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In
the absence of a national marathon, a group of
sports enthusiasts defy odds to organise the best
known road race in The Gambia for the last 14
years. As the 15th anniversary of the event nears,
Journalist Lamin Cham of Gamsports.Com, himself, a
founding member of the group, takes us through a
typical Brufut marathon day.
If
you frequently drive the Sukuta-Brufut link of the
Kombo Coastal Roads every late December, you
probably must have bumped into a crowd of T/Shirt
with runners spread across the width of the road
heading to Brufut. They have been doing that for the
last 14 years, and they are participants of the
Brufut Marathon Run, so-called because it was
conceived as such when it first started in the
coastal town which organised it since 1995.
And in the absence of an officially organised
national marathon, the organisers, the Brufut
Marathon Run Association, BMRA, defied and perhaps
with some justification calls from the National
Olympic Committee and other bodies to delete
marathon from its name.
Actually one sports leader once confided in
me rather embarrassingly that Brufut has outdone
even the GAA in organising road races.
Slated for December 12th this year, a typical Brufut
marathon day is a big social and festive event in
the town and an exciting time for the athletes some
of them national ones bereft of action on the
national stage.
Big names like Ansu Sowe, Musa Badjie, Jay Secka and
many former and current national athletes have
Brufut marathon certificates and trophies in their
cupboards. Apart from making national athletes and
rookies famous for at least a day, the event has
also turned its organisers, mainly drawn from local
residents, into masters in athletics meeting
planners, sometimes requesting little assistance
from national office.
The day starts with a frenzy last minute compilation
and registration of participants, who never heed
calls to register in advance. The main registration
team is always led by Dembo Jata, alias Gabasine ,
so-called because of his twin-like resemblance with
the film star. Hefty and handsomely built Gabasine
uses his physical authority to get unruly athletes
registered and collect start numbers and shirts on
time, and arrange for them to be transported to the
starting point at the Brufut Primary School grounds.
He and his team would then change to track officers
before returning to the starting point to reconcile
his books. (He almost always has shortage or brings
more money than the registration lists contained.)
Only the indefatigable Treasurer Alieu Jarju can
balance Gabasine?s books. Alieu keeps the
associations? Funds, safer than some banks in Banjul
would. He is so scrupulous and so obsessed with
accuracy that he would verify even every
single bottle that went missing from dozens of
crates borrowed or bought by the association just to
correctly balance his books. That is Alieu, detailed
and honest to the core.
Meanwhile at the school grounds, a live music
set blast track after track, calling people and
invited guests to partake in the procedures. Once
seated, the Master of Ceremonies, or MC, always my
very self, would call out athletes and rules of the
race before sending them on course, starting with
the girls .The interval is measured such that the
girls return before the first male athlete set
out for easy recording and checking by judges.
As they return to the starting point the runners
draw large crowds who throng the central
road through to the market and the school beyond it.
The runners are escorted by Police motor
cycles, while the Red Cross and the local dispensary
led by medical organising member Marie Joof provides
back-up ambulances to take care of the weak and
tied. Marie, who never misses the event in 14 years,
is helped by a pool of volunteers and their
nightmare begins with the arrival of athletes.
Caring for every arrival, on their legs or in the
ambulances is Marie’s greatest show of
super competence and control.
Meanwhile, as the runners are gathered and treated
for exhaustion by Marie and Co., the MC would
introduce the Chairman of the BMRA, government
officials, local dignitaries and donors, to give
light to the significance of the event, often on a
given theme adopted each year to highlight a concept
ranging from forest conservation to prevention of
Aids and Malaria. This is the moment you will
usually notice the presence of the versatile Max
Jallow. He has more energy than all
athletes combined and probably more sporting ideas
that the entire sport ministry can fund or stage. A
pioneer of the event, Max's joyous moment is to see
the Brufut marathon run in progress. He would give
the crowd the BMRA story from embryonic days before
passing the baton to Secretary-General Seedy Bojang.
A great writer now, Seedy would flood all media
houses with regular press releases on the run to
keep momentum and maximum publicity. Haxs, as the
locals call him often holds radical views but his
presence is always a delight and sharing ideas, no
matter how diverse is the strong points of the BMRA
members.
One of the event’s key collaborators has been the UK
charity group, Friends of The Gambia who provides
cash prizes and the ever more exciting rice raffle
draw. At their behest, a couple Britons connected
with their charity visited The Gambia and even took
part in the race. The amiable John Alan is one
and the well-known comedian is another; and FOTGA
executive members from Jeff Phillips through David
Smith and John ‘Konoba’? ‘Konoba’ in Mandinka means
Big Stomach they attended many events.
Property developer Mustapha Njie, who runs the
beautiful Brufut Gardens has been principal sponsor
of the preparatory expenses leading to the event
over many years and is often represented at the
event. Taf as his known in The Gambia recognised the
initiative and associated his enterprise with the
effort of the local community of whom, he considers
himself part of.
Meanwhile, at Ground Zero, once the speeches are
done, the huge and anxious crowd then give their
ears to only one man, the Master of Ceremonies, for
many years my very self (without blowing my own
trumpet a few can surpass the enigmatic way I handle
the audience often keeping them in suspense and
drama as I introduce the winners in both male and
female categories.)
Our final activity on the day is presiding over the
exciting rice draw. Each year ten bags of
rice, donated by FOTGA, is won by athletes from
both categories through a raffle where by all start
numbers are put in a bag and mixed up and down.
After each mixing, a child would select one number
from the bag whose holder wins a bag of rice. The
act is repeated ten times until every bag is won.
This is the last but not the least interesting part
because no one move an inch until all the rice is
won. Sometimes athletes who already won cash prizes
go to win the rice too. Sometimes athletes of the
same sex win the entire raffle. That had changed
with the inspirational advice of Ba S Jabbi, the
current Chairman. A founding member Jabbie invented
the scholarship concept as a BMRA project and since
then the BMRA has supported the funding of lots of
students. He often takes a lay back posture on
marathon days, working behind the scenes and tidying
loose ends but his sharp observation at post event
brainstorming meetings led to many positive
changes. It was he who observed that the raffle
should be divided into male and female categories so
that both sexes would have their share of winners of
the rice. (In passing let me tell you a personal
story about the rice raffle. Of course, BMRA members
are not allowed to take part in the raffle but in
2002 my brother Sutay who stays in my house won
a bag. He decided just there that he would give the
rice to our sister Binta who stays in the family
house. Many days after, I visited Binta and kids and
met them just about to start eating a hot groundnut
soup and rice. I ate to my ear drums and before I
left my sister said? This is your marathon rice that
Sutay won. I silently prayed for the FOTGA and drove
back home. Many families have had similar
experiences making the Brufut marathon a true
community project. The BMRA used marathon proceeds
to help finance a Mosque construction project; a
women gardening project; provides fuel and
logistical support to community ambulance service
and paid tuition fees for scores of students.
Success in these projects, especially in the
education area has made BMRA a reference point for
needy local students struggling to meet cost of
education to this day.
In conclusion, a typical marathon day wraps up with
a night dance, often in open air and open to all
people of every age. So if you are reading this in
the UK, or anywhere in the world and happen to be in
The Gambia on or around December 12th , add the
Brufut marathon to your Gambian experience either as
a participant, donor or just a tourist.
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