The Sunday Mail
Arthur Choga
SCHOOLS in Zimbabwe opened on January 9.
There was a time-honoured tradition at the high school I attended in Marondera, and it is followed by both former Group A schools and private schools.
Most often, the sports master, or whoever was presiding over assembly, would announce: “This afternoon, we have cross-country standards. Everyone is running . . .”
Usually, it would rain, and the Form Ones, in their pristine white shorts and T-shirts, would get onto the track and then veer off into the bush behind the school for their first experience of high school.
For a few, it was fun, but for most, it was hell. The little ones struggling back into the school yard, all spattered with mud and ruing the ill-advised decision to go out there in white socks and white tennis shoes (as per uniform), was a sight that would never be forgotten. The cross-country standards at my school were conducted as an inter-house competition.
From these races, the top 10 from each house made it to the house team for the proper inter-house competitions, from which the top 10 made it into the school team.
It was great fun, though, watching people come up with creative ways not to make it into the top 10 to ensure this race was the last cross-country event they participated in for the year.
One learner famously stayed out on the track for so long the school had to deploy a search party at dusk, only to find the culprit curled up between two big rocks, fast asleep.
I remember vividly one young man named Nyabunze, an ace runner, who lit across the track and came back way before everyone else. He was a local hero, whom we all loved and cheered.
Back then, in the 1990s, school sports attracted some corporate sponsorship.
In fact, a large dairy company used to sponsor a national cross-country competition.
Our man, Nyabunze, won the school title and led his team of 10 Open boys to the district championships.
On the starting line, he did his antics — shaking his body and flexing his teenage muscles — while we roared approvingly.
The starting gun went off, and our man took off, waving at us as we cheered wildly.
Behind him surged the runners from Dhirihori, Masikana, St Ludger, Materera and other schools.
These guys ran to school every day.
Suffice to say, after the 12 or so kilometres, the gentlemen from the so-called “Upper Top” schools showed they had an upper hand, trooping in the first 30 places before Nyabunze came valiantly in. I have always wondered where all these runners went?
Long-distance running in Zimbabwe is not popular. It is defined as an event run over natural terrain, with the trail cutting across forests, hills, grass and gravel.
Most local runners prefer to run along streets and in built-up areas.
We still have young men and women making long round trips to schools.
While this is a disadvantage in many ways, it is possible to benefit from it.
The next World Athletics Cross Country Championships take place on February 18, 2023 in Bathurst, Australia.
This will be the first championships since 2019. The lull over the years had been due to Covid-19.
Kenya and Ethiopia have used their high altitude and long trekking distances to school and other places to build a fearsome reputation as the home of long-distance running. Their athletes dominate all forms of long-distance races.
Interestingly, cross-country events were dominated by European runners in the 1970s, before African runners took over.
The preparation for these events differs somewhat from that of track racing and flat-road racing. The distances are also appreciably shorter, at around 12 kilometres.
Kenya’s John Ngugi won five titles, including four on the trot from 1986 to 1989.
His compatriot Paul Tergat took five in a row from 1995 to 1999.
However, they all pale into insignificance compared to Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele, who took five in a row from 2002 to 2006. He then added a sixth for good measure.
As a country, we have potential young athletes who could take part in cross-country races. However, we need to be focused to make a career out of it. There is a lot of potential in this sport or discipline.
A combination of good promotion and corporate support could make Zimbabwe a major player in the sport.
We already have the terrain.
It is possible to bring up a generation of runners who could change the face of athletics.
Much as road and long-distance runners like Stephen Muzhingi (repeat winner of the Comrades Marathon), Marko Mambo (repeat winner of the Two Oceans Marathon) and Samkeliso Moyo (repeat winner of the São Silvestre de Luanda 15K race in Angola and South African Marathon championship) have dominated these races, our national profile in cross country needs some work.
And this is a good place to start.
Food for thought.
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