secure location in which to unpack truck and put team to bed- sometimes requiring way more negotiation than reasonable (Soma)
  • Drive the truck
  • Operate the Flip camera, the Cannon camera, the Nissan Patrol stick shift, the gas pedal and possibly 1 of his 2 cell phones simultaneously (what a man)
  • Teach Ashley to drive the truck (while recording driving lesson, thanks Pa-parazzi!)
  • Listen to Erin’s stories and answer her questions
  • Keep Erin company by keeping in-step with Cliff Matthews’ track warm up drills
  • Celebrate each 20km and 5km accomplishment
  • Remain the push-up king (sorry, Ashley)
  • Beat Spider’s kilometer total
  • Practice yoga on demand- Namaste!
  • Yell “morfing” at kids who incessantly yell “toubab” at Erin and Ashley
  • Surprise team with full cooked breakfast on rest day
  • Cheerfully allow Erin and Ashley to talk with wife Agie every day
  • Entertain Erin with football stories while running across country
  • Share marriage stories (go Team Marriage!)
  • Make Erin feel better when she’s ill (preferred method- decorating Erin’s “presidential convoy” truck)
  • Pull Erin onto the road on mornings when she doesn’t want to run
  • Make the breakfast tapalapa sandwiches for the team while singing Akon in the front seat
  • Read the team our daily messages from Aunty Debby
  • Get Erin enough food and water
  • Locate appropriate trees for rest
  • Hold the team together with easy, caring nature
  • Be an irreplaceable part of the team

Kebba Suso

  • Be the King: EGWEEEE!
  • Run A LOT of kilometers next to Erin
  • Fill in all empty running shifts following team decision about Erin not running alone
  • Sing to Erin when running is hard (in English or Mandinka)
  • Listen to Erin’s stories
  • Answer Erin’s questions (sometimes with strategically shortest answer possible: ‘poverty’)
  • Be the Dalai Lama when Erin needs some extra spirit
  • Provide Erin’s anthropology lessons while running
  • Lead kids in singing
  • Lead mamas in singing
  • Mislead crowds who are gathered for the president and instead receive a running white girl and a running Gambian
  • Make Erin feel better when ill (preferred method- decorating Erin’s “presidential convoy” truck)
  • Pack the truck
  • Unpack the truck
  • Secure location to unpack truck and put team to bed
  • Drive the truck.  But frequently threaten to abandon the truck if driving the truck interferes with running quota.
  • Force Ashley to drive
  • Get our morning tapalapa (bread)
  • Cut the mangos
  • Be Ashley’s brother.  Evidence of brotherhood- much playful quarreling
  • Grow gorgeous, brave and generous sons and nephews to share the running work on a day when the team was down
  • Share sisters Bintou and Fatou with the team (we love you, sisters!)
  • Possible contributor to Akon conspiracy (?)
  • Practice yoga- Namaste!
  • Use smile to light up the truck
  • Use laugh to light up the truck
  • Get Erin enough food and water
  • Locate appropriate trees for rest
  • Exhibit patience during Fula-Serere battles
  • Pay 80Dalasi in fines for saying “I’m hot”
  • Locate and bring Ashley to the bootlegger on Erin’s birthday
  • Occasionally impress team by eating more rice than Pa Modou
  • Celebrate each 20km and 5km accomplishment
  • Be an irreplaceable part of the team

Dodou Bah/Spiderman

  • Infuse team with energy and enthusiasm on Day 12
  • Be the lead running vocalist
  • Be the lead running dancer
  • Be the lead running army chanter
  • Banter with the Serere
  • Become brothers with the Serere
  • Dance with Ashley
  • Keep mood happy at all cost
  • Guard Erin while running through insane traffic in Serrekunda
  • Lead swimming lessons for Pa Modou and the Suso kids in Bwiam
  • Engage in high stake kilometer competition with Pa Modou
  • Fit into the team like the 5th finger of a glove
  • Catch up on more than 2 weeks’ worth of team jokes
  • Playfully follow Pa Modou’s orders like a good sport
  • Lead opposition party in Pa Modou for President
  • Be the ‘Bachelor’s Team’ with Ashley
  • Happily do warm-up drills with Erin and Pa Modou on days where legs are slow to warm up to running 20km
  • Celebrate each 20km and 5km accomplishment
  • Become the 5th glue that holds the team together.  Dodou Bah: “Together we stand; united we fall; Black and White unite; together as one.”
  • Talk Erin and Ashley through their return to Canada: “the body will return home but soul will live on in The Gambia”

Erin Poirier

  • Run
  • Coach team
  • Help team take care of each other
  • Do what Ashley says

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Together

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Sunday, August 1, 2011, 1030am

Leybato Guest House, Fajara Beach

Ashley and I have been relaxing on the beach and we’ve been processing the incredible experience that we’ve just had together with Pa Modou Sarr, Kebba Suso and Spiderman Dodou Bah.

