IOL Sport’s Michael Sherman (pictured left of centre) shares a lighthearted, relatable account of tackling a mid-race emergency during the Absa Run Your City Tshwane 10k while still managing a sub-42-minute finish. Picture: ABSA Run Your City
Everyone knows the feeling—you desperately need to pee, but a toilet is nowhere in sight. I knew that feeling well, but I’d never experienced it right before the starting gun of a road race until this past weekend at the Absa Run Your City Tshwane 10k.
While the event was superbly organised, accommodating over 10,000 runners meant batch starts were essential for safety. The crowd was split according to predicted finish times, ranging from the fast-paced A batch to the leisurely H batch. To secure your spot, you had to arrive nearly an hour early.
For me, that was a total train smash. Without oversharing, my nervous system typically requires two toilet visits in the final hour before any race.
Just 15 minutes before our 8:00 AM start, the urge hit—hard.
