The Great Run 5

Saturday 31 May, 2014 and Saturday 14 June, 2014

While the other three news bytes are from the month of June, the Great Run 5 happened at the end of May.

But the same formula was at play: Massive turnout (some 80-odd cars), massive horsepower (someone showed up in a 750hp R35 Nissan GTR massaged by Litchfield, while another arrived in a Mercedes Benz C63 AMG), massive enjoyment (Mai Mahiu-Narok for those afraid of corners and Bomet-Litein for those in Lancer Evolutions), and massive charity to top it all.

This all went down in the little hamlet of Mogogosiek, at the AIC Baby Home. For the first time ever, someone started an impromptu fundraiser and the whole affair turned into an afternoon of generous giving.

Someone might have given away his gas money, I do not know, but it was all for the best. Something else to note: Massive fortitude. While most of us do The Great Run in cars of variable vintage and variable levels of horsepower, we had a hero who came with a 250cc motorcycle and went the distance through tarmac, dust, rain, traffic, roadblocks, hunger, fatigue, more rain, sunlight, darkness, awe, amazement, doubt, speculation and, much to his relief, home.

At last. It was beyond belief. Given that motorcycles do not have variable valve timing, high compression ratios or forced induction, he had at best 20hp and two wheels with which to cover more than 600km. Compare this to the Litchfield GTR....

This time we had guests. There was heavy police presence at the home — parking was a bit of an issue — so to ensure the security of the cars and ease traffic flow into and out of the home (80 cars are not a joke, I assure you), the boys in blue showed up to help.

The local MP also put in an appearance, adding colour to what was already a spectacular event. A government official came (at 7 am!) to flag us off from Herisquare, an establishment somewhere along the Northern Bypass just near Ruaka.

This venue served as a staging area and launch point for the Great Run 5, and it is with utmost gratitude that I say they allowed us to host our prize-giving ceremony on the premises two Saturdays later at no charge. Now that is what charity is all about.

There is another Great Run coming, our second 4X4 installation. If the first 4X4 event was anything to go by, the next one should be a whopper.