Author: Modern Athlete

He knew something was seriously wrong as he lay there on the tar, unable
to move, and yet Pieter du Preez was still the one keeping everyone around him
calm; from the motorist who just knocked him off his bike, to the shocked
crowd. Firstly, he told the motorist that she should stop crying and that he
forgave her, because everything happens for a reason. Then he asked someone to
please phone his dad, as he would be the calmer family member to deal with the
situation.

Pieter was admitted to hospital in a life-threatening condition and
spent 42 days in the ICU. For the first 32 days of that, the doctors kept him in
an induced coma, and breathing on a ventilator. When he came round and found himself
paralysed, he made a promise to himself: Within one year he would learn how to
be totally independent, and he would find a way to do sport again, whatever it took,
and in whatever form. But SupaPiet did so much more than just ‘do sport’ again…
he has become an inspiration to many people worldwide!

A WORLD
FIRST

On 11 May this year, Pieter made history when he became the world’s
first C6 quadriplegic to complete a Half Ironman triathlon event, finishing the
Busselton 70.3 in Australia in six hours and 37 minutes. He completed the 1.9km
swim in 54 minutes by swimming backstroke with a guide tapping his feet to help
him keep direction and as a safety measure. The 90km bike leg, which Pieter
describes as his weakest discipline, took him 3:55 to complete on his hand
bike. He then went on to complete the 21km run leg in 1:33, again using his
hand bike, and beating more than 150 able-bodied athletes to the finish line.

“It was the most amazing thing I have ever done!” says Pieter. “Before
the race I just wanted to finish, but afterwards I realised I could have
actually finished in close to six hours! One of my first thoughts was that I am
only halfway. Now I can take on Full Ironman.”

NATURAL
SPORTSMAN

Growing up in Randburg, Pieter was always a gifted athlete. He excelled
at all sports and achieved provincial colours in running and duathlon. After
school he studied BSc in Actuarial Sciences at the University of Johannesburg
before moving on to a part-time Honours degree in investment management. His
love for sport continued throughout his student years, when he earned South
African colours in triathlon as well as SA Student colours in cycling in 2001.

When the accident happened on 6 October 2003, Pieter was on his way to
the chiropractor to sort out a niggling injury. He had decided to cover his
60km training ride for the day by cycling there and back. Then tragedy struck.
“An elderly lady drove right into me. Many people can’t understand why I am not
bitter, but I believe that day I had angels with me. It was amazing how calm I
was, though I had broken my neck, femur, knee and wrists.”

The accident left Pieter paralysed from his nipples down. The only
movement he has is in his shoulders and biceps. He has no tricep movement, and
though he can move his wrists, his hands don’t function. He can’t feel pain,
heat or cold, and his nervous system has been affected to the extent that he
does not sweat. “From day one in ICU, my faith in God saved me. While I was in
rehab they wanted to give me anti-depressants to help me cope, but I did not
take them. Every day I refused that little pill and said as long as I have my
faith, I will be fine,” says Pieter. “It’s been 10 years since the accident and
not one day have I had an ‘off day’ because I am in a wheelchair. Sure, I have
had off days when taxi’s drive in front of me, or a bad day at work, but not
because of my accident.”

TAKING HIS
LIFE BACK

Pieter was released from hospital on 23 February 2004 and barely two
weeks later, on 9 March, he wrote his final Honours exam. “It was tough, but I
managed to graduate with my class.” Shortly after that, he decided his next big
goal was to gain independence. Today Pieter is totally independent. He baths
and dresses himself and if needs be, can go away for a weekend and look after
himself 100%. “I had to find little ways and tricks in my quest for
independence, for instance, how to put my socks on even though I can’t move my
fingers,” he says. “I suppose I looked like a useless quad and I guess my
parents did not know where I was going to find a job, but they were always
supportive of me, even when I told them that I would find a way to participate in
triathlons again.”

A year after his release from hospital, Pieter started off with
wheelchair rugby, in which he represented South Africa in 2005 in Rio. In the
same year he got a job at Deloitte, where he still works as a senior actuarial
analyst in the Actuarial and Insurance Solutions Division. “Deloitte has been
amazing and has supported and sponsored me in all my sporting endeavours. The
whole company has been behind me, and I can’t thank them enough for what they
have done for me.” He started working towards getting back into triathlon by
first researching sporting equipment he could use, then he started cycling
before tackling his first marathon in Berlin
in 2008. That same year he married Ilse, an occupational therapist. “She is my
biggest supporter and helper on race day. We are a team,” says Pieter.

