When I set out to plan the Six Continents challenge I had a sense that visiting South Africa would be interesting. The history of the country, the current state of affairs, the beauty of the location – they would all conspire to create a great setting for the third marathon. And if expectations could be exceeded, then today the top was blown off them. With the help and assistance of some amazing people the challenge today went way beyond running a marathon, which of course we did. The star of the show today was the people of South Africa. They visited us and supported us at a level that was unexpected. Over 100 attended, over 20 ran with me for parts of the marathon, at least ten ran farther than they ever had run and this was just the start. There were 30 high-schoolers in attendance at the pre-run “talk” listening to the THPL story, walking away with a new sense that “they can do more than they think they can”. Everyone through the day was engaged in the story on so many levels. There were runners, and helpers, supporters, and organizers. They put on an event today that was inclusive, personal, interesting, heart-warming, and full of hope. In this country still searching for a consistent, respectful, open future – they heard a message of empowerment, involvement, passion and possibility. Everything today was driven from the heart, and what came back at us was a roaring level of enthusiasm for the vision and a strong desire to bring it to life. Today the Six Continent challenge team left Johannesburg changed forever and ready to see how the world just does better because of today.
Loving life after day three!