At the beginning, when it seemed everything was “prohibited!” and the Namibian Defence Force roamed the streets ready to show chancers who’s boss, it did my heart good to join my fellow countryfolk in our newfound passion for morning walks, twilight runs or a winking feigning of fitness. Four years later, the wealth of Windhoek city runs seem to be one of the few good things that recall an era that was largely atrocious. The large crowds of diverse beginners, amateurs and pros echoing those surreal scenes where masses walking through otherwise empty streets seemed like the most precious treat.
Though the Covid-19 years wreaked havoc on our mental and physical wellness, Windhoek’s blooming fitness culture feels like an antidote to our mutual, pandemic-era bed rotting. After all those lockdowns, that social distancing, the loss of people, liberty and life, we want to be outside. We want to move, be fitter and to connect, because those are the things the pandemic stole.
Whether it’s big brands like Vivo Energy or Nedbank inviting the public to walk five kilometres, run 10 or stagger through the insanity of 21.1 or 42.2, Windhoekers come out in numbers.
They fill the city centre. They curse their way up hills. They hold tight to that runner’s high on level ground and plod on with the determination that earns the faux gold medals each one poses with in pictures.
When it’s all said and done, Zoo Park comes alive with participants festive in branded shirts. And in the .