What's up?

So what’s hip and what’s happening with the current participants at the moment? What’s hot and what’s not? Keep reading and get the truth about the marathon, the Germans, the visa dilemma and their epic journeys to places with strange names like Dakhla and Smara. In the first episode of this new series, the truth about the marathon is revealed:

The marathon
The Sahara Marathon is an annual happening here in the camps, where participants from all over the world come to run a distance to show solidarity with and experience some of the life in the camps. It is organized by Saharawis and a Spanish NGO. They also collect a fee from the runners that goes to sponsoring selected projects like a center for youth in Smara which offers jobs and education for youth in the area. Here they have a.o. a bakery where the popular French loafs are baked, welding and carpenting workshops and a high speed public internet connection.

The distances offered are 5, 10, 21 and 42 kilometers. When our three Norwegians happened to chance by the organizers’ office on a trip to Rabouni, the executive camp, they boldly signed up for the marathon. Sunniva and Marianne for the 10 k and Eivind for the full marathon. At the time they had 10 days to prepare for the race, and it didn’t take long for that feeling of being damned, that is reserved for those who are soon about to die, kicked in.

It wasn’t easy for them to prepare when the rules for foreigners denied them to run alone, but they did their best and found running mates in children on bikes, elderly standing on hills watching them and young people in cars. Eivind even found a cousin of his who liked to run and did a few trips with him. Like one epic journey all around the camp, from his house to the Saharawi control post at the exit of the camp and from here through the camp to the Norwegian Church Aid’s failed water treatment plant on top a hill. At this point the cousin, Omar, wanted to turn back, but Eivind pushed onwards and they continued to the other end of the camp where they encountered an Algerian border patrol. Thankfully they seemed content by explanation about crazy foreigners just wanting to run the marathon. Omar and Eivind continued along the border, climbed a hill, and just as the sun was setting they stopped for some time while Omar prayed his afternoon prayer. From here they traveled homewards in dusk, and by the time they made it home it was pitch black. Needless to say, they were not too popular with the elders of the family, despite their apologies. Because of their long absence, the alarm had sounded and lots of people were worrying and phoning each other and more people to figure out what had happened to Eivind.

The Norwegians, too resilient to give up because of some minor scandal like this, kept preparing for the soon approaching marathon. Edmund and Henrik, their bosses who came to stay for a week to check on their work and the project in general, encouraged them and Henrik even told them that he would be disappointed if they did not run. So, all charged up, our heroes went into the last few days of preparation.

When Abba, the Saharawi boss and the Norwegians’ best friend, came to collect the 20 euros for the run three days before the run, he expressed some concerns regarding the Spanish NGO and an unexpected increase in the price, to 50 euros for Eivind and 30 for Sunniva and Marianne. He told them that if he was not able to get the price lowered to the previously agreed upon 20, he would not let them run. The mood was low as he left our dear vikings not knowing if their hard won exercise was for naught.

A day later he called them back with good news, the Saharawi organizer promised that the price would be lowered. The run was back on!

But the happiness didn’t last long. A few hours before Sunniva and Marianne should have been picked up for their starting point 10 km from the finish, Abba called again. When the officials had arrived to pick up their money, and drop off the start numbers and complementary t-shirts, they had asked for 50 and 2x30 euros. No run. No fun.

As a conciliation Abba brought our friends to Smara for a day and a night. Here they experienced dead animal water containers, and got to see really sweaty Spanish people. But this story will have to wait until next week.

Mehebbes!