Marathon running: Key to long life

GWANDA NORTH – WITH life expectancy having declined considerably these days, few among us would expect to reach the ripe old age of 98.

But for octogenarian, Jeremiah Moyo of Shake Village under Chief Mbiko Masuku in Matshetsheni area, marathon running kept him going when he was still a young man.

It is his belief that the gruelling 50 km run he religiously took part in, contributed to his strength that still shows even as he is about to reach a century.

“I used to run a 50km marathon when I was a young man. I believe that has helped me have good health. I have never been admitted to hospital,” said the octogenarian, speaking during his lavish birthday party held at his homestead on New Year’s Day.

The party, organised by his children and grandchildren was meant to celebrate his long life.
During an interview with Ilanga, Moyo said that he had, in fact, won several awards in long-distance running.

In an effort to remain fit for the gruelling race, he would actually run to Gwanda, a distance of over 50 kilometers, instead of boarding a bus.

“I would accompany my wife to the bus stop, watch the bus leave and then start running using a shorter route, along the way, I would even overtake bikers on steep inclines and reach Gwanda town ahead of the bus,” drawing laughter from some of his brothers who had by now surrounded him, ostensibly to get a glimpse of the past that even they were not aware of.

The interview was constantly interrupted by a number of his grandchildren that kept arriving constantly to greet and wish him well.

Although appearing to remember faintly some of them, now grown men, married with their own families, he would later remember them.

Moyo also believes that stopping vices such as drinking and smoking, gave him a long life.

“I used to drink but never smoked. One day I arrived home at four in the morning and that is when I resolved to stop drinking. I said to myself, I could not continue with a habit that would make me arrive home in the wee hours of the morning,” he said, cementing the comment with a smile.

He said there is a vast difference between the life they led when they were young and that of today. Despite technological advancement, he singled out diet.

“We used to eat a lot of wild fruits and legumes that you the younger generation do not even know of,” he said, and proceeded to name a long list of legumes that he said were excellent for the body.

Moyo worked for the railways, police and post office, in a long career spanning more than six decades.

His wife, Orpha Sithabiso Moyo, said her husband was strict with the children, hence they grew up to engage in different careers such as teaching and engineering.

“He always emphasised the need for education so that children would grow up to be worthwhile citizens,” she said.

Moyo dodged questions about the exact number of his children, capping off the conversation by saying that was “political”.