His dream was realised when he became one of the first quadriplegics
ever to complete an Olympic-distance triathlon in 2010. In the same year he
made the SA hand cycle team and represented his country at the World Cup in
Spain. Later that year he finished the 94.7 Cycle Challenge with Ilse, before earning
a silver and bronze medal on the track in the 100m and 200m sprints at the IPC
(International Paralympic Committee) World Champs in New Zealand. Then another
of his dreams was realised in August 2012, when he represented SA in the 100m
at the London Paralympics.

A CUT ABOVE
THE REST

It was just after the Paralympics that he set his sights on
participating in a Half Ironman event. “I had to find a race with a flat route,
as the bike is always my drawback, but just the idea of competing was mind-blowing,”
says Pieter. And having conquered the 70.3, he immediately set his sights still
higher. “On the way back from Half Ironman, I said to Ilse, now it is time to
set a date for full Ironman!”

And so Pieter has chosen the Busselton Full Ironman in Australia on 8
December. One of his worries is that the race extends into the night, which
might complicate things for him due to his deteriorating eyesight. He suffers
from a hereditary eye condition, which will eventually
see him becoming blind, but he is determined to see it through and become the
first quadriplegic to complete a full Ironman.

When chatting to Pieter, one quickly realises that he is a cut above the
rest. He is not only positive, but has a great sense of humour and an
unshakeable faith that this is the path that was chosen for him. “I believe to
inspire creates a circle effect. I know I inspire people through what I do, but
what they don’t realise is that when they come to me and congratulate me, that
in turn inspires me to carry on!” he says. “If I could have any words of advice
for anyone, it would be for people to be nice to each other. And if someone
means something to you, go and tell them that. Finally, I would say this: The
impossible is possible!”

After being hit during an action cricket game for
Eastern Gauteng in 2008, Graham went to the doctor when the swelling persisted
and found out that he had stage three testicular cancer. “They had to remove
the tumour, I had to go through intensive chemotherapy, and then for recovery I
started to become more active, by cycling and running,” he says. Even when
Graham’s white blood cell count was as low as 0.01%, he continued pedalling, having
decided that there was nothing big enough that could get the better of him.
“Cycling became a body makeover for me – I was feeling better and I was not
going to feel sorry for myself and just sit at home.”

Having left home at 18 and been on his own since then,
Graham says he has always relied on himself, and after being diagnosed with
cancer, he knew that it was up to him to live positively to overcome it – and
that started with an active lifestyle. “People may say you can’t do it, but if
you are sure that this is all you want to do, then you don’t have to prove them
wrong, you have to prove yourself right!”

GET UP AND GO

Today Graham cycles a round-trip of 35km each day to St.
Benedict’s Catholic School for Boys, where he coaches sport, while weekends are
dedicated to long 120km cycles as well as 5km runs. In recent months he has
also added some swimming training to his programme as he began his journey to Ironman.
“I wanted a new challenge, and though 17 hours or so on your body is hard, I
know I can do it!” And then there is the multi-day mountain-biking Cape Epic to
come as well… but though he admits that he’s a bit scared of the huge challenges
ahead, he knows he’ll get used to the disciplines and distances when he picks
up the training.

As part of this build-up, towards the end of 2012
Graham completed a few BSG sprint triathlons to get used to the sport, and rode
the Momentum 94.7 in a stellar 2:49 as well as 24-hour mountain bike races in
the Omni-Motion MTB and Rietvlei 24-hour events. He will use Ironman 70.3 in
January as a stepping stone to the full Ironman a few months later. Also, in
2010 he rode from Johannesburg to Cape Town on his bike in seven days and now
he is planning to ride the route down to Cape Town and back (3 800km) in 18
days after his Ironman experience. And he hopes to do all of this while raising
awareness and funds for CHOC and CANSA South Africa.

“Finishing Ironman and the Epic, and other challenges,
is not only my dream, but also a platform where I can raise awareness of cancer
and inspire those around me. I’m living proof that one can do anything!” says Grahams.
“I feel that if you can conquer your mind, you can conquer anything you attempt
to do. I hope people see me and are motivated to also do something.”

