Category: Features

Fallon Finlayson is a 31-year-old graphic designer now based in Somerset West in the Cape, who lives by two motivational sayings: My only fear is not trying, and if your goals don’t scare you, they’re not big enough… which is why she went from the couch to the IRONMAN 70.3, and intends going still further…

Triathlon and fitness is an absolute passion of mine, but it has not always been this way. Growing up in Zimbabwe, my absolute worst nightmare was having to attend sports days at school. I literally hated it. The only thing I enjoyed was swimming, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just swim? This running thing was not for me, in any way! During compulsory cross country, I would sit under a tree and only do one lap of the two-lap route, and catch up with everyone on their second lap. I was also quite an unhealthy eater and loved all the junk food. All in all, I was quite an unfit, unhealthy and overweight teenager – and I just accepted it and carried on with my life.

Finishing school and moving to South Africa to study, I lived the typical student life. Lectures, parties, late night garage pies, student burger specials, and a bit of studying. A healthy life was the last thing on my mind! However, once I started working in Johannesburg – some would say grew up – I decided it was time to get healthier, and so I did the normal thing and joined a gym. I attended classes about five times a week, but the real turning point was the day my sister phoned me and invited me to swim the Midmar Mile with her company team. Having been such a keen swimmer a few years earlier, I agreed immediately.

I got into the pool that evening to start training… and battled to swim even two lengths of a 25-metre pool! I was out of breath and my chest was on fire. “How am I battling to swim?” I asked myself, but the answer to that question was obvious, after not swimming for about five years and not worrying about a healthy life. But I was committed to swimming Midmar, and after a few weeks of training, I was comfortable in the water again. Slow, but comfortable, and it felt good.

The Running Bug Bites
I completed Midmar and absolutely loved it. I also lost about 5kg during all the training, and after the event, I remember thinking, “Now what?” I loved the transformation, getting fitter, completing an event and the bonus of the weight-loss, so I decided to try running, as I knew I would definitely lose more weight. Let’s just say that my first attempt at running is a day I will never forget. I could barely jog 200 metres, I was so out of breath, and I’m sure my heart rate was well over 200! I felt nauseous and wanted to throw up, but I persisted as I jogged and walked around the block. It was mentally and physically very challenging for me, but again, I decided not to give up.

Another day I’ll never forget is when I jogged around that same block without stopping, a huge achievement in its own right. That is where my passion for running began, leading to 5km races, then to 10km and from there to my first half marathon. I had absolutely fallen in love with running. By this time, I was also a healthier eater and had lost another 8kg. I felt totally energised with life.

Then came the devastating day. After a few weeks of hip pain followed by a few physio’s, an incredible chiropractor, a podiatrist, gait analysis, and a sports doctor, I was told I had a badly misaligned pelvis, which would take anything between eight months and a year to realign and get my piriformis muscle to settle down. The news of no running for eight months or more came down like a ton of bricks. I was crushed.

I carried on attending my aerobic classes with my favourite instructor and kept all movements low-impact, but I was not getting the satisfaction that running gave me. That’s when I decided to buy a road bike and I entered the 94.7 Cycle Challenge. I was craving some sort of physical endurance challenge, so training began, and six months later I completed the race. Another thing I never thought I’d ever be… a cyclist.

Getting Going Again
By that time, eight months of no running had passed and I was given the go-head to attempt a jog. Happily, it was pain-free, but I was still told by the specialists that it was highly unlikely I’d ever be able to run long distances again… and I almost accepted that. But I didn’t, and after six months of running again, I had a bit of a light bulb moment: “Hey, I can do a triathlon now!” Some quick research showed that the next big triathlon event was four months away, the 11Global in Sun City, so I immediately entered… and then thought, “Eek!”

I basically had no triathlete friends in Johannesburg, and I had no idea what was in store for me. No idea! But I did some research on the Internet about training for beginner triathletes and then I ‘just winged it.’ Typically, I went on to do the 11Global with a few pulled tendons on the top of my foot from the increase in training. Even so, I had an incredible time, and as I finished, I remember thinking, “I loved that, so I’m definitely going to do another one.”

