afghanistan?

The Two Oceans half and ultra marathon occurs in just two short days. UCT's upper campus rugby fields are covered in tents and Old Mutual flags leading up to the finish line in preparation for 23,000 runners to cross on Saturday morning. I will be one of them!

I made my way to the expo in the city today to pick up my packet and score some cheap clothes and t-shirts. Upon picking up my registration, I found the following information:
Name: Margaret Katherine Winthrop
Race: 21K
Birthdate: 11/07/1989
Country: Afghanistan

Huh. I'm guessing that in registering for the race, which I distinctly remember doing on a frigid and dark December afternoon in Bixler Library, I failed to select my country from the drop down menu, and thus it was left at the first country on the alphabetical list, Afghanistan.

As I was flipping through the Two Oceans pamphlet I saw a list of numbers of runners from each country. Guess how many from Afghanistan? One female registered for the 21K. That's me! Margaret Katherine Winthrop of Afghanistan.

So even if I place #22,999 in the race, I'll still have the honor of being the number one Afghani woman to run the Two Oceans. Forget the other 250 Americans. As far as the Two Oceans administration knows I'm straight out of Kabul!