ReggaeMarathon Blog

Any marathoner in the final week of training has only one thing to do…rest.  It sounds easy.  After 15 or so weeks of torture, blood sweat and tears all that you need to do is eat well, rest more and walk around with a water bottle in hand.  In recent times with the advent of H1N1 many of my fellow marathoners have added hand sanitizer to the list of final week necessities, no point doing all this work to run 26.2 miles with the flu.  But if you are traveling for your marathon, be warned this is not as easy as it seems.

First you have to pack, which should be easy enough, but this kind of packing requires the kind of forethought only seen before when NASA gets ready to send off a shuttle.  You need to pack your running shoes, the right running shoes and maybe a back up pair with inner soles, but then you need to unpack them in case your baggage gets lost so you have to carry them in your hand luggage with your other valuables.  Then you need to pack for the heat, the cold, and the cold that turns into heat! Then you pack your garmin, your charger, your band aids (I’m not sure why, I think you would be over any blisters by now, but I packed mine anyway), your registration info, your lucky something, and if you remember your under pants, well you are ahead!

Then you have to do everything you could possibly need to do before you go away, check dog food, kids homework, water the plants, check the accounts, work long hours to get ahead because chances are if you are doing a marathon you are one of those type A’s that isn’t going to simply let it wait till you get back. 

Then when you have had your hectic day and you collapse into bed an hour early ( as prescribed) you spend the next three hours worrying.  Why am I doing this? What time and I going to do? What is this place Jamaica going to be like?  Will I be able to eat the food? Will it make me sick?  Is the water good? How hot is it? Is everyone going to run like Usain Bolt and leave me trailing behind?  Are they all going to stop at 800 meters and I’ll be the only one still running? After all you are not sure you’ve ever seen a Jamaican run more than 800.  Sleep deprivation sets in, you are thinking you need rest but oh no you forgot to take the dog to get his shots!

So the next morning when you wake up you repack adding food, unpacking the cold weather gear adding more hot weather gear and plan to take the dog to the vet on your way to work, the bank, pharmacy, supermarket and to say good bye to some loved ones.  Enjoy your rest!!!

Some tips:

The hotels in Negril will have excellent food and the drinking water is fine (that is Mexico you were thinking about).

Negril is a rural part of Jamaica you will not find a shop with a wide selection of running gear, shoes or even sports foods like power bars, ghu etc.

The race is extremely well organized and you will find a competitive field that will challenge you and make you look good!  Some take it very seriously and others seriously want to have fun for 26.2 miles!

I have only volunteered at Reggae Marathon, running it is deemed a luxury in my running club.  The idea of running any marathon being a luxury is quite unique but mostly as members we are expected to work the race and spread on the good old fashion Jamaican hospitality, and only the Tourist Board Ads do it better!

One thing that volunteering allows you to do is observe, and Reggae marathon is never short of things to look at!  Take for instance the man who ran the entire marathon in a pair of brown dress socks.  Now there are a few Jamaicans who will run bare foot, shoes are an expense they never grew accustomed to.  Stability control, air, gel, cushioning are of no concern to them.  They do know about light weight though!  Most of them run pretty darn fast so there is no looking down on them, just a lot of looking at their backs as they fade into the distance!

However dress socks seemed a departure from the norm. Sure enough by mile 26 there were more holes than socks.  The runner crossed the finish line with a big happy smile which faded as he looked down.  I had to know, why did he wear dress socks?  He told me he wanted to protect his feet then he lamented the loss of his perfectly good pair of socks!

So one thing running reggae marathon will do is give you a new perspective…and in 26.2 miles sometimes a new perspective can really help a lot!

Marathon training is relentless.  It takes about the same amount of commitment as a marriage, a child and bank loan put together.  In sickness and in health you are required to complete the prescribed run, and in the prescribed time. So on a recent trip with my young son I was just not sure how I was going to fit in my speed work and my hill runs. 

I contemplated leaving him alone in the hotel room while I breezed off down he road, but that seemed a little like child abuse or definitely neglect, in the name of my marathon goal or not, I needed another plan.  The hotel treadmill it had to be.  Living in Jamaica a treadmill is not such a necessity, we get spoilt, if it rains stay home and sleep, there are more than enough sunny days in a week to catch up.  So I have to admit I was dreading my treadmill run.  Treadmill runs are just sooo dull!

