Today was the Nairobi Marathon. An opportunity for all to experience the breathtaking view from atop the new Nairobi Expressway as they pursued their passion for running. After a long period of isolation and social distancing due to Covid 19, we finally got to engage in social events. It was beautiful to see people from all walks of life: young, old, male, female name it! Each had a race they wanted to run and with dogged determination, they purposed to complete it. The race began with lots of zeal and enthusiasm: spirited dashes as the participants put their best foot forward to try and emerge at the top or something similar.

There were people who played very interesting roles in the marathon. Take the policemen and women in blue uniforms out to ensure the safety and well-being of the participants. They were not running but a critical part of the race. There were those who ensured we stayed on track and made the right turns. Some just played music that had a way of reenergizing us as we ran on. There were water points at which we received opened bottles of water to hydrate along the way. Drones and helicopters zoomed over our heads with cameramen capturing the action as it unfolded.

On the sides of the road, and atop tall buildings were those who watched. Some cheered us on, assuring us that we would make it. Others laughed at why anyone would willingly choose such a tortuous morning activity while others took videos: evidence that they watched the marathon. They will gain popularity on social media as they post. All in all, there were all these people who were not quite running but their presence made them a part of the marathon one way or the other.

As the miles went by, the crowd began to thin out. The slow ones began to fall behind and those who had underestimated the distance began to throw in the towel. They stopped at various points to await the buses that would pick them up and take them home. By halfway through, the people who began together started parting ways as those with a faster pace fled on. By the last few kilometers, some of us were walking back lol! All in all, we kept going.

Being more of a sprinter, I prefer medium-distance races but I had decided to give a longer race a try. To help myself along, I identified people I considered pacesetters. I would follow them for a while and realize that they were either too fast or too slow for me. I would let them get on and identify new pacesetters and the cycle would repeat itself. With time I gave up altogether and decided to do my thing. I would alternately run and walk but one thing I knew: I was here to finish. I remember a couple of elderly-looking guys who passed me along the way and went on to complete the race before me. I also remember some athletic-looking young persons who remained behind and even dropped off.

This reminded me of the Bible. In Ecclesiastes 9:11- I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all (NIV).

In life, we are all on a mission: to live our lives as best as we can. Unfortunately, we keep comparing ourselves to others, trying to keep up with the Joneses (who don’t know we are trying to catch them and don’t really care anyway!). This leaves us anxious, frustrated, and angry; feeling as if life has dealt us an unfair blow. Yet we dealt ourselves. The grass may indeed be greener on the other side, but it is only green if watered. If we take the time to water our own grass, it will also be green. Every minute we spend looking out for what others have and we don’t, is time wasted.  We could have invested it in becoming better in one way or the other.

Just as I decided to set my pace and keep to it, we ought to define our path, our purpose, and get down to living it. Do not obsess with who is ahead, who is better or greater. Note them as a sign that you can get further than where you are but only go at the rate that works best for you. A little risk to look out for: the paradox of getting complacent and not striving. This can rob us of the chance to be great and excel in our respective fields. Whereas we set our pace, we need to keep our eyes open to what is possible so that it can spur us to strive and get better. Seek out that greater level of achievement and focus on getting better so that you reach it but do it to your best. Someone once said we ought to be our competition: making our today and tomorrow better than our yesterdays, not better than our neighbor’s. I prefer shorter distances, but I pushed myself to achieve something out of my comfort zone. I went for more: not because others are doing it but because I wanted to be better. I was my own competition.

One thing is certain: time and chance happens to all of us. So long as we have breath in us, and a new day has dawned, we have an opportunity to be better, greater, and go even further. So long as we are in the race, nothing stops us from running faster than we are running or going further on. One thing is certain: if we keep striving, we will soon taste the sweet fruit of success. Irrespective of where I was in that race, I made it to the end, and I was exhilarated. Nothing beats that feeling.

What achievement in life has seemed elusive? What target has been difficult to reach? Roll up your sleeves, keep grinding, get better every day and certainly, you will get it. Forget who got there first: so long as you get there. Run if you can, walk if running is hard, crawl if you must but please; keep going! Do not quit.

Now, off we go; to each their own race. See you at the finish line!