ARTICLE: In the Running
After winning the first race he ever took part in, running became a part of daily life for Benjamin. Here he talks about what running means to him
Runners World - August 1998
Profession: Poet and broadcaster.
Achievements: Primarily a political spoken-word poet, Zephaniah has had nine columes of poetry published since 1980, and in the last two years has been touring with his work in countries including South Africa, Colombia and Pakistan. He has also released four albums with the Benjamin Zephaniah band, and appears regularly on TV and radio.
Running pedigree: While at chool in Birmingham, Zephaniah sprinted for England and also won the first cross-country race he ran, setting a school record. Now, although running at least once a day, he is blissfully non-competitive.
This one will run and run: "It's strange, Ive never like walking. If I'm going to a party, I'll just run it. And when I need to go to the shop a couple of blocks away, I run there in whatever I'm wearing. In the summer I'll end up having two or three showers a day."
On escape routes: "As a performance poet I was touring with rock bands in the '80s. I watched a lot of people get involved with drugs, and at that time I decided that exercise was going to be my escape. Running was my way of staying on top of the business, and now I run every day without fail."
The philosophy of running: "People as how far I run - I can't tell them. I run how I feel, at whatever speed I feel. It really varies. And I vary my route a lot - I think running's a nice way to get to know an area. In the daytime I run for up to an hour, but at night I sometimes get lost for two hours, especially in summertime. I just jog at a slower pace. Sometimes I go deep into Epping Forest and just get lost. I'll find someone to tell me the way back and they'll either say that it's just around the next corner or that it's about 10 miles away. It's just not knowing. I like that."
On road racing: I've never done a road race in my life. I've never seen a marathon. There are a couple of old ladies on my road who tell me I should be doing a race and running for a good cause, but not the thought of having a definite beginning and a definite end and some other people to race against just scares me. I just wouldn't be used to it."
On whether Kenyan runners should be limited: "I think it's like not getting your way and then saying 'we're not playing any more'. Remeber in cricket when the West Indies started having all those fast bowlers? People wanted to bring in all kinds of rules to restrict their speed because they just couldn't do anything about it. Eventually, England learnt how to bowl fast as well. If I was an American and the first American came in 1212th in a road race, my ambition would be to come 11th or 10th."
