expandablog

5 km is a long way to travel. It's 3.1 miles. Which, even though a smaller number, actually makes it sound worse. Especially if I am meant to attempt this vast distance by any other means other than motorised vehicle.

The KPMG Business Relay is an annual 5km walk/run relay, with its starting and finishing points on the outlying fields of The Sharks Rugby stadium in Durban, South Africa. Companies, both large and small, set up camp with employees and their families for an afternoon of amateur athleticism. In teams of 3 or 5 people, everyone took a turn to sprint/run/jog/walk/stroll/crawl the route.


Whilst doing a rekkie of the situation, I was welcomed by Expand a Sign Flying Banners, Feather Banners, Folding A-Frames and Ex-Dome gazebos. All businesses were showing off their brands as people barbequed, relaxed and tried to keep cool and hydrated in the extreme November heat of Saturday. 

I’d be lying if I said that I participated in the relay. Instead, I was designated handbag watcher, child minder, idle conversationalist and buyer-of-the-cold-beer.  All the before-mentioned are what I do best. As colleagues dragged themselves back to base camp, flung themselves on the ground and declared themselves to be dying, I reveled in how clever I had been not to have joined in on the self-torture. A few skipped in, without so much as a sweat and casually  shrugged ‘Ah, that was a breeze’, which I found more than just a little unnecessary.

As the sun drooped lower toward the horizon and dusk settled in, we packed up our Ex-Domes, Ex-Shades, Flying and Feather Banners and XL EX-Up and headed for home. A tiny pang of envy struck as I watched everyone depart with their medals around their necks.


Ah well. There’s always next year.


Cheers,
EAS