I have never looked back. Being a triathlete makes me feel so alive. Pushing my body, testing my limits and what I am really capable of doing, achieving what a few years ago I would have called absolutely impossible… and soon I was entering my first Ironman 70.3 in East London, in January 2016. I was so excited! I trained very hard and I was loving the journey, and by this time my high school friend was also into triathlons and we planned to do the event together.

Reason to Tri Harder
Then, came the heart-breaking news just two months before the race that my father had died from a massive heart attack. As a very close family, this really took its toll, but I decided I was not going to give up on 70.3, and instead I decided to race the event in honour of my Dad. But then came another devastating blow, just two and a half weeks before the race when I was involved in a bike accident, cracked my elbow pretty badly, and was ruled out of Ironman. I was absolutely heartbroken, as this was now more than just a race for me.

Six weeks of recovery and no training followed, but then I was back in the water with only two weeks to cram in some training before my second go at the 8 Mile Challenge at the Midmar Mile swim. Most people told me, I’d never be able to complete all 8 miles with my elbow joint still recovering, but I like a challenge, so I went and completed all eight miles for the second year in a row.

A year later, a few triathlons, a marathon, several sea swims and cycle races later, I still had the desire to do the Ironman 70.3 in my Dad’s honour, so this year, along with three special people in my life, I completed Ironman 70.3 Durban. Thanks to hard training in spite of three injuries in the year, and the support from these guys and my close friends and family, it was an absolutely magical race. I had a good swim, overcame three punctures on the bike, and then posted a pretty decent run, but finishing for my Dad, with tears in my eyes, was an absolute priceless moment. We won’t talk about the toenail loss and insane blisters, because it was all worth it!

Inspirational Message
I want this story to motivate other athletes, because if you want to do something, it is never too late. Don’t wish you had tried, or wonder what it would have been like. If you want to achieve something, go and do it. Even if others doubt you. Do it for you, not for anyone else. Put in the hard work and you won’t regret it, because nothing that is worth it comes without effort and hard work.

As for me, I already have the next year’s worth of goals lined up:
•  Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, September 2017 (2nd consecutive year)
•  Cape Ultra Triathlon, September 2017 (70.3 distance – 2nd consecutive year)
•  11 Global Triathlon, October 2017 (going back to where it all began)
•  Old Mutual Soweto Marathon, November 2017
•  12km in 12hours endurance swim, November 2017
•  Sandman Triathlon, December 2017 (Another 70.3 event)
•  Midmar 8 Mile swim, February 2018 (4th year competing)
•  Robben Island Crossing, date to be confirmed
•  Comrades Marathon, June 2018

As I always say, set a goal that is so meaningful that it creates a drive inside you to become better and stronger. Then go after it. And believe me, you can do it – I am proof of that. If it’s your dream, go and do it. It will be an incredible journey and something you will never regret!

We runners sometimes think that our running fitness will see us through any physical challenge, but sometimes we learn the hard way that skill and experience on top of fitness are an even better idea… as I found out during the recent Nedbank Tour de Tuli mountain biking event. – BY KIM STEPHENS

In 2012, one of the clients on my books was an outdoor apparel brand that happened to be the sponsor of the African Otter Trail Run, and thus I was offered an entry to the ‘Grail of Trail.’ The Otter is South Africa’s premier marathon distance trail race, and it is relentlessly tough. I hadn’t even run a marathon on road, but I found myself enthusiastically accepting the entry, and promptly purchased a clunky pair of trail shoes and badly-fitted hydration pack.

I ran a few long trails, none of which were appropriate to Otter training, and completed my first road marathon, on a flat as a pancake course. Then I lined up for a giant reality check. I completed the Otter well within cut-off, but was totally out of my depth the entire way. I fell, I cried a little, and even briefly considered flinging myself into the ocean… but it changed me. I realised I was, as that tubby yellow bear likes to say, braver than I believed.