So there I am doing my warm up, and changing channels sure that I need a good TV show to get me through this.  I set my first pace, no Garmin for me to check, no need to push harder or strategize about my pace, all I need to do is stay on this confounded conveyor belt. Boring!

So my first repeat consisted of my son running on the adjacent treadmill where he picks up speed and is having a ball.  I am slightly relieved as this is bound to wear out some of his endless energy that my leaving him bouncing off the walls on our flight later that day.  Suddenly I notice a swift movement, I turn only to see my son catapulted off the end of the treadmill and left in a happy heap at the end.  “What are you doing?” I ask with some amount of irritation the large grin on his face suggested he was fine. 

“I decided to stop!” he says confidently. We both look up at the treadmill still moving at top speed, clearly this was a “user issue”.

The second repeat he announces he is going to the bathroom.  I send him off with the room key to get back into the gym.  Off he goes happily only to return with .4 of a mile to go.  He tries the key and it does not work.  I sign language at him though the glass instructions on how to open the door, he looks at me like I am truly delirious.   After several non-verbal instructions he gives up.  My son is wonderful but patience is not his strong point, so he makes several non-verbal demands for me to get off the treadmill NOW and open the door.  I motion him to wait, neglect or not, I am going to finish my repeat!

By now I have certainly had enough excitement.  I am by now engrossed in an NCIS episode where a boy’s father is missing, mother is dead, step mother is not allowed to see boy, boy misses step mother.  More drama than a 5 mile run can take. 

I went back to my room having revised my stance on treadmill running, far too much excitement for my liking!!! 

You don’t just join the Jamdammers Running Club, you BECOME a Jamdammer.  It is not a slow and subtle process, it happens suddenly long before you expect it, and it sticks!  There are some pre-conceived notions about the social status, lack of social life, lack of any life for that matter, and weight of a Jamdammer, but once you really check it out they are all false.  Runners of all walks of life, every shape, colour, and size, who surely do know how to party!  There are artists, bankers, builders, massage therapists (we especially like that one), physiotherapists (we especially need them), writers, doctors, housewives, and we even have a Rhodes Scholar who boosts our average IQ.

What makes a Jamdammer is a love of running.  We all love to complain about running, but the truth is we enjoy it. This enjoyment is very quickly tested as soon after you become a Jamdammer, perhaps without any previous intention, you find yourself registered for a marathon.  You learn that a marathon is 26.2 miles but you don’t really know how long 26.2 miles.  In a car it doesn’t seem that hard, you try to put a mental picture on it, but by the time you have a few long runs under you belt you are wiser, but hooked. 

But what also makes a Jamdammer is a commitment to developing road racing in Jamaica.  Part of that commitment is a pledge to volunteer in at least one road race per year and do everything you can possibly do to make the Reggae Marathon a TOTAL success.  Jamdammers are not really good at just “OK”. 

I admit to being a reluctant volunteer.  Volunteering usually entails placing medal over overly sweaty totally exhausted runners head, or handing out our user friendly water bags to runner after runner.  I always wonder why that needed to be me, couldn’t some cub scout do that.  It just didn’t seem noble enough, I’d volunteered with the physically handicapped, the destitute and sick.  Runners at a 10K didn’t quite give me the same warm and fuzzy feeling. Quite frankly I thought myself over qualified, I have a masters degree spending an afternoon handing out bags of water was just not tapping into my skill set.

There is an unwritten rule you must volunteer for at least on race, and because I am a Jamdammer I did do my one race a year.  One year in particular I stood alongside a number of dedicated and incredibly willing cadets at a water stop handing out said bags of water.  I grudgingly was thinking that during the races I have entered (mostly overseas) they don’t give us these bags, I have to slop along with a cup of water that splashes up my nose and down my shirt, very little of the contents actually serving the purpose of hydration! 