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

At school, Graham motivates his pupils every day with
his never-say-die attitude. “When the boys heard about Ironman, they said, ‘Are
you crazy, coach?’ But I just tell them to never give up!” He says he treats
his students like they were his own children and is a coach that likes to get
involved. “The boys look up to you. At school, the coaches and teachers are the
parents and you need to push the boys to reach their potential. So when I’m
training, my chest is obviously affected and I think about stopping, but I
remember to push the thought of quitting away, because this is what I tell the
boys to do.”

Graham’s coaching skills also kick in at bike races,
and he gets very emotional about helping fellow riders at races because he just
wants to show people that they can do anything they want to, even if their mind
is telling them they can’t. “I remember seeing a lady in one race who was
struggling to cycle, and after 5km she was ready to quit – and I hate to see
people quit – so I rode alongside her all the way to the finish,” he explains.
“I helped her on the climbs and she told me I was her hero.”

And when he himself feels like he’s hit a wall, a word
tattooed on his fingers keeps him going: Livestrong. “I remember when they said
Lance Armstrong was found out for taking EPO to win his titles,” says Graham.
“I just told people I use OPE to race: Other People’s Energy!”

LOVING LIFE

So, while Graham has had to come to grips with living
with cancer, he also lives with his girlfriend, his bike, and his spirit to
keep living life to the full. He reckons he is on the right track to reach his
goals of finishing Ironman and the Epic in 2013, and has a sponsorship from
32GI to help him get there, but it is obviously his great attitude that plays
the most important role in keeping him on track to do so. “I just never back
down from a challenge,” he says, “I race for no-one but myself, and I aim to be
better than I was before.”

To get behind Graham’s cause, follow his progress or
sponsor his active journey, e-mail [email protected] or call 0734454342. You can also
find Graham on Twitter @grahamprinsloo.

At 4350km, the
Mekong is the world’s 13^th longest river. It rises in Qinghai Province
of China, where it is known as the Lancang River, and flows south-east through
Tibet, then through Yunnan Province. After leaving China, It becomes known as
the Mekong and flows southwest to form the border of Myanmar (Burma) and Laos
for 100 kilometres, then turns southeast to form much of the Laos-Thailand
border, before crossing through Cambodia into Vietnam, where it spreads out
through various distributaries to form the massive Mekong Delta that empties into
the South China Sea.

“We originally planned to run a source-to-sea route, starting in China,
but when the Chinese government recently announced that Tibet will be closed to
tourists until further notice, we faced a 600km detour around Tibet, so rather
opted to skip the Lancang River section and start where the river becomes known
as the Mekong,” says David. “We will run as
close as possible to the river at all times, taking into account the need to
run on a de-mined route – there are still thousands of mines in the area left
over from the Vietnam War. A support crew will accompany us in a four-wheel
drive vehicle, but where the route makes this support impossible, we will run
self-sufficient with backpacks.”

FOR THE CHILDREN

Given the nature of the route David and Mark will
follow, this will arguably be one of the most gruelling ultra trail runs ever
undertaken, but both runners are seasoned long distance athletes, with many
marathon, ultra and stage races finishes between them, and they averaged 250km
per week in training in the build-up to their run, so they’re quietly confident
of success. They’re also highly motivated to complete the challenge, as they
are running for the Endurance Challenge Charity Trust (ECCT), which David
founded in 2007 to use his running to raise funds for various children’s
charities in South Africa.

“The Mekong River Run will
allow me to combine my love of ultra-distance running with an abiding passion
for answering the call to make a difference,” says David. “I am dedicating this
challenge to Home from Home, whose members exemplify the spirit of charity in
their commitment to caring for orphaned children who are innocent victims of
the HIV/Aids pandemic.” Home from Home sets
up and runs small, community-based, family foster homes with up to six children
cared for by foster parents. They are currently running 26 homes caring for
around 170 children, and many more homes are in the planning stages.

Mark adds, “I decided to join David in this challenge
because I identified it as a once in a lifetime experience to raise mega funds
for the wonderful organisation Home from Home, and I was also concerned for his
safety doing it alone.” (Besides monsoon rains, landslides, landmines and
renegade army troops that like to kidnap foreigners for ransom, David is also
as a recent cancer survivor and underwent a bone marrow transplant less than a
year ago, so Mark will keep an eye on his health through the challenge.)

You can follow David and Mark’s progress and support
their effort at www.mekongriverrun.com.