In “Running the Sahara,” Charlie insightfully states, ‘this experience was so big that I can’t fit it into my head.’ We relate to that.

Ashley and I have been keeping a list of what we’ve run through, what we’ve been through… for our own memory bank as we try to fit experience into our heads.

We are so lucky that we ran through pretty much everything that West Africa had to offer.  You’ll see just how lucky we were, as follows.

We ran through:

  • A wedding
  • A funeral
  • A naming ceremony (remember all Muslim events, we are in a Muslim country)
  • Refugee processing near the Casamance (Senegal) conflict
  • 3 presidential convoys
    • 1 presidential convoy causing a monster traffic jam in Serrekunda requiring us to run through heart and centre of said traffic jam
    • 1 presidential convoy in Soma that caused a stampede exactly where we were standing in which a young girl got trampled.  Our guys, Kebba and Pa Modou, turned into American football players instantly, bear hugging and protecting us in a huddle.
    • Dirt road
    • Paved road
    • Partially paved road
    • Side of road
    • Road with monkeys
    • Road with bushrats
    • Road with snakes at pee stops
    • No roads with nile monitor lizards, thank God
    • Rain
    • Never enough rain
    • Sun (34-35 degrees)
    • Hotter sun (37-38 degrees)
    • Hottest sun (42 degrees)
    • Humidity- worse than hottest sun
    • Humidity and sun so hot that on the last day in Banjul, as I stood motionless next to our truck as we waited to begin, I felt cold. It was 29 degrees.  The weather was “cool” for The Gambia. In that moment, I knew that my brain’s temperature recognition was thoroughly messed up.
    • 2 pairs of melted sneakers

We ran through more than these “things:” events, roads, animals and weather.

(Dad, you may not want to continue reading this list.  Disclaimer- it’s just as safe here as anywhere else in the world.  All cities have crime pockets.  And we had a team of very protective men with us.  Ashley once said that she was scared of a guy with a stick, thinking he might like to hit her with the stick. The man was mentally ill.  If the man hit her with the stick, peaceful Kebba said very simply, “Well then I would tear him apart.”)

We ran through rice fields, ground nut fields and couscous fields.

We ran and drove through long hours together where my team’s bond and friendship turned into family. If you want to really get to know an African country and 3 African men, there’s no better way to become close with the country and its people than to run across it with them. West African societies, especially tribal relationships, are incredibly complex. I now have a wealth of knowledge stored away from conversations that our feet carried us through.

We ran more kilometers as a team than I did alone. Days 8 through 14, I didn’t run a single step solo. On Day 15, I ran 9 km solo (7 by request) and those were my last solo kms.

We enjoyed hours of laughing together.

Ashley and I sometimes giggled late at night until we cried.

We enjoyed hours of a dramatic production where Pa Modou was president and we were the people, engaged in an election campaign.  When there’s no television, internet, stereo… you entertain yourself in other ways.

We entertained ourselves with a rotating “boss:” the team member who (besides me) ran the most kilometers that day.  We laughed hysterically as the boss tried to wield their power until it expired at midnight.

We enjoyed hours of Serere vs Fula jokes until I had one hour too many and started running between Pa Modou and Spider hoping they would finally stop.  They stopped while running, continued the rest of the hours of the day.

We ran through the brief illnesses of 3 of our team members and learned that when one team member is down, we are all down.

We ran with 3 amazing groups who joined us: children, mamas in rice fields and soldiers on convoy. We loved them all equally.  While the soldiers in the Gambia National Army and the National Guard didn’t run any steps with us, they began to recognize us and would salute me from their convoy (sometimes up to 6 trucks and over 100 soldiers). I would salute them back.

We ran so long on the same road that the bush taxi drivers began to recognize us and would give us a happy beep and wave instead of an irritated “get the heck outta my way” beep and wave.

We went through a few mornings where I didn’t want to get out of the truck and run.  On these mornings Kebba always felt my fatigue and would say, “Oh, Erin.  I hate to let you out of the truck.”  Ashley would push me out and Pa would drag me onto the road.  Once pink sneakers are on the road, fatigue would be replaced with happiness.  My team just had to get the pink sneakers onto the road.

