Molepolole is an urban village about 50km from Gaborone with significant historical, cultural and religious relevance to Botswana. I ran in Molepolole for the first time last year. Starting at Scottish Livingstone Hospital, we ran towards the village centre, continuing all the way to the main kgotla before heading back to the hospital again and were amazed by all the sights and sounds. I was especially chuffed with a comment I received after blogging about my experience: “Wow… what a lovely piece about my village. I am native of Molepolole. You know us, the villagers, we pass along those landmarks daily, unaware of their beauty and historical significance. We thank people like you who make us stop, stand, and stare.” So, when the inaugural Molepolole Half Marathon was announced for April, I knew I had to go back. Almost two months post-race, some details are blurry but I’m so happy to finally share these highlights with you.

Five Memorable Moments from Molepolole

1/ Celebrating Our Anniversary. On 20th April, Ditiro and I celebrated our 20th relationship anniversary. We had always intended to run 20km to mark the day but when we heard the Molepolole Half would be held on 22nd April, we decided to do the race as a celebration of the day. We (okay… “I”) thought it would be great to print something on our t-shirts. Just days before the race, Ditiro found a guy close to where he worked who could do it for us. Never having used him before, I was slightly worried, but I loved the final product.

There was no race-bib collection in Gaborone, but we were assured that we could pick up our bibs when we got to the start venue, Lewis Memorial Primary School, on race morning. We arrived at around 5am and found my sister NJ and our friend Leruo who were also participating in the race. It was still quite dark, and I happily waited in the car with NJ, while Ditiro and Leruo collected the race bibs. It being my first Half in many months, I was feeling quite anxious about the distance. But I was also comforted by the fact that I would be running with Ditiro. Little did I know then just how great this decision to run together actually was!

2/ Only Woman Running the Half. Now do you see why? I did have my suspicions when it was announced on social media that there would be no prize money for women in the Half. There was prize money for women in the 10K, so I thought, maybe there are too few women? BUT I didn’t think I would be the ONLY woman! When they called the Half Marathoners to the start, a small group of young athletic men approached, and then… me! I had a really good laugh when the police officer gave his safety briefing and said: “We expect the 10km runners to be going very slow so please be careful of traffic. As the Half Marathoners are all fast, they will be able to avoid most of the traffic.” Clearly, they hadn’t considered my demographic! Needless to say, when the gun sounded, the young lads sprinted off, and after 500m, I never saw them again!

3/ The Beautiful Scenery. The pressure of being the only woman AND last from the start, put a lot of pressure on me. I was so tense because even though the average for my first 10km was around 7min/km, I always knew I was in a losing battle and would be an “inconvenience” to the race organisers. But after 5km, I let go of this pressure and tension, and decided to focus on my surroundings. It was then that I noticed the true beauty, energy and heart of the village. I didn’t realise just how pretty a village Molepolole is with its gently rolling hills and blissful views. When the village woke up, there was still a calm and relaxed feel to it, and even in the busier sections, there was such good energy. I almost forgot I was fighting for a respectable last place finish, and just enjoyed the road beneath me and the warm sun on my face.

4/ Personal Police Escort. That was until I got my personal police escort. First, let me go back. In terms of pace, I wasn’t having a bad race. My paces for the first 12km ranged from 06:52 to 07:21min/km. In a normal-sized field, I would have been in the middle of the pack. But when young athletes are running 4 min paces, the gap is understandably HUGE. Without anyone to chase and with the day heating up, I lost some heart and energy around 13km, and my pace started slipping. With around 6km left, Ditiro and I were the only runners on the course and a police car joined us for this final stretch (plus 1.5km as the course was long). When the car first sidled up to us, I wanted to shout, “It’s okay. I’m okay. Please go!” Over the duration of this time, I moved from being utterly embarrassed and mortified, to nonchalant, to secretly excited that I’d have a story to tell, and then back to embarrassed when me and my WHOLE police car were holding up traffic! My pace for this stretch ranged between 07:23 and 09:16.

5/ Wonderful Hosting. It’s easy for race organisers to celebrate the front-runners and to treat them well, but I think a race should be judged by how it treats the back-of-the-packers. I would like to pay special tribute to the race organisers, police force and community of Molepolole for showing such great respect and patience for me. Aside from a comment from one villager, “Taboga tlhe!” – Run for goodness’ sake! – said when I thought I was running, I was never made to feel like a loser or that I was wasting someone’s time. All police officers and marshals continued to stop traffic at intersections and my police escort remained patient throughout. When I finally came through the finish in 2:55:40 for 22.6km [2:43:46 for 21.1km], the Kgosi (Chief) was giving medals to all police officers and marshals and the only way I could get mine was to go up on stage too! As my sister said, no one else got that privilege!

After getting our medals, we took a few more photos and #FunFact, Leruo and NJ were our best man and maid of honour at our wedding, so it was amazing that they were there to celebrate with us! Thank you both for waiting so long for us to finish!

As areas for improvement, I will echo some sentiments that I’ve also shared for other inaugural races:

• We were scheduled to start at 05:00am but the Half Marathoners only set off at 07:35. Having a later and more realistic start time will definitely reduce the anxiety of waiting and allow for a more relaxed drive to Molepolole for those coming from out of town.
• Activation runs and collaborations with running clubs in Gaborone would encourage more people to sign up.
• Involving the local community so they reap some benefits from the event, for example, having food and drink stalls at the race start/ finish, encouraging participation by the local secondary schools, and ensuring that lodges are well informed of the event, would also help to bolster the profile and economy of the village.

This said, all inaugural races have some teething problems, but my highlights far outweigh the glitches. I am so happy that I participated in this race. Although I wasn’t asked to go on the podium, I will unofficially claim my title of FIRST Half Marathon finisher in the Women’s Race at the Molepolole Half Marathon 2023. Ladies, who wants to challenge me next year?!

Have you ever been the only woman in a race? Have you ever come last in a race?

I’m so excited to be linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday.