This archive report was first published on 14 October 2019.
As I watched Eliud Kipchoge break the two-hour marathon barrier, I was reminded of my own village marathons.
Our primary school was not exactly 42 kilometers from home, but the daily commute was a grueling test of endurance.
One of the striking similarities between the school marathons and the professional ones was the strict timing required to cover the distance in the shortest time possible.
Our teacher on duty would be in school by 6 am, laying a strategy to catch latecomers, and his heavy build made running after us a daunting task.
However, he had a knack for detective work and would use coercion and threats to extract confessions from the class.
But there was a catch – the class prefect had the final say, and a well-placed bribe with pancakes from my mother's pastry could save me from trouble.
As I look back, I realize that our village marathons were a masterclass in time management and perseverance.