We rested for 2 hours under 15 different trees along the South Bank Road and led way more than 15 curious youth through yoga practice.

We ran through the mysterious disappearance of Akon for 3 days.

We stayed in places where our dinner was killed before us. Although in Ndemban, the 10 year-old boy entrusted with killing the rooster with a dull butter knife only managed to mortally wound the rooster and Spider had to step in to relieve the boy of this duties and finish the job.

Ashley and I peed and changed clothes in many hidden spots in the forest together. Sometimes we were only hidden from the truck and that was perfectly acceptable. Sometimes we just changed next to the truck “hidden” by my camping towel.

We ran through forests renowned for armed robbery, although the last incidence was more than one year ago. Though such is the reputation that locals remain weary and police checks are more numerous.

We celebrated each overhead shower and each room with more than one electrical outlet.

We endured a robbery at our lodge in Janjanbureh where the thief knocked off the screen on our window and possibly entered our room.  We’re not sure; the runner was dead asleep and Ashley just rolled over in bed without noticing. We heard that he was a very unskilled thief who only made away with one wallet from a guy in another bank of rooms. We did get a lot of mileage out of this thief as he was named as a suspect in the disappearance of Akon.

We knew that we had been running and living “in the bush” a long time when we were in Ndemban, staying at a local compound next to the road leading to Senegal and site of the Casamance civil conflict. Kebba told us: “We are 3km from Casamance so if you hear gunfire overnight, don’t worry, it’s just coming from the rebels across the border.”  And we easily replied, “Yea, whatever. Is there an electrical outlet here so we can charge the Garmin?” Then Ashley and I didn’t even think to talk about this conversation for another 4 days.

We ran so long that Stephen Harper was starting to look good.

I ran so long and got called “toubab” (Mandinka word for white person) so many times that I started following Pa Modou’s lead and began calling “morfing” (Mandinka word for black person) back.

We ran so long together that I felt like we could run to the end of the world together.

When Kebba drove us back to Leybato Guest House after our victorious swim in the Atlantic Ocean, we sat in the driveway next to each other in the front seat.  We were both silent for about a full minute.  I finally looked at him and said, “Kebba, I don’t want to get out of the truck because when I get out, it feels like it’ll be over.”  Kebba nodded his head slowly.  After a few moments, he looked at me and said, “Our team will never end.”  Then we were brave enough to get out the truck.

My team’s goal was accomplished but after what we’ve travelled, experienced, endured, been through, supported each other through, run through together… being a team will never end.

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Kebba get his first 25 KM!!!!!! Banjul calling louder…Spider welcomed.

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Post by Pa Modou

Wednesday 20th July 2011, Kalagi River Site Camp

Day 12

No of kilo meters covered: 306 km!!!!!!

If there is anything I feel proud of doing at the moment that will definitely be to wake up in the morning, put on my sneakers, pack the trunk of the truck with the bags and daily necessities like water etc and be in that front seat of the truck whiles I eat my morning TAPALAPA (local bread) with peanut butter or margarine and the usual AKON keeps me singing all the way to the starting point of the day’s run.

NEWS!!!!!!

Today, the love4Gambia crew welcomes SPIDERMAN on the truck to the starting point mark and having heard a lot about Spiderman who I was made to understand defeated Erin on the beach on a race about 4 years back, I couldn’t really imagine how he (Spider) runs because having seen our runner (Erin) run 25km everyday and not only that but 31km on her birthday and looks like she needs more Kms for the day, I said to myself “let’s see what he can do…” .

We are back to the tar road and this time it will be with us all through to Banjul to the finishing line!!! Cathy we waiting on your 5km, No excuses… hahaha…

KEBBA’S 25KM AND OTHERS…

The run today was really an amazing one with series of surprises and record breakings. On the run I must say we all have our records and always thinking of breaking them and this time around it was Kebba Suso who ran all 25km of the day of course not without been stubborn like myself as I was branded by the last blog author….. :) (Erin… Shhhhhhh!) Kebba was able to break his record of 17km to get all 25km which made him crowned as the new boss for the day deposing me from the throne but not long before Ashley said “until 2400hours!!!!” . At dinner time Kebba was struggling to make sure he gets the best out of his throne before the expiry of his throne by midnight by threatening to send some of us to bed early if we go against him at any point especially the nurse Ashley…Shhhhhh! Tell you what they are like brother and sister, always on opposite ends…hahaha. Spider was amazing as I observe him closely with Erin on the road trying to see if I will see anything like a competition trying to develop on but I guess they reminded themselves that we are heading to Banjul and we need not to use ourselves too much… (NEVER MIND!!!! I will arrange another race for them after the run but to tell you the truth I will go for Erin to win. Go Erin!!!!!). Spider got his first day run and 25km and have really added up to the team, the run was all not very quiet with the clapping and dancing whiles running which was spearheaded by Spider and Kebba as the children in the community follow suit.

