A few days after I landed in the
US, my host Patti, my friend Rachel and I went for a run around the Back Cove
Trail. This is one of the
oldest and most popular of the trails in Portland. It's a 3.5 mile loop around
an inlet of Casco Bay, including a portion over Tukey's Bridge. Back cove is known
to locals as "The Boulevard". It is an easy and mostly flat trail with
a just one stress-free hill along the stretch
that parallels I-295.This beautiful loop offers a scenic view of the Portland
skyline.
There are benches available along the way for sitting and
watching the beautiful scenery. Also, two water fountains have been put along
the trail. Portable toilets are available in the parking areas.
I had always kept fit.
At Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps where I had previously worked, I jogged in
the evenings; way after the scorching sun had retired. I played squash in
Kakuma with my colleagues and badminton in Dadaab. I still fancy myself as the
best badminton player who ever lived in that part of the desert.
Ok. Back to the Back
Cove in Portland. Rach and Patti were in great shape and would effortless run
the whole 3.5 mile loop without a single stop. Despite coming from a country
where athletes are made, I struggled to finish even a mile. I would stop and
sit on the benches every now and then and allow the smell of the ocean to drown
the homesickness. After a few days though, I began to get used to the run and
would finish the loop without resting.
It was during one of
those record breaking runs that I met Adam and Eve. Not the Biblical couple
but a current day marathon and triathlon duo from Maine. That day, I had worn
an ash-grey t-shirt written KENYA at the front and back in bright red print. I
had bought this shirt at Hilton Arcade in Nairobi, as something to remind me of
home. As I ran on that August evening, I noticed that people would look at me
with admiration. At first, I thought it was because I was the only black face
on the trail. However, I learnt that people thought I was one of the famous
Kenyan athletes from the Rift Valley.
“Wow! Are you like
famous or something? What’s your name? I bet it starts with ‘Ch’?”
I felt like changing
my name to Chebet, Chemutai or Chepkirui.
“Ummm….no.”
“But you are
definitely an experienced runner? Coz my wife and I are serious runners, and we
could hire you as a trainer.”
Yes! My name is Chepkirui, I
broke the 800 meters record in Beijing Olympics this Summer.
“I wish! But how much
are we talking about here?”
I was thinking fast! What if I become really experienced within a
month? This could be a major career change from refugee rights to a personal
trainer.
Adam and Eve said they
would discuss it and get back to me. As I went back to Patti’s, I thought about
it. If I lied to them about my marathon skills, they would eventually realize
that I was lousy on the track, was not at all related to the Cheps, and was not
from Rift Valley Kenya. Also, I already had a great job at Bates.
When I met them the
following day, I was honest with Adam and Eve. They were disappointed and so
was I. A week later, I met them on the trail. With them was a young Kenyan man
dressed in a black tunic with KENYA printed on the front and back.
“Hey Winnie, meet
Kipng’eno, a Kenyan athlete and our new trainer.”
I shook the man’s
hand. He was definitely not a Kipng’eno. Not a Kalenjin! His skin tone and
accent indicated that he was my tribesman.
So I decided to test
him: I know a few Kalenjin phrases.
Me: Chamgei, Hello. Iyamunee? How
are you? Kukurenen ng'o, What is your
name?
Fake Kipng’eno: Ah. Sikuelewi. I don’t understand
Me: Ureciria nii no uhenie uria uhenetie athungu aya
iiiiiiiii? You think you can lie to me just
like you have done to these white people?
Fake Kipng’eno: Woooi, please ndukamere! Woooi, please don’t expose me!!
Wacira, (that was his real name) was glad that I didn’t let
Adam and Eve know that he had never been in any athletic competition. How could
they be so gullible? O well…
After a few years, Wachira has become an
experienced trainer. He participates in
the Boston marathons and has a number of high end clients in Massachusetts.
When I go back to the US, I will be a trainer too. And I will
change my name to Chemutai Kipsang.
