ENDURANCE » KALAHARI DESERT
PURE MAGIC
by Kim van Kets, regular participant
hat made a deep impression on
me at the 2018 race is that KAEM
is within the reach of anyone who
commits to adequate preparation. This
experience is all about a whole bunch of
ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
It is not just a race for the chosen few super
athletes (although we have our fair share of
those too). This event is a testament to the
bravery and commitment of very ordinary
men and women who allow themselves to
dream big and to the crew of supporters who
move mountains to help them realise those
dreams. There are runners who sacrifice their
own performance on legs/days/the whole
event to carry a comrade through. There are
crew members who stay up all night, who walk
for miles between checkpoints to make sure
a participant is okay, who sacrifice the chance
of far more relaxing holidays.
KAEM is different from any other event I
have ever done because it is a family in the
truest sense of the word. Every crew member
and participant is utterly invested in the
wellbeing and success of every single runner.
Really. I don’t know how that happens but the
level of camaraderie, genuine concern and
love that develops in this extraordinary week
is something quite astonishing. This does not
happen at other races. I think the norm is that
(at best) no one really gives a toss if you drop
out and (at worst) many are secretly rather
delighted if others fail. But here someone will
(literally) hold your hand, come out to find you,
sacrifice their performance and give you their
rations to get you through. It’s pure magic and
I don’t even pretend to understand how or why
it happens, but I know it does because I have
witnessed it year after year.
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