You Must Wake Up and Run For Your Life.

You must wake up and run for your life.

I woke up on the 6th of November 2022 to run the 10 Kilometers race of the 27th Soweto Marathon. I woke up like thousands of South Africans (Azanians) and international runners to participate in a massive annual national and/or international event. This was a momentous occasion and historical moment for me for many reasons. I felt privileged to run freely at Soweto, a place which in 1976 young people were running for their lives fighting an apartheid regime, a period which some lost their lives because of brutal apartheid regime. This moment reminded that, we may not be where we want to be, but we have made some progress as a people, and indeed the struggle continues.

I woke up on the beautiful Sunday with a commitment of taking ownership of my physical well-being and subsequently my emotional and mental well-being. It is a known fact that running releases hormones which triggers positive emotions, and indeed, it was all good vibes I felt post the race. Running therefore is very important for your overall well-being. Running keeps you fit, your mind refreshed, and your spirit high.

When I woke up on the day, one song was playing in my mind, and that is, “There is a race that I must run and there are victories to be won, give me power every hour to be true.” As this song was playing in my mind, I asked God to lead and guide me as well as all runners during the race. I wanted nothing but victory. Victory for me looked different to many others, I wanted to finish well and not to just finish fast. I won a bronze medal completing the race 10Km race at 55 minutes. I finished alongside my running partner Tokelo “Gobetse” Nchabeleng who consistently encouraged me all the way. We ran the race to also marked the Faculty of Best Advisory (FBA) 10-year anniversary milestone.

Throughout the race Gobetse quoted the following words encouraging me to stay the course, he emphasized that, “you should run your own race, at your own pace, in your own lane.” Post the running, we met up with Ntate Fana Marutla who is my mentor. He equally challenged us to aspire to run 21 kilometers in the next year (2023). He alluded that, with the pace we were moving on and the time we finished, we do have potential and capacity. He shared an impactful perspective quoting someone that, during the race, “if you cannot run, walk, if you cannot walk, crawl, whatever you do, keep going.” Beyond this narrative, he went on to caution that, we should and must equally listen to our bodies and in fact stop if we cannot go further. It is after all, better to lose a race than to lose your life.

I ran to keep check of my belly fat, and to ensure that among other things, #MkhabaMustFall campaign intensifies.?It is very essential to guard our physical well-being, and running is an important programme to do so. For instance, if we keep fit and healthy, we will visit the hospital less, and furthermore, the resources invested in health budget from taxpayers will be redirected to other economic projects of the country, and therefore, we shall be moving the needle towards total emancipation in our lifetime and beyond.

I would like to encourage all people to run couple of days per week. For us to achieve total emancipation in our lifetime and beyond, we must be healthy and fit. We are running towards our future, which in my view remains brighter than we have envisioned it. We must keep going and be the orchestrators of the very future we envision and dream about.

As and when I was feeling tired during the race, I was reminded of the words of President Thabo Mbeki who postulates that, “Those who complete the course will do so because they do not, as fatigue sets in, convince themselves that the road ahead is still too long, the incline too steep, the loneliness impossible to bear. and the prize itself of doubtful value.” I marched on and forth.

Above and beyond, our health is our wealth. I hope you find time in your busy schedule to wake up and run for your life, I hope you find time to run and chase your dreams. I hope you keep on running, and if not, like John Walker, you should “keep walking.” In sum, I am hoping and wishing to run with you yet again, or with you for the first-time next year for the 28th Soweto Marathon. Let us run this revolutionary marathon, after all, life is a journey, and the joy is in the journey of our becoming. The fundamental question is, will you be running the marathon alongside us next year?

Mafule Moswane writes in his personal capacity.

He is a runner, writer, thinker, leader, researcher, activist, and an aspiring singer.

#SowetoMarthon

#FBA10

#TowardsTotalEmancipation

#Running