Yoga was on by break time and our instructor Rubbie (Erin) NAMASTE!! Took us through with some small children on the warriors… It looks like the children could do it more than the big boys, strange!!!

Focus on our runner.

Erin has been overall ok today and has been always smiling at everyone as usual. Sometimes I look at her and say to myself, she is the most daring lady on earth in running across the Gambia but again I always remember that we have to do our best and forget the rest!!!!. She hates it to be told she did it but instead we as a team did it, what a lady. Go Erin gooooo….

Now to my last bit for my first blog, Ashley has been practicing some dancing moves for the finishing line and with the way she is taking it am quite sure the debriefings will be an excellent place to showcase her moves…

Love4Gambia run “YES WE CAN”

NAMASTE!!!!

Laughter is the Best Medicine… Until you Sprain your Laughing Muscle

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Post from Ashley:

The Love4Gambia Team (Erin, Ashley. Kebba, Pa Modu and AKON) have a lot of laughs each day. I’m sure that what we find hilarious probably is not quite as funny written in a blog, described on the telephone or viewed in a video recording. Some things you just have to be there. That’s what helps hold this team together so strongly. If you’ve ever travelled with a group, you know there are often things about your fellow group members that drive you crazy after some time… it’s hard to travel with other people.

We here at Love4Gambia have been doing very well getting along despite being tired, hot, sore and coping with the frequent issues that arise while travelling across a developing nation. While Kebba and I argue about how much he is allowed to run, it’s all in love (and not wanting to have to nurse anyone back to life this early in the game). So here we are on our ninth running day- at the completion on this run, we will have run 231km, over half way to Banjul and just under 200km to go. I know that we can get to the finish and still like each other at the end because the first half has been filled with such laughter.

I know we already made you a funny list,but  it grows each day.

More things we find funny:

Location of AKON cassette interrogations by Agent Pa Modu Sarr

Erin’s worsening lack of shame while changing behind trees with less and less coverage

Multiple types of shit jokes/shitting in trousers

Being so tired/hypoglycemic that 1) Erin throws her garbage in our laundry bucket after I tell her where the garbage is 2) then throws perfectly good contact lenses on floor and turns around to 3) find me spraying on toner as perfume.

I thought I had a really bad stitch but discovered it was always there, even while not running… laughing injury perhaps?

My teammates thought it was funny watching a donkey get stuck hanging in the air because his cart was heavier than him and his owners could not seem to get him down (I did not share the laughter in this one, it was SAD!)

Answering questions inappropriately with “jamarek” which means “I’m fine” because I have poor wolof vocabulary.

Donkeys make all kinds of noises… none of which are depicted by Disney.

While toubabs love babies… they don’t always love us… we’re scary white monsters.

When a monkey stops to look at you, they often point their butt at you as if to say, “Kiss this!”

Any time someone seriously uses the word “unscrupulous”, it’s funny. Just sayin’

Now, its 10:33 AM and things are less funny. Erin ate such a good breakfast of Banana Milk (whole milk with banana flavour, a good amount of tapalapa and a cookie that her belly is now revolting. It is NOT accepting its scheduled energy gel and it is not accepting acceptable quantities of Gatorade. Nurse Ashley not panicking. I can always force feed her later. Now is not the time. Erin confessed to me the other day that while she was running, she threw up. A lot. In her mouth. And swallowed it. I  find this horrifyingly gross. She said she couldn’t waste the fluids/energy and really couldn’t drink another litre of her despised Gatorade and energy drink. I don’t want her to swallow barf again, so I’ll let her take it easy on the Gatorade this run. Break we will have to get lots of juice/energy drinks into her because this morning after we finally got started (after an ENORMOUS thunder/lightening /rain storm) it was very humid, so sweat loss was high. Erin says if she were home in Canada right now, she’s be lying on her bed, not running.

