I am an old school cat. I like the old legends. Legends I grew up with. Legends like Paul Ereng.
Colour me biased, but Ereng is the greatest 800m athlete our country has ever produced. I loved his running style. It was poetry in motion. He made it look super-easy and beautiful - like a walk in the park; with your lover’s hand in yours and the sinking sun kissing your cheeks.
Whenever I want to remind myself to run my own race, I watch Ereng’s masterclass in Budapest, Hungary in 1989. That’s when he broke Seb Coe’s 800m indoor world record. And he did it in style.
I have watched that clip countless times till I know every move Ereng is making. Like when he is second from last, and the last runner tries to pass him. Ereng increases his speed, and the runner doesn’t pass.
This may seem like a small thing. But it’s a masterful act. It’s tact at its best. Ereng doesn’t want to fall too behind. He wants to hear someone chasing him down. He also knows that, if he is dead last, it may take him more power when he wants to surge past the others, who are better prepared as they warmed up for the race.
When you read the YouTube comments and hear the commentary, you will know why this is the greatest 800m race in history. Though he was coming from Olympic gold – and he had the pedigree – Ereng was plagued by hiccups. Someone in the comments section said Ereng had been given the wrong time for the race. He was told it was 6pm instead of 16:00.
Ereng arrived at the stadium thinking he had two hours to spare. That was not the case. He only had minutes. Starting times of athletics events are carved in stone. An athlete arrives early enough to warm up for the event. If an athlete does not warm up, they are prone to injuries.
With barely minutes to spare, and having not warmed up, Ereng did not whine. He did not raise a furore. He did not throw his weight around and tried to use his star status to change the rules. The humble champion he was took it in stride. And I mean long gazelle-like strides.
Here’s the lesson. As men running our races of life, things will not always go our way. You may think you are late because your peers are far ahead of you – or, whatever the “stadium” is, they arrived earlier than you. Or they are better prepared. Or they have “warmed up” – through college or family money – for the opportunities ahead.
Ereng used the first two laps as a warmup. When life throws us a curve ball as it often does, we roll with the punches. This will happen to the best of us at some point, sometimes due to no fault on our part. We will find others are better prepared for the race of life. As such, we will be forced to make do with the little time we have. We will be forced to think on our feet, while the race is on, and adjust whenever the need arises. We will be forced to change our plans.
Ereng was wearing a college singlet and shorts because the Kenyan team uniform did not arrive in Budapest on time.
I know they say a man should dress the way he wants to be addressed. But don’t let a dress code stop you from showing up and doing your thing. In the movie “Pursuit of Happyness”, Chris shows up for an interview for an internship program in a brokerage firm dressed in painting clothes. He works his charm and gets the spot.
A singlet does not a champion make. Neither do running shorts. Champions are made by discipline and dedication. These garb are worn in the inner man, and help a man to run and win their race.