My thoughts were interrupted by a runner who was approaching. I recognized it immediately, I see runners almost every day at every level of ability and tiredness, she was swaggering. I walked towards her and as she got to me she collapsed to a seated position. She drank water, slowly.  Soon after she announced to the scouts who were assisting her that she was going to continue.  They began to help her to her feet.  As she rose I looked into her face, I knew that look, the running joke about me is that I will run until I puke, she like me was no quitter she would kill herself to finish.  I also knew there would be another race for her. I raised my hand to the fellow volunteer who was driving and he pulled over.  The runner’s legs still wobbled beneath her. The scout looked at me and said, “She wants to finish!”  I looked back at him and said, “I am pulling her off!” Her legs buckled. 

As they loaded her exhausted body into the car packing cool packs around her, I suddenly realized that I had it all wrong.  My Masters degree would have left me under qualified for this job, it was my experience as a runner that qualified me for it.  I got it.  When I hang a ribbon over the neck of a sweaty exhausted runner who has just completed 26.2miles I do it with the respect and care of someone who knows the kind of physical and emotional struggle it takes to make it across that line.  Now I understood why the organizing team of the road race series and the Reggae Marathon who were just a little obsessive compulsive about creating perfect races, were so hell bent on Jamdammers all over the course in every aspect of the race, they are qualified.

So when you pass the volunteers along the course at Reggae Marathon, you may take little comfort in the fact that they are lawyers, engineers, bankers but take some comfort in the fact they are runners who know you pain and can truly appreciate your incredible accomplishment!

Chances are you have heard of Jamaica by now.  A small Island Nation of about 3 million people, a GDP that is better left not talking about, and an average income most people in the developed world could not fathom existing on.  Yet our flags are all over the stands of the World Championships, and even on the backs of our runners who have won a few races.

Our unofficial motto is “No Problem” but ironically life in Jamaica can be quite stressful, but perhaps that is a little of what makes us soar.  Our athletes handle the stress, the famous trash talk and antics will not ruffle our athlete’s feathers, after all it isn’t real.  Jamaicans know a little of what real threats can be.  

But what these Jamaican athletes seem to have that the world could learn from, apart from running fast, very fast, is an ability to enjoy life’s precious great moments.  Officials have suggested that the appropriate way to celebrate the winning of an Olympic Gold medal is to walk calmly over to your competitors and shake their hands.  Our Jamaicans jumped shouted, danced, waved and laughed!  Perhaps we are not so refined and our responses are not so rehearsed, but they were free and they were honest.  Most of all they were fun. 

Each of these athletes has been able to lift the spirits of a Nation, a Nation that needed a lift.  They represent hope, in a time when hope is somewhat scarce. They give us reason to celebrate, when mostly we have been criticized.  Perhaps some people in their refined lives found these celebrations too early, or too loud or too “boasy” as we say in Jamaica, but here in Jamaica we hardly noticed them because we were all far to busy screaming, laughing, dancing and jumping around!

We like to dance in Jamaica, in the streets, in our homes, in our cars.  Music is a part of our lives, and we like it and it comes naturally. The Reggae Marathon begins to the beat of drums, and the sound systems that line the course create a beat that can carry you along, finishing to the unmistakable melody of Marley. 

So while some of our athletes may have inspired you to push a little harder in your next speed work, or go out and buy a pair of puma super duper shoes, let them also inspire you to turn the music up and sing on your way to work, spread your arms and run, it still feels good even when you are an adult. Enjoy your achievements because you deserve it, and if you feel like it, go ahead, DANCE!

Meet Chris Morales, who plans to make the 2009 Reggae Marathon his first.  He is dedicating his race to the memory of his dad.  Check out his blog, and send him lots of love and support.  Better yet - join him!

http://mykalsreport.blogspot.com/2009/02/join-me-in-running-reggae-marathon.html

Here are a few of the amazing people who volunteer year after year after year …

Getting ready for the dramatic start!  We jammin!

Caring for Burt at Mile 21!

The day before the race - “Bob’s Mile” - only 0.2 to go!

Volunteers are the lifeline of Reggae Marathon.  It just wouldn’t happen without this army of dedicated, loving volunteers who keep coming back year after year!  In this interview, meet Celia (see her in the pic above perched on the back of the motorbike with Jurgen who spends the entire race riding and checking the course - until the last runner is home)!

What originally prompted you to be on the team?  Who invited you to join?

The first year I worked – honestly, I was bummed about my training for the half marathon. It had rained everyday for almost a month.  So in order not to be shamed by a terrible time, I decided I would volunteer.  I had an absolute ball.  It was such great fun that I was happy that I had volunteered to work.  The next year I volunteered again without any duress J  I was impressed with the planning that went into the marathon as I had now experienced it as a runner and as a volunteer.