IRRESISTIBLE INVITATION
A few months ago my client, Coleman, offered me the opportunity to join its team for the 2017 Nedbank Tour de Tuli in late July. I’d worked as crew on the event in 2013, and knew this isn’t just a mountain biking tour through three different countries, it is also the main fundraising event for Tour de Wilderness, an environmental and life skills programme for rural children living in and around conservation areas. Since that first Otter, I’m annoyingly prone to “seize the moment” choices, and I felt that my endurance base would see me through the 250km of riding. It is a tour, after all, not a race – but it is very much a tour on a bike, and I am very much a runner…

Anyway, I purchased a beautiful little second-hand bike, but it became a crime statistic after just four rides, and I was not in a position to replace it. My training was therefore limited to a couple of spins on a gym bike and plenty of mountain running. And that is how I found myself in the Ciovita showroom in Cape Town, agreeing to become the proud new owner of things like cycling bibs (the very thing I had mocked on my husband numerous times). Upon recommendation, I added a large tube of chamois cream to my kit. At the very least, I was not going into this battle at risk of damaging my nether regions.

Before I knew it I was in a car with my team mates, heading to the South Africa-Botswana border, where my beautiful new Cannondale Scalpel loan bike was waiting for me. A truck took my duffle bag, and I casually requested assistance in attaching the pedals borrowed from my son to this unfamiliar piece of equipment. The 3km ride to the first camp, on an airfield in Botswana, was fairly uneventful, and I patted my new best friend as I hung her on the bike rack and told her that we’d do just fine, but when I met the leaders and sweeps allocated to our team, I’m pretty sure they rolled their eyes as I said, “I’m strong… my running endurance will get me through.”

RUDE AWAKENING
The first day was a 65km ride from the Limpopo Valley Airfield to the Amphitheatre Bushcamp. I applied that chamois cream with wild abandon, and put on a cycling bib with slightly less enthusiasm. I added a pair of borrowed cleats. I looked the part! After a picture-perfect sunrise and great coffee, we were off, each team leaving with 10-minute intervals, and we were team 19, last to leave. The first 15km felt like a shedding of life and work stress. Phones were off, noise was limited to birdlife and the whirrrrr of tubeless tyres on dusty tracks, and we found a rhythm as I bonded with my bike. This sense of freedom was short lived, however. Soon I realised I was probably going to die, face-down in a dry river bed, with a bike attached to my body.

That soft sand made my tyres take on their own personalities, like teenagers with middle fingers in the air! What had I got myself into? My brain was saying “No!” very loudly while I ate sand, and I was using every profanity I’d ever learned. Then we hit rocks, and I swear my pedals smashed into every single one! I wobbled and fell, smashing my right knee on the handlebars. I got off and walked as I swallowed tears. I got told to harden up by sweep Matt, and I wallowed in self-pity. I was holding my team back and felt like a giant fraud. Basically, I was deeply afraid. I quite like my teeth where they are; likewise my kneecaps, and 40km in, after I had shocked my wonderful team mates with a complete 180-degree personality shift, I finally climbed into a Landrover at one of the checkpoints. Gutted, I was just not up for it, and I needed to stop. It was that, or call the lions to eat me. And lions don’t come when called; I did try.

HAVING ANOTHER GO
After plenty of sundowners that went on long past sunset, I crashed into my tent with my kit vaguely prepared for the next day. The exceptional Amphitheatre Bushcamp would be home for two nights, with open air showers, a feast of food and the sound of wildlife all around. It would have been heaven, had I not been panicking about the second day’s riding.

With legs and arms already covered in cuts and bruises, we set off into the sunrise with a river crossing to warm up the legs. After crossing the Motloutse, we moved into open plains on well-used ellie tracks, and we saw elephants each day, including one unnerving experience during day two where we had to backtrack swiftly and warn the other teams! The total distance for the day was just under 60km, and I did it. We were slow, but I was gaining in confidence. The lions came during our second night in the Amphiteatre Bushcamp, their low grunts filtering through to our cozy tents at about 2am, but I told them I wanted to live and would give day three a go, so they moved on.