10:50 AM update. Erin barfed in her mouth. Damn that’s gross. Is it wrong to take photos of her while she’s feeling unwell? Oops, too bad I already did. But Pa and Kebba just dressed the car in leaves/tree branches like the president’s vehicles are… that should cure her. She just needs an appropriately dressed entourage vehicle behind her. Surely her gut will stop barfing with that. It can’t hurt. I don’t know if her Shotski Mantra is helping the barfing thoughts though… hmmm.

We made it to rest time! Erin is trying to get through her energy gels and a fresh batch of Lemon-Lime Gatorade. It’s slow, but she’ll get there. Pa and Kebba are resting and trying to keep the kids from overtaking Erin’s rest/personal space. We hit 20km on the outskirts of a village so there is little privacy- toubabs always attract a crowd of kids.

4:15 PM I had planned to run 2/5km recovery run to make 7km total today as per Coach Erin’s orders after my big (for me) 10km run day yesterday. Erin still was not feeling well after our rest as we started out on the recovery run. We chatted about some of the funny things above, and the metres flew by. We laughed so hard that I forgot that running is hard. I laughed so hard I cried. Then a group of boys joined us and ran the rest of the 2km with us… barefoot. We were at 2km at the top of a hill and I felt okay to leave Erin, she was feeling much better. Laughter (and kids!) really is the best medicine, at least temporarily. Erin still doesn’t feel great but she snacked, finished her Gatorade and is now napping like a good patient. Now I just need to wait for more good material for any future tough days.

Day 8: Unremarkable is Remarkable

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July 16, 2011.

Day #8. 206km run!

Soma, TransGambia Lodge, 4:30pm. Too hot to nap. No electricity = no fan.

Celebrated the 200km mark today, whoo-hoo!

Today was remarkable because it was unremarkable. All parts of the runner’s body and the team were smooth. We got our kms in.

I didn’t run any kms alone today. Pa joined me for the first 5km. Ashley for 5-10. Kebba 10-20km and then both Pa and Ashley for the last 5km. That’s right, people, Ashley ran 10km today for the first time ever!

At rest today, we were under a tree on a farm as usual.  A grandmother farming brought over her 2 year old granddaughter to the see toubabs and poor baby shrieked and cried.  She could even look at us.  Grandmother was delighted.

A few notes on how I’m feeling.  Aka the injury report. I’m not injured. Ashley has an overuse injury on her abs from laughing.

Of course my legs hurt and of course it’s hot but I can manage both. The heat in non-negotiable so I continue to just put it out of my realm of conscious thought. I hurt in an acceptable way- my legs are fatigued from hard work in the general leg vicinity. I don’t have any “oh shit” injured parts.  My gut is behaving and is accepting 4 litres of drink over my 2.5 hours running. I did anger my gut a bit by eating 4 bananas yesterday but they were so impossibly delicious that it was worth the risk.

Much of our run was through forest today so less community love for team Love4Gambia.  We did stop to drink in the centre of Pakali Ba today and the truck was quickly surrounded by curious kids. When finished drinking, I asked them if they wanted to run with me and they all said “YES!”  So off Kebba and I went with about 10 kids trailing us. I love the way the kids run.  A few will “run” with good form, a few will “run” with a mix of skipping, hopping and arm waving while giggling crazily. Kebba led the kids in “Thank you Erin, thank you Love4Gambia” and all traces of fatigue vanished from my tired legs.  If I could put the feeling that I get from running with these kids into a pharmaceutical bottle and sell it at Aerobics First, I would be a millionaire.

Happy report from the support truck.  As we’ve written about before, my main man Pa Modou loves Akon more than life and Akon has accompanied us for many of the 206km we’ve run.  But Akon mysteriously disappeared 2 days ago.  The Akon cassette reappeared last night…  Pa is much happier.

Lessons from 3 Days on the Road to Banjul

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July 10, 2011, 8:15pm, Basse

Day 3 of running complete! We’ve conquered 75km so far and it feels pretty good!

I love a good list so Ashley and I have prepared 2 lists for you tonight- written quickly before I melt in front of my laptop. We present to you: the things we’ve learned during the first 3 days of this running expedition as well as a list of things that are funny (to us anyway!). We’ve been laughing a lot. Pa Modou loves to laugh and is always ready for a joke. Kebba’s happy face just looks like laughter.

