Ghar el Melh 10km

Whoa there! Guess what I got up to yesterday? Only went and ran my socks off, in the most gorgeous venue that Tunisia has to offer.

If Bizerte is a sleepy fishing town... then poor Ghar el Melh is in a long term coma. The half-marathon and 10km races that are organised in the town by a local entrepreneur and encourage participants from overseas (mainly via a French package trip) and from the Tunisian running community seem to be the main event of the year. The town turned out in force to support us, cheer us on, or just gaze in complete wonder.

 
The 10km route was all along the coast, around a little port and then back again. It was quite flat and really beautiful. On the way we passed plenty of tiny seaside shacks where local fisherman were all too happy to cook up their daily catch for you to feast on in their sandy gardens. The smell of sea salt, and the strong coastal wind took me right home.

Look at this snazzy map that my watch made! Clever, clever watch!

 
So how did we do? well, my running gang and I came in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th for the ladies race... yep, not many ladies entered, but I still think that we can be very proud - especially as there were lots of little girls watching and waving from their porches, so maybe we inspired them for the future. I achieved my personal goal of completeing on the road in less than an hour - something I have never managed in training, I made it in 58:40, very happy considering the wind, how hot it was and the fact that there was no water provided en route!

On the way home, we got stuck in some bad traffic, and we were in my friend Lucy's car, so I cracked out her Tunisia travel guide and (to everyone's delight) we all learnt lots about Ghar el Melh and its history with the UK. It turns out that Ghar el Melh used to be a pirate base and was destroyed in Sir Francis Drake in 1654. Ghar el Melh means "cave of salt"... explains the smell then. In the village there are three Ottoman forts... yep, Dad, THREE! Whack it on the list for next time!

There were no medals, as this was a real 'local' race - no frills whatsoever. But last week I did finally buy the Berber necklace that I promised myself during the last half-marathon in La Marsa. I wore it with pride last night.

Until next time - oh crikey... it's next week! eek!