Dr. Sidy Diallo ran on a decommissioned runway in Saint Vincent and Grenadines his 187th marathon, which was one of his 7 marathons in 7 days on 6 Caribbean islands and on a cruise ship.
The 2019 Volcanic Sand Marathon
Country # 79
Date: March 13, 2019
My Time: 5:36:22
By Dr. Sidy Diallo
Once upon a time, free people delightedly running a marathon on an airstrip.
The 2020–2021 developments around the world, including in Kabul, are strong evidence of past and present damaging missteps. Not so long ago, we were free to run marathons anywhere. We freely ran the 2016 Pyongyang Marathon. But I received few days afterwards a surprising warning phone call from a colleague: “My boss condemns what you did,” she said. “On which legal ground?” I asked. There was, of course, none at that time. We were still free runners and free citizens.
We were free to travel on trains or aboard cruise ships, etc. We were free to cuddle our loved ones. We were free to stay by our dying elders and humanely bury them. We were free to share our smiles and other emotions—no mandatory mask. Some of us were runners, many were not, but we all were still free humans. So on March 13, 2019, we safely ran a marathon on a runway in Saint Vincent. There were no civil or military aircraft, no soldiers. There were just us, the organizers, kind volunteers and few cows on the runway of the decommissioned airport. Four barefoot local young girls joyfully ran few hundred meters with us.
Then, when the pandemic broke out, suddenly everything started to go awry. Instead of focusing on preventing and fighting obesity and other COVID-19 comorbidities, many national or local governments preferred to punish the running community, and reward behaviors that keep aggravating the comorbidities. France, for instance, imposed in March 2020 a strict curfew to prevent us from running between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Furthermore, while everyone was free to buy tobacco or alcohol without any time or distance limit, we could only run for a maximum of one hour a day within one kilometer of our homes. Police were patrolling in the parks and forests to enforce the entry ban in these places where people used to walk, run or just relax...
May humans be rational again!
Amen!
Date: March 13, 2019
My Time: 5:36:22
By Dr. Sidy Diallo
Once upon a time, free people delightedly running a marathon on an airstrip.
The 2020–2021 developments around the world, including in Kabul, are strong evidence of past and present damaging missteps. Not so long ago, we were free to run marathons anywhere. We freely ran the 2016 Pyongyang Marathon. But I received few days afterwards a surprising warning phone call from a colleague: “My boss condemns what you did,” she said. “On which legal ground?” I asked. There was, of course, none at that time. We were still free runners and free citizens.
We were free to travel on trains or aboard cruise ships, etc. We were free to cuddle our loved ones. We were free to stay by our dying elders and humanely bury them. We were free to share our smiles and other emotions—no mandatory mask. Some of us were runners, many were not, but we all were still free humans. So on March 13, 2019, we safely ran a marathon on a runway in Saint Vincent. There were no civil or military aircraft, no soldiers. There were just us, the organizers, kind volunteers and few cows on the runway of the decommissioned airport. Four barefoot local young girls joyfully ran few hundred meters with us.
Then, when the pandemic broke out, suddenly everything started to go awry. Instead of focusing on preventing and fighting obesity and other COVID-19 comorbidities, many national or local governments preferred to punish the running community, and reward behaviors that keep aggravating the comorbidities. France, for instance, imposed in March 2020 a strict curfew to prevent us from running between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Furthermore, while everyone was free to buy tobacco or alcohol without any time or distance limit, we could only run for a maximum of one hour a day within one kilometer of our homes. Police were patrolling in the parks and forests to enforce the entry ban in these places where people used to walk, run or just relax...
May humans be rational again!
Amen!
