I am running monthly challenges in 2021 to fundraise for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)
The countdown to day 1 of the Dragon’s Back Race is almost over. The next few days will hold the final preparations before I set off on a southward journey from Castle Conwy with about 400 other human beings. There are already many beautiful memories to reflect upon. I consider what the week’s journey may hold with both excitement and trepidation.
Dragon’s Back Race: a summary of the challenge
- 6 ultra marathons over 6 days
- 380 km distance covered
- 17 400 m elevation gain
- lots of technical and pathless terrain
- unmarked route, making navigation skills a must!
Every time I look at this, I think that it is pretty nuts and that I really, really have to do it. It is as though my life will be incomplete if I do not try and give it my best shot.
It is a pretty big challenge and there is a good chance that I won’t be able to move myself by foot all the way to Cardiff Castle. However, within the context of my life circumstances, I think I am as well prepared as I can be.
Blog post about my training in June 2021.
Blog post about my training in July 2021.
Reasons to run Dragon’s Back Race
- I really like running a lot and this is a lot of running!
- Mountain top views are my favourite sort of views.
- Six days of breathing fresh air.
- Outdoors is my favourite place.
- I get to sleep in tents I never pitched (hopefully I get to sleep at all!)
- A long journey on foot with a bunch of other people is my idea of fun.
More reasons to run Dragon’s Back Race
A sense of place: home
Dragon’s Back Race traverses the spectacular mountainous landscapes of Wales, the country that I have come to call home. More than just calling it home, moving here in my late twenties was like a homecoming to the land itself.
Whilst the land itself and the people welcomed me, the bureaucracy of the UK immigration system hindered and harmed me. Running in the beautiful landscapes nourishes my soul and gives my being room to imagine a different world. The most beautiful world is one without borders, where people can move and speak freely as equals. The worlds that will move us closer to that dream is where the borders are at least reasonable.
The main focus of my running campaign so far has been the ‘keeping families together’ campaign of JCWI. I experienced family separation during the first wave of the 2020 pandemic when my husband’s visa was refused. Through this experience I learnt of the plight of many thousands of families that are torn apart for years due to cruel family immigration policies. You can read more about this on the website of Reunite Families UK.
What sort of country locks our loved ones out of our lives and homes?
This is why I have committed to raise awareness and funds for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants in with my running in 2021.
Reflecting on privilege
We live in a highly stratified society that has been built on the principles of inequality within the systems of colonialism and then capitalism. The systems that perpetuate privilege and disadvantage persist as they metamorphose over time.
I grew up in the South Africa of the 1970 and 1980’s, where systemic racial discrimination was starkly overt. My journey within the UK immigration system has cured me of my naivety about the absence of discrimination in this society. It is pervasive and rife in the systems of this society, widely denied and often covertly woven into bureaucratic exclusions and convolusions. And of course, it was through colonialism that the apartheid society in South Africa was established.
Despite many difficulties due to not being British for 13 years of life in the UK, I still find myself in a privileged enough position to participate in an event like Dragon’s Back Race.
This is why I want to use my opportunity to raise awareness of the inequality in our society. There are many burdens and barriers instead of help and support for people who are already struggling. Just think about taking a dangerous journey to flee persecution or war and then being treated like a criminal in the country where you hoped to find refuge. The UK is one of those countries. You can read more about this topic on JCWI webpage on safe and legal routes.
Endurance events as a metaphor for life
A multi-day endurance event is a huge undertaking to organise and participate in. It takes a lot of people with a whole range of skills. A large community with many smaller sub-communities form. It is life-affirming and supportive from every angle and all perspectives.
Just imagine a marathon where some participants are prohibited from accessing the refreshment stations. Those same participants are required to carry rucksacks full of heavy rocks. Additionally, they are booed along the way rather than cheered on. Should they need any medical assistance, they have to pay again, despite having paid the same entry fee to the event. Lastly, there are checkpoints for these participants, where they have to show their paperwork again and again to prove that they have indeed entered and participated according to the rules thus far.
As if all of this is not enough, these runner are then scrutinised for the cause of what might have made them so slow. All attention is focused on how they should be ‘fixed’, rather than the system.
No-one would organise such an event. It goes against who we are as human beings. Yet we live in a society that is organised exactly like that. I think it is time to recognise it for what it is and stand together for the systemic change needed to achieve a fairer society.
This is why I have chosen to raise funds for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants. They work to improve the system and support those affected by the system.
Countdown to Dragon’s Back Race
The countdown to Dragon’s Back Race is almost over. I still have a to-do list to complete. Writing this blogpost was on that list. It is a pretty big deal for me to write these posts. Running just for myself is simply not enough anymore. Even so, I think it is impossible to run just for ourselves. The ripple effect of goodness it does naturally goes beyond ourselves. In that way, this post is part of that natural process. This is part of my journey.
September is going to be a pretty big month for me.
Meanwhile, JCWI has launched an exciting event that you could sign up for too! The event is called People Move Challenge. Find out how to get involved here.
Needless to say, Dragon’s Back Race will be my People Move Challenge this September. Even getting to the start line is more than an individual effort. I would like to thank my husband Peter, my son Matthew, my running buddies and friends, the team at RAW adventures and all the other runners I have met so far for making it all possible and a whole lot of fun too!
