And Then There Were Two.

For several weeks I had been looking for a race for Job. I had had zero success with Chinese race organizers. Eventually I  turned to another region of the world investing a lot of money to develop their sport image: the middle east. I searched out the races that met Job's criteria, particularly ones that had a half marathon competition.  Sending emails to them I had similar success, basically none. Then one day I unexpectedly recieved an email in my Good Race Management email account. I had received a response. The Beirut Marathon was showing interest. I read the message as soon as possible. They had filled their elite slots already but they would contact me if anyone pulled out or became injured. 

But that wasn't the only surprise for the fall.  Out of the blue another Kenyan sent me a friend request. His name was Victor. He was an elite Kenyan runner as well and was looking for a manager too. Should I take on a second runner? Could I handle 2? I wasn't even having success with 1.  I pondered and prayed for several days. I nearly said no several times but I just didn't find any peace in telling him no. It would take a miracle to make it work with one, why not seek a bigger miracle and move forward on starting a running team. I went through the same steps with Victor as I did with Job. Are you sure? I have no money. I don't have any experience. Are you sure there isn't anyone else who can manage you? The answer always ended up being the same. You are the one. And a running team is born. We will call it Swift Swag Running Team, after the running accessories and apparel brand I am in the process of organizing. 

But where would they run? With no international races working out I decided to take a step back.  Let's see what thwy can do.  With the Nairobi Marathon coming up I decided to sign them up and see what kind of results they could get.  If they ran well then we would have some results to show future races.  Will this work?  Only time will tell.

Ramping Up

Ok, we are a month into this project of managing an elite Kenyan runner and it has been a wild ride. First I had to deal with my own emotions and misgivings about the project. Is it real? Can I do this? Should I do this? And what would happen if it failed or if it really worked? I spent the first 2 weeks just trying to get my head around what had just happened.

In addition, I got a lot of responses after my first blog post from friends. Many were excited. Some were curious. A few were very cautious. Everything was very positive. There was also some good cautionary advice that was given too.

Once I had settled into what were are trying to do the next question became, "How are we going to do this?" I have basically no connections in the running world, which I told Job. I personally just sign up and run. This is different.  We would have to make a bunch of cold calls.

So where do we start? Well, before we start targeting races I thought it best to get to know Job. He told me about his race history. He sent picture of his family and his farm.  I heard about his last international race in Jakarta (pictured above with a local) and how that came to be.  As I look at his situation I see that he is a better half-marathoner than a marathoner. Everyone has their specialty. That is his.

For now, we are focusing on that distance. We have targeted Chinese races right out of the gate.  We haven't gotten a lot of response.  Another region that is beginning to invest high dollars in international sports is the middle east. That is where our next push will be. Stay tuned.

A Crazy, Unexpected Opportunity Out of the Blue

Facebook told me I had a message from someone I wasn't connected to. I am always leery about these type of messages and with all the Nigerian Princess scams going around a message from someone I didn't know in Kenya seemed a little suspect.  Little did I realize I was about to enter the biggest adventure of my running life.

Job is a subsistence farmer from the Rift Valley in the highlands of Kenya.  East African farming isn't a very good way to make a living but Job has one special gift.  Job can run like the wind.  He has personal records of 1:06 and 2:23 from local half and full marathons respectively and he says he is in shape to better those times significantly this fall.

So last Friday, July 26, 2019, when I connected with Job, he told me he was looking for a manager and he wants me to do it.  His dream, though he didn't put it in those terms, is to run races in America and Europe.  Now let me be clear. I know as much about managing the career of an elite runner as I know about programming a computer or fixing a Ferrari.  That is to say, little to nothing.  I told him, "Job I am a pastor, not a manager. How could I possibly help you?"  

He just said, "You can help me to find races and get sponsors. If I win, I pay you."  Job went on to tell me that he came in 7th in the Jakarta Marathon last year.  He wants to sign a contract with me. And despite my best efforts to explain to him I am completely unqualified, I have to money to help him and I have no contacts with race organizers he simply responded, "I am a Christian man. I want to sign a contract with you."

Admittedly, it would be a whale of an adventure to help an elite runner start an international career, but I have no means, no contacts, and no experience.  I told him at the end of our conversation, "Job, let me think about this.  You and I will pray about it this weekend, I will talk with a few people I know and I will call you on Monday with my decision."

I left the conversation truly not knowing what to do.  Frankly, I was flabbergasted and all I could say was, "What just happened?"  And the question just began to loom in my head, "What are you going to do?"  Logically it was one of the craziest things to ever happen to me.  It made no sense and I am far from the right person for the job.  But then all those motivational posts I have hung up on my facebook wall about seizing opportunities in life and taking risks began to haunt me.  And if I didn't at least try I would be a total hypocrite.  I went into the weekend with a lot to think about.