Getting up voluntarily at 5.15am for a ‘fun-run’ isn’t everyone’s cup of tea! But I couldn’t let the opportunity pass to have my first run in Tonga!
While still dark, arriving at the Nuku’alofa waterfront, there were already a sizeable bunch of people registered and ready for take-off.
With a police car leading the way, the 150 runners kicked into gear. At each of the ‘colour’ stations, there were enthusiastic people dusting us generously with a cloud of colour, so not only our T-shirts bore witness of having legitimately collected all the rainbow colour, but also our lungs!
One of the stretches of the 5K run led through a sparingly lit part of the city. While it was just starting to dawn, the noise of two loose dogs aggressively barking at us was a bit of a new experience for me. But the runner ahead knew how to handle the situation (bending down and pretending to pick up a pebble), and in no time we were past these two aggressors.
The cool part of the run started at the end. The official word was a cool-down for everyone. In true Tongan style, this was done to music, and led to the beginning of a PARTY! Who could let an opportunity for a party go past? Definitely no-one here in this country where we will be spending the next 18 months. And where there will be no shortage of fun times.
What a cool/fun thing to experience!!