The route description for day three promised us around 70km of fun, but the race briefing outlined a course closer to 80km. I started with big eyes and a determination to master some of the technical elements that lay ahead. I had such a great team, full of humour and passion. We had two Russians that thought it was the Olympics – still great guys – but the rest were fairly chilled about pace. I’m not sure what the Bush Telegraph had put out, but on day three Jeremy, an equestrian vet from Zimbabwe, appointed himself my personal mentor. “Stay on my butt, watch my wheel, follow my lead.” He led me to the mid pack of our team, and things got real. I was actually riding a bike, at a fair pace, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying.

GETTING THE HANG OF IT
The first section to the tea stop was 95% single track with a lot of mopane trees. Ever been slapped by a mopane branch? They were never-ending, and I prayed for game sightings and a stop to take photographs. My upper lip took a slap, and swelled impressively. But I also wobbled through sand, and even managed to stay on the bike for some of it. Sweeps Matt and Greg smiled at me, and shook their heads. “Like a Lotus flower opening,” said Greg, generously.

But at the tea stop I was overwhelmed by exhaustion; the kind that I normally feel at the end of a race like Comrades. I nervously told Saffy, our team leader, that I needed to stop. He organised another Landrover and in I piled for a very long round trip across the Zimbabwean border into the delightful Maramani Community Camp on the banks of the Limpopo River. I was so tired that I slept through some rough 4x4ing, bouncing around on the back seat, oblivious to my surrounds. I arrived at camp at the same time as my team, and ran in with them, with deep joy as I used my trail shoes for their intended purpose! That night we drank beer on the river bank, beside a sign that said “Beware of crocodiles,” and ate like royalty before another solid tent sleep.

FINAL STRETCH
We woke with mixed feelings: Glad that the end was in sight, sad that our time together was nearing an end. What an adventure. We had all disconnected with reality for a few days… no signal, no work, no admin or deadlines. The final 60km lay ahead, and we were all pretty tired. Rachel, the only other woman on our team and a resident of France on her first trip to Africa, was administering Essential Oils to herself and the rest of us, as we were all battered and bruised and covered in mopane welts. Dieter, our oldest team member (but with the youngest heart and most impressive one-liners) asked a medic how long it would take to die… and with that we piled our weary bodies back on the bikes for one last push.

We’d been promised a sighting of 200 million year old fossils on Sentinel Ranch, among other highlights, and a border crossing back home across the sandy Limpopo River. We all made it, and I owe much of that to a combination of Jeremy the vet and Matt the Macadamia nut farmer who simply would not let me quit. Handing the loan bike back was an emotional moment, and I realised then that mountain biking will become a permanent part of my adventures, as it’s a great way to improve my mountain running, and to see the world. That’s why I’ve purchased that loan bike and had it shipped down to Cape Town. As far as life choices go, this was a good one. But next time, I’ll train.

From the first time I met Troy Murray and Werner Nel, they were inseparable. I remember when they arrived in front of me after doing their initial 1km time trial with Coach Jonathan, looking ready to dominate the Modern Athlete #9to5Challenge. Both had many questions about what they were about to get themselves into, but I got the impression that these two were going to be committed, and boy did they prove me right. – BY JEANNIE JORDAAN, MODERN ATHLETE 9TO5 COACH

It all started when the two business partners as well as close friends, attended a conference at the Wanderers Club and saw the #9to5Challenge poster. Troy had lost most of his fitness and also wanted to get Werner on the challenge, because he is a rather large unit and hadn’t really done anything resembling a fitness programme for years. “At that stage I was unfit and overweight, and Troy and I kept talking about doing something to change it,” recalls Werner.

