Defying age, one race at a time!

Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor

IT has been quite the week for long-distance runner Jeremiah Chinhamo.

The 58-year-old has become one of the most recognisable faces on the road as he embarks on his morning jogs.

Some motorists even occasionally honk at him.

Affectionately known as ‘JC’ in his circles, Chinhamo shot to national prominence when the veteran runner crossed the finishing line at the Econet Wireless Victoria Falls Marathon last Sunday.

Competing in the Masters’ category, the grey-bearded runner finished 202 overall, clocking 4 hours, 32 minutes and 13 seconds.

During the race, he caught the attention of an unidentified photographer who followed his progress and posted it online.

He instantly became a social media sensation.

“The running community already knew who I was prior to the race, but the reaction on social media caught me by surprise,” said Chinhamo.

“My WhatsApp folder was full of my pictures way before I even finished the race, and I would like to say well done to the photographer who managed to capture the images.

“In the time since, I have been getting a few calls from people seeking advice on how they can run at my age, and I now get some extra few honks during my morning runs,” he said.

While the world is littered with athletes that are defying age on the track every day, Chinhamo’s story is unique.

And his age is probably one of the least unique things about him.

“The story of how I started running is an interesting one to me.

“Back in high school, football was more fashionable than athletics, but an argument with a classmate that I could not beat him both in mathematics and cross country put me on this journey I find myself on.

“I won the bet, but was actually not that good.

“While not the best long-distance runner at school, I later turned out to be quite a dependable team member.

“I participated in my first public long-distance race, the Hunyani Hope Fountain 30km, got my first medal and never really looked back after that.

“The most prized medals came later, the Merlin Full Marathon, when I was in my second year of varsity.

“Medals were given to sub-three hours and 30-minute finishers, and I beat the time by seven seconds,” he said.

While he never really took up the sport professionally, Chinhamo has carved a career for himself as a leisure runner.

He juggles his favourite pastime with his job at Econet Wireless, where he is the national manager of field operations responsible for the uptime of base stations (popularly called boosters) across the country.

For an ordinary man, balancing work, family and a pastime like this can be a challenge.

But Chinhamo has found a way to balance it all.

“I have taken fitness as a lifestyle and believe in structured training, which includes the runs, some strength training, nutrition and plenty of good rest.

“At the start of the year, I identify my target races.

“These are the events I will train for and run at my best effort on the day.

“If the race is out of Harare, I travel to the venue two days before the race and drive through the difficult part of the route to get a visual image and psych myself up,” he said.

“My race-day routine sees me eat my dinner by 7pm the night before and I am in bed at 9pm so as to wake up fresh and ready.

“In the morning on the race day, I eat two slices of brown bread with peanut butter and honey and a cup of coffee, after which I am ready.”

Chinhamo’s journey has not been without its challenges.

“The biggest challenge in road races are natural elements like the terrain, weather and the distance itself.

“The Vic Falls Marathon is 42km in the hot Zambezi Valley, while the Two Oceans is 56km with two big elevations.

“However, training is the key to overcoming everything, and I take my time to choose my races and training regimes.”

His target is to run a marathon on all seven continents and try to stay within a comfortable finishing time.

“One comment on Facebook suggested that I try the Boston Marathon first, but it is not easy to qualify for.

“I also have my eyes on the London Marathon,” he said.

Apart from the road races, he also occasionally plays social football, where his endurance levels have charmed both his opponents and teammates.