What role did you play?  What level of responsibility did you have?

The first year I worked “hospitality”, welcoming the runners as they came in to pick up there packets and also at a water stop. The second year I worked in Operations which was much more responsibility.  That was a baptism by fire.  I was responsible for the Accommodation for the volunteers.

 How much time did it take at different points?

The first year, I was there Friday and Saturday, and basically that was time that I had offered to put in.  Last year it required me being a part of meetings from about October.  It took lots of sleepless nights to put it together and then we were in Negril from Wednesday evening.  This took a whole lot of time and commitment, but it was quite worth it at the end to see it coming off so well.

What were some of the high points of the experience?

It showed me all that was involved in putting on well organized, excellent marathon.  I was amazed at the spirit of volunteerism that I saw in action.  I also saw the planning that it took.  I also experienced how much fulfilling it is to do something for others.  Personally, it taught me how to work under pressure, how to organise my time and the benefits of team work.

What were some of the low points of the experience?

 Some of the persons you have to work with forget that you are also a volunteer.

What made you decide to volunteer again?

It was absolutely fun and I felt so accomplished at the end of the day. Was proud of what we were able to do as a team.  Met and worked with some great people.

Happy New Year to all Reggae Marathoners, and Reggae Marathoner-wannabees!  Now is the time for you to set your goal for completing the 2009 Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon or 10k on December 5, 2009!  It’s never too early to start getting ready!

If you are in any doubt about running and its benefits, here’s a report from CNN about the results of a 20-year study.  The word is out - running IS good for you!  For those of us who have felt the benefits of running, and marathoning, in our lives, the report only confirms what we know!

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2008/12/31/gupta.run.good.health.cnn

One of my favourite quotations is from Margaret Mead, the anthropologist:  “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world: indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”

I was reminded of this on the weekend as I volunteered for the Reggae Marathon.  10 or so years ago, a small group of people decided to stage a marathon in Jamaica.  They were, and remain committed to a number of things:

1. The promotion of wellness and healthy living
2. The development of long distance running in Jamaica.  Despite, and perhaps because of its long tradition of excellence at the sprint athletic distances, up to recently distance running has not been particularly popular with Jamaican athletes
3. The promotion of Jamaica as a destination that is more than “sun, sand and sea”

Spurred by the success of the initial staging of the Reggae Marathon in 2001, this small group, known at the Jamdammers Running Club, has organized itself to stage the Reggae Marathon every year since then.  The group is not motivated by financial reward, for there is none.  Each year, it is an uphill battle to mobilise financial, physical and human resources.  There is one full-time, year round employee.  Everyone else is a volunteer.  The only thing keeping this group together and motivated is their passion and commitment to the cause of running, health and Jamaica.  And that is more than enough. 

And how has the Reggae Marathon changed the world?  Prior to the event, the hotel occupancy in Negril in the first weekend of December was about 20%.  Now, one can hardly find a room – occupancy is near 100%.  Craft vendors, taxi drivers, restaurant operators, farmers all experience increased  business, as the event is a stimulus for economic activity far beyond the race itself.

Each year, a number of charities benefit, as entrants commit to raising funds by running the marathon.  Our local charity partner in 2008 was the Heart Foundation of Jamaica, and organization committed to the reduction of the incidence of heart disease in Jamaica.  We also had runners from Joints In Motion of Canada who raised funds for the Arthritis Society of Canada, and the Yellowbird Reggae Runners, a group of travel industry professionals who raise funds to contribute to the development of their favourite travel destinations.    People who have never heard of the Reggae Marathon will benefit from the funds raised by these organizations

And then, there are the personal goals and dreams.  For Burt Carlson, it was to compete his 301^st marathon at 83 years old.  For Phillip Lawrence, it was to complete his 100^th marathon.  For Dean Sirjue, it was to celebrate his 50^th birthday with his closest friends.  For many others, it was to push their bodies beyond what they thought possible and complete a race. 

The Reggae Marathon is an event where dreams really do come true, where lives are changed.  And when one life changes, the whole world changes.  All because of a small group of committed people.