Things we’ve learned:

1. The road across an African country is run 20 minutes at a time. I can’t think of 20km of road ahead, or 10 days of road ahead. I’m running 20 minutes at a time. I stop to be watered at the truck. Then I run another 20 minutes
2. If you wave persistently and long enough at Gambian women, children and men, they will wave back
3. If Ashley shows kids to clap from the truck, kids will clap for me as I run by
4. The motorbikes remind of Will Ferrell in “Elf.” Remember when he goes to NYC for the first time and gets hit by a cab and says “Wow, they are really fast!” That’s what I felt like when the first one road by me. “Wow, they are really fast!” And they don’t move for me. I move for them.
5. Gambians thinks that my mission is just as crazy as Canadians but they go a step further and say “HER?!” Eyebrows raised at me, expression incredulous. And the best, “a woman can do that?!” Heck yea!
6. Roosters are bastards (I knew this already so this is more of a confirmation).
7. We’ve learned lots about distance running support
a. I need to drink my first litre of Gatorade by 1:20 so I can drink the second by end of 20km
b. I need a lot of water on top at truck stops
c. I need to change my socks at 10km
d. I need to eat my gels at 40min, 60 minutes, 1:20
e. Sometimes it’s ok to listen to the same song for 20 minutes (if it’s a good one)
f. I love the 90 minute rest under a tree. It might be the best part of the day
g. The worst part of the day is shoving food into my unwilling stomach during the 90 minute rest
h. I need 750ml of Gatorade and not water for the second 5km
8. A vast and beautiful farmland is a lovely place for a 90 minute rest but leaves little place for a girl to pee.
9. My shoulders ache after running just like my legs
10. Basse is incredibly dusty. It covers me in so much dust that the dust could pretty much substitute for sunscreen
11. I am fighting a losing battle with sunscreen
12. Believe it or not, I think the run is the part of the day when I am the coolest. I’m not minding the heat. The heat just is. I need to run whether or not it’s hot so I’m not thinking about it. The rest of the day in our little house is very very hot. So the moral of the story is, if a white girl comes to Africa and she wants to stay cool, all she has to do is run across a country
13. In a fight between Africa and Kinesio tape, Africa wins every time
14. A girl must not forget to use her anti-chafing Sport Shield
15. When we get home, there’s a mad rush to charge all of our electronics before the generator is shut off
16. The Fenis is best used when bladder is not full to point of exploding
17. Your Gambian radio interview may be cut into 2 segments when the generator/power go out

Funny

1. Pa set a new Personal Best for his horn honking on Day 3. PB = 5km of horn honking. That’s right, 5 full km. We are thinking about what we tell the boss when we return the truck with a silent horn (hope you aren’t reading, boss!)
2. Kebba is wearing my fuel belt and is calling it his armour. When he puts it on, he says he’s a solider armed with grenades. The hot pink bottles, er, grenades are the most deadly
3. Everyone is encouraging/taunting Ashley to run more with me. Today Kebba told her that he would disqualify her if she stopped running before he said she could. It did not work. But she did run 5.8km today (in 2 runs).
4. On the way back to Basse today, through the rural countryside, I was passed out across the back seat with my feet and legs out of the window. When we got to more urban Basse, we were laughing at driver Pa: “Pa, people want to know why you are dragging around a toubab (white person) and a dead toubab.”
5. In Pa’s world, there’s no such thing as too much Akon
6. Team is calling me a horse and when I leave the truck for my next 20 minutes, they say “Giddy-up, horsey
7. When it’s been silent for awhile and Pa beeps the horn a few times, Kebba (running with me) always says “Banjul calling!”
8. The “I’ll run to Banjul” jokes are versatile. Ashley had coffee this morning and felt good. Pa says, “Erin, you’ll have coffee tomorrow.” I say, “Can’t, I’d just take off and run all the way to Banjul before you catch me.”
9. We spent an hour laughing at/with Almamo who claimed that a Land Rover could drive right through the Gambia River
10. If I keep running through these dusty roads, I’m going to turn color. Then I’ll be Gambian.
11. Kids love to yell, “Toubab, how are you!” at us. Pa always answers, “The black man is fine!” and then he laughs at himself and then we laugh.
12. It’s totally ok to be introduced to the Chief of Police and the Governor of Upper River Region (like a province) whilst covered in dust and sweat and wearing your short shorts having just run 25km.

We really love your messages and thank you for taking the time to write us.  We don’t have enough internet time (pay as you go on cell phone credits) to answer you but please know we are thinking of you on the road ans so appreciate you are thinking of us.

Love Erin + Ashley