Running at JNB: Jones Road

My first flight out of 3 to get back home from Namibia got delayed by 3.5 hours at Windhoek so I got stuck at JNB, Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport for a night and a day. But that's not an excuse for not running, isn't it?

Now, as I mentioned in my previous posts, there are a few places which are not recommended to explore on foot, and Johannesburg is high on the list. But, when I woke up and open the curtains of my room this morning, I noticed not only the great winter weather, with blue sky and 56F/13C temperature,  but what looked like a very smooth sidewalk along the airport perimeter. That looked too good to pass on...

Well, between a busy airport and highway, and crossing a large industrial complex visited by many trucks, that's certainly not the nicest run you can experience but, again, if you get stuck for a day at this airport, it's an ok place to log a few miles. I did 11 miles.

Note the elevation chart at the bottom which oscillates around 5,500 feet (1,700 m), the same altitude as Windhoek's, and you can feel it's slightly harder to breathe.

The sidewalk doesn't go all the way but the side of the road otherwise is easy to run on.

This is the South extremity of the road, when you get to the end of the tarmac, where you can see the big birds landing (video clip).

Relive.cc's 3D flyover (click on the picture, then the white arrow to see the animation):

Here is a map ti situate JNB with regard to the city.

And, a bit of advertising at the airport...

Oh, and I couldn't resist, for my family which has been so close to Christian Dior's history from Granville to Paris and around the world. South African Airlines put us in a very nice hotel owned by Peermont, with several casinos and hotels on the premises, including one called... MONDIOR!

Anyway, I should now get home 27 hours later than initially planned but I'm glad that, unlike most of the other passengers who missed their connections, I could at least get my suit case to allow me to run these 11 miles during this unexpected long stop!