Hobie Beach Park Run South Africa (the finish)
After the rocks we reach the turnaround point. Now back to
the palm tree. Hopefully I can get in with a group of runners running at my
speed. Doesn’t happen. I continue to pass and dodge slower runners and walkers
and members of the public out for their walk. It is a path busy with non-park
runners.
I eventually run beside someone I can talk to.
Him: “Other local runs are very tough do them for endurance.
This one you do for speed.”
I know South Africans love a tough course but I have to
adjust my thinking. Rock hopping is now a fast course.
Me: “We are coming here tonight for the fireworks.”
We can see the finish tree in the distance. I grab my camera
and take a few photos of my wife and daughter. My son has avoided the camera by
finishing ahead of me. We are surrounded by coffee shops and the crowd
disperses with no organised drinking.
After doing the park runs in South Africa I am now beginning
to understand my wife of more than 30 years.
She was born and raised in Southern Africa. Part of her personality and character has
that South African tinge to it.
The park runs in South Africa reflected the society in which
they exist. I learnt more about South
Africa by doing the park runs than by going up Table Mountain or viewing zebras
or giraffes. The park runs showed me
things I thought were good (we can learn from you) and bad (in need of improvement).
To all the South Africans I say come to Tassie. Come and do
our park runs. You may find things that
are good (and that you can copy) and things were we can learn from you (tell us
about them). And while you are in Tassie
go up Mt Wellington and see the Tassie devil. We love our Tassie devil. You can see our
devil on my shirt.
All the locals seemed happy. There was a large crowd of
locals who seemed to enjoy being in a crowd.
A sense of belonging. I don’t know what they belonged to. The park run
community or some other community.
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