To Run Like A Gazelle

I wanted to share this story with everyone during our training session today, but I decided against doing so, probably because of its length. However, I do hope that everybody will give it a read, for I found it profoundly meaningful. Hopefully, it can strike a chord in all of us.

Okay, here goes:

I was going through a few websites about running the other day around when I came across this quote which really caught my eye. Maurice Greene, the American sprinter and double Olympic Gold Medalist in the 100M and 4x100M relay events respectively in the 2000 Sydney Olympics said this:

"Somewhere in Africa, a gazelle wakes up at the break of dawn.
It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Somewhere else in Africa, a lion wakes up at the break of dawn.
It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.
Now it doesn't matter whether you're the lion or the gazelle,
What matters is when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

I found it pretty amusing, and I quickly SMSed this quote to a few of the ME208 Infinity Milers members, hoping that it’ll spur them on to study harder for their exams. The replies I got from them were hilarious.

Coincidentally, this quote reminded me of a true story I once told fellow IMU Track and Field sprinters who were warming down after training for the 2008 Malaysian Private College and Universities (MAPCU) Track and Field Competition in mid July.

It was a story dating back to the 1960’s where there was a member of the Egyptian royal family who enjoyed hunting. One day, he summoned his two assistants – a driver and a spotter, to follow him on his hunting trip to the deltas of the Nile River, where the river provided ample drinking water and lush surroundings for animals to thrive and feed. As their jeep sped down the Nile Delta, they came upon a herd of feeding gazelles and their sights were quickly set.

As the driver of the jeep sped after the animals, the spotter assisted the hunter in locating the most handsome gazelle to be killed. The jeep soon flanked the herd of flocking gazelles, and the hunter with hunting rifle at hand, took aim. Before he managed to squeeze the trigger, his assistant – the spotter called upon him and frantically pointed to a certain gazelle running alongside the jeep. To his surprise, it wasn’t a gazelle, but in fact a human-like figure, running on all fours together with the gazelles!

The hunter was awe struck and looked at the jeep’s speedometer, which clocked an amazing 35mph (that’s about 55km/h!), far faster than what any running human being could achieve during the 1960’s. The hunter ordered the driver to continue pursuing that..thing and it was soon exhausted by the chase. It collapsed and the hunter and his assistants finally had their chance to have a closer look at ‘it’.

The ‘gazelle’ was in fact a human being, of no more than 10 years in age. He had unkempt brown hair, which covered his face and back. He had scars all over his shoulders and his ankles were abnormally enlarged. Without hesitation, they bundled the boy into the jeep and sped to the local hospital.

The boy was hospitalized and seen by doctors, who were perplexed at what they saw. He spoke no word of any language and refused cooked food. He was restrained due to his wild nature and caused quite a stir at the hospital. The doctors came up with a theory that the boy, who is roughly about 12 years old by now, was abandoned by his parents in the wild at a tender age and was left to fend for himself. All alone and far away from civilization, all he could do was to adapt to his surroundings or face certain death. Based on how the boy was behaving, the doctors deduced that the boy was ‘adopted’ by the herd of gazelles that he was found with. By behaving like a gazelle, mimicking their behavior such as while feeding, running and socializing, the boy was soon ‘accepted’ into the herd as a fellow gazelle. He remained there till he was caught.

Sadly, the boy soon passed away after 2 days of hospitalization. In shock and refusing any form of food, he died because of exhaustion and dehydration. The hunter, who closely monitored the deterioration of the child’s health by his death bed, had only one thing to say:

“It is evident that the only way we should run, is to run like a gazelle.”

To run like a gazelle. What does it actually mean to run like a gazelle? Now, that got me thinking! That very night itself (or rather morning), I jumped onto the Internet and read up as much as I could about gazelles. I watched videos on YouTube, read encyclopedias online – basically anything I could do to get my hands on more information about gazelles. Their hierarchy. Their built. And on how they run.

It was breathtaking.

After those hours of reading, watching, listening and anticipating, something struck me. On what it meant to actually run like a gazelle.

It occurred to me that I need not watch YouTube to see gazelles run in the wild, for I am already seeing gazelles run every week. On Wednesdays at 1730 hours. Outside IMU. Under the name of Infinity Milers.

One thing I would have to say about gazelles is their techniques. To see a gazelle running in full motion, airborne with all 4 feet in the air, is akin to seeing poetry in motion. Although they are not the strongest of all herbivores, their brilliant technique and adaptive physique make them brilliant runners. Similarly, we may not be as strong, as fit or as fast as other, more gifted runners out there. But what we lack genetically and in our physique, we can compensate by concentrating on our technique. Some genes, stature and physique cannot be acquired either than by inheritance, but the technique and stamina is certainly acquirable.

One other thing I noticed about the gazelles is their spirit – they always run free. Driven only by the need to survive the harsh surroundings and the threat of predators, they look almost carefree whenever they run unthreatened. I strongly believe the same – whenever we run, we must run with a clear mind and a clear heart. Put all the burdens of life and suffering aside for an hour and for once, truly run free. As Roderick puts it, empty your cup of tea and let it be filled once again by our surroundings. Never let the troubles of life weigh you and your potential down, only then will you truly be able to run free.

The most profound thing that I noticed about the gazelles, however, is that they always run together in a herd. For they know that as individuals they are weak, open to the threats of predators such as hyenas and lions, while as a unit – a herd, they are strong. The stronger, more mature bucks will always surround and protect the younger, weaker does and elderly bucks in the center, providing as much protection as possible to them. Now, as a herd they are so strong that they are capable of facing up against attacks by predators from any flanks, so long as they stay united, run as a herd and do not disperse. However, whenever they do disperse, they do so in such a manner that the accumulative strength and weakness of the herd is equally divided into smaller sub-herds - there are no sub-herds which consists of all young does or a sub-herd which consists of all mature adults. They are all equal. And even when a weak doe is singled out by predators, a more mature and seasoned adult would never hesitate to sacrifice itself, just so that this gazelle will be given a fighting chance to live and thrive, to maintain the continuity of the herd in the near future.

My fellow friends, I saw this when we climbed Gunung Batu Puteh. I see this whenever we run on Wednesdays, week in week out. I see this whenever we go for extended runs, to places we know little or nothing about. I see this whenever we push our friends to run harder and faster. I see this at the lunch tables; whenever we convene for lunch after the running competitions we take part in the mornings. I see this in Infinity Milers.

And I see this in all of you.

So there it was. It took me a better half of 6 whole months to finally figure out what “to run like a gazelle” really meant. Today was a special day, for Infinity Milers has successfully produced its 5th generation of leaders, to pass on its values and its philosophy to anybody and everybody who are willing to learn and more importantly, improve themselves. The club can only move forward, for the only limit is the limit that we set on ourselves.

It has been an immense pleasure running and climbing with every single one of you. I am greatly satisfied on what we’ve achieved throughout this entire year and bear no regrets or ill feelings towards anyone. I choose not to be sad for this is not the end, but merely the beginning of greater things to come for Infinity Milers. Keep it going guys, the sky is the limit :).

And yes, remember to run as gazelles. Always.

Your humble servant,
ray mun :)

“We are IMU runners,
Running for our school,
Once in a life,
Five years of our time.
Have you ever wondered,
Why do we run?
Because we love our school,
And we want it to be good, to be good.

Runners, Fighters, Warriors,
Fighting to the end.
Never shall we quit,
Never to retreat.
Forever we’ll remember,
This is our song.
And then we will say,
Infinity and Beyond and Beyond!”