Country Classics

CITY LIGHTS AIN’T SO BRIGHT – IT’S TIME TO GET OUTTA TOWN.

- Dave Buchanan

THE TWO OCEANS HALF is a great event. Thousands of fellow runners form up beside you, all with a common goal; exultant crowds line the streets, cheering you on; the route is entertaining, the organization slick, and the party afterward memorable.

And yet… last time I ran OMTOM, I had to get up in the middle of the night to get into my chute on time. After having parked so far away from the start, I may as well have walked from my house.

And as I stood shuffling from foot to foot, shivering, waiting an eternity for the gun, I thought to myself: Is all this really necessary? As well as I could be in bed right now. Not to mention: Uh-oh, I should have skipped that second coffee.

Compare this to the last time I ran the Riebeek-Kasteel Lentefees Half.

Never heard of it? Good. Much as I wish this event success, it receives only a few hundred entrants, and I’m hoping it stays small and easy-going.