National Run to the Border Day!

2008 > Togo

From Lome to Ghana to the beach – a perfect workout!

run to Ghana!
Running to the border
run on the beach
Running on the beach
Its Sunday morning in Lomé, and I’m going for a run to work off the French wines from the night before. I’ve stretched, I’ve power up my running GPS, and its time to go.

Through the back streets I jog, slowly working up my speed, when I see a crew of people running by. “Where are they going?” I think, when I see a second group run by. Know I need to know, I run to join them.

When I reach Boulevard de la Republique, the one paved street in Lomé, I am shocked to find myself in the midst of a sea of runners. It’s Togo’s National Run to the Border Day!!

In the midst of this sea of running humanity, I started laughing. Only in Africa can you have such an odd experience – running to the Ghanaian border with thousands of Togolese on a random Sunday!

As I ran from the Ghanaian border back into downtown Togo, I asked those I ran with why they were running and when this run to the border tradition started. Funny enough, no one knew why or when, they just enjoyed a Sunday run to the border and back to the main beach, for another beach party.

And I think that is the key to being African happy. Don’t ask why, just enjoy the moment. And the beach.