C o l u m n
THE RUNNING MANN
Baobab trees are the most striking feature of the area
ones on the route are over 2000 years old – the oldest one on record was over 6000 years old before it collapsed , and the large hollow in the trunk was used as a bar ! The hollows in other massive baobab trunks , which can get to 50m in circumference , have been used as shops , houses , storage barns , bus shelters and even prisons .
Baobab flowers bloom at night and are pollinated by bats , producing a fruit known as ‘ monkey bread .’ The leaves , fruit and seeds of the tree are very nutritious , have various medicinal applications , and can also be used to make both coffee and beer . There are many myths about the baobab tree , which is also known as the ‘ Upside Down tree .’ One legend has it that the arrogant baobab was taught a lesson by the gods , who plucked it out and shoved it back into the ground headfirst , so now the roots are at the top !
Baobabs are virtually indestructible under normal conditions . They will recover from veld fires and are immune to ring barking , since their smooth , shiny bark regenerates ( unlike most other trees ). When a Baobab dies , it does so slowly , rotting from the inside . One day it will suddenly collapse in a pile of dust , which adds to the mystique , as it doesn ’ t really die , it simply disappears . Unfortunately , these ancient icons cannot escape climate change and , after surviving several millennia , nine of the oldest 13 baobab trees have died in the last few years .”
Johan van der Merwe won the Masters category
Hitting the Long Road
One of the nice things about an out-and-back route is that you can see how much faster or slower you are than everyone else . I can tell you that Johan van der Merwe , a five-time Washie 100 Mile winner and still current record holder ( 13:07:05 in 2012 ), was a lot faster than I was . Johan has an eye on a record attempt as the fastest ever 100-miler by a South African athlete over 50 , which is currently held by Allan Ferguson ( 14:34:06 in 1971 ) and was set 54 years ago .
Another highlight was seeing Maros Mosehla go past me . Whilst Baobab trees can live for well over 2000 years and are the oldest living things in South Africa , humans rarely live past 100 years . However , it is encouraging to know that some of us can still run marathons well into our 80s like Mosehla , who at 82 still finished in the top half of the Musina Marathon field with a 4:10 finish .
Running marathons in Musina is hard work but a rather macabre local landmark puts things into perspective . The turnaround point at the 26km mark is just before the Big Bulai rocky outcrop on one side of the road and the Small Bulai rocky outcrop on the other . In days of old , if you fell afoul of the favour of the Musina tribal chief and were found guilty of a major offence , you were taken to the Big Bulai rocks and executed . If you fell afoul of the favour of the Musina tribal chief and were found guilty of a minor offence , you were taken to the other side of the road and executed on the Small Bulai rocks .
If you miss the turn point , you ’ ll end up at the Big or Small Bulai rocks
Not quite as old as the baobabs , but 82-year-old Maros Mosehla is SA ’ s oldest marathoner
The Final Stretch
With sporadic greetings to runners still making their way to the turnaround point , I safely negotiated the lonely road back to Musina . On the way back you avoid the township loop and are directed right back onto the D2692 . ( Here the roads have no names , only numbers .) I have already given the organisers accolades for a faultless first marathon , but I was particularly impressed that they had fired up a smoke machine for our return into Musina . ( Truth be told , there was a support table close by , and they managed to get the local authorities to extinguish the bin burn a short while after I passed ).
The last six to seven kays went by uneventfully , and although I was now running rather slowly , I did manage to pass one or two fellow runners before finally arriving back at the dry , dusty but welcome finish line back at the rugby club . Whilst I waited for Julian to finish , I had a chat ( and a beer ) with co-organiser
24 ISSUE 174 | www . modernathlete . co . za