Tamba Race Aftermath

Hot season has arrived and with it, a constant trickle of sweat. The notebook I wrote a draft of this blog in left a rectangular sweat stain on my pants. Even holding a pen is sweaty business here.

Yet, somehow, despite the heat and lethargy it forces on everyone, the Race for Education in Tambacounda went tremendously well. Over 100 participants came to run the 5k, 10k, or half marathon and we raised over $3000 to fund projects supporting girls education in Senegal. The runners were a diverse crowd: firemen, police, Peace Corps volunteers, local students, teachers, school admins, military, a marathonist from the Caimens team, and even the Prefet of Tamba (the county's official head)! The race achieved its purpose and had everyone out talking about girls education... or at least how silly we all looked running through the city.




The Principal of CEM Wassadou came all the way to Tamba to run 5k and support the girls at his school!


The race was also a personal achievement for me. It's the furtherest I've run and I did it in hot, dusty Tambacounda, Senegal, West Africa! So I gave myself a pat on the back and spent the next two days lounging around the regional house. It took a good week for biking (main means of transportation around here) to not be painful and leave me exhausted after every small trip. Somehow, I muster enough energy to bike all over the place 2 days later and put together a Pest Control Training in a village across the river from me... Then I needed another two days to recover from heat exhaustion and soreness. But I think I'm finally back to being a normal, functioning human being! Thanks everyone for your support!