The plan was simply to start. Once that had happened – arguably the biggest hurdle of all – they simply had to follow the programme with the intention of being able to run 5km by the end of nine weeks. As Troy says, “My view is that everyone should be able to run 5km, and I was embarrassed that I could not. What if I actually needed to?”

For Werner, the ease of hitting the snooze button was a daily routine, but by joining the programme and committing to running twice a week with the group, he learnt that running is a great stress-reliever. “Or maybe I’m just too tired to stress about anything after a good run,” he laughs. Troy had a similar problem: “It’s easy to find an excuse not to do something, but when you’ve got other people you’re committed to, you find a way of getting up at 5am. I just didn’t have the self-discipline to do it on my own. Running has given me a nice base fitness level that allows me to comfortably cross over and enjoy other pursuits too, whether they be cycling, hiking or swimming. Also, you can take it anywhere.”

Upward Trajectory
These two are so full of life and had us all in stitches during most training sessions, but they have also proven a lot to me and themselves on this journey, even though they both say they nearly died the first time they ran the Westcliffe stairs. Troy laughs at the memory of utter pain and suffering when reaching the top of the stairs that first time, and then being told they still had another four loops to go. “I love those stairs now. And I also believe the early morning sessions when you are still suffering from the party the night before, are the best cure for hangovers!”

But more than that Troy elaborates on what else the two gained over the past months of training. “I actually learnt how to run and now know a bit about the science of running. I didn’t realise beforehand that just running round and round the block for 5km is just not a good way to get to run 5km. I’m more aware of my body and have a keen sense of distance now. And I even understand what “heart rate” means. I’m less tired overall and even recently encountered the feeling that I ‘need’ to run if I’ve missed more than two to three days… a sort of panic kicks in.”

Similarly, Werner puffs out his rather larger chest – albeit a little smaller than eight weeks previously, as he lost 8kg over that time – and admits that he is very proud of the more than two minutes he cut off his initial 1km time trial. “I really enjoyed that feeling of achievement!” he says.

No Stopping Them Now
Having both received prizes for “Best Overall Achievement” and “Most Improved Runner” on the programme, Troy and Werner admit that they have only just started on their fitness quest. Werner recalls that “My first goal was just to finish the nine weeks, but now keeping fit is my goal. After putting in the hard yards to get here, I don’t want to go back to the start. Also, to do a parkrun in under 30 minutes would be nice.”

Troy’s direction is a little bit more of a team effort. “My wife has just joined the programme, following recovery from a long-standing injury, so I’ll only know when she tells me at the end of the programme. I’m guessing we will bump up to the 10km programme,” he laughs. “It’s very uplifting when you see the progress you’ve actually made at the end of the programme. It seems like running has now become a lifestyle habit, which is pretty cool.”

If you also want to go from zero to hero in just nine weeks, like Troy and Werner, then sign up today for the Modern Athlete 9to5 Challenge. Go to www.modernathlete.co.za/page/9-to-5-challenge or e-mail [email protected] for more info.

Winning a national title on the road is a fantastic achievement for an athlete. Winning a national title on trail is just as fantastic. Then you get the ultra-marathons, and earning a gold medal in the Comrades is considered a pinnacle achievement in South African running. Doing all three? Until Danette Smith came along, it had never been done. – BY SEAN FALCONER

In April this year Stellenbosch-based school teacher Danette Smith travelled to Durban to participate in the SA Marathon Champs, and having taken the lead around the 30km mark, she powered her way home to claim the women’s title in 2:54:59. Then in June she finished eighth woman in her debut Comrades Marathon, to become just the ninth women to win the SA Marathon Championship as well as a Comrades gold medal. That saw her join a star-studded list that features Charne Bosman, Colleen de Reuck, Frith van der Merwe, Grace de Oliveira, Rianna van Niekerk, Lindsay van Aswegen, Helene Joubert and Beverley Malan (who was fourth in the 1987 Comrades and earned a bronze medal, but would earn a gold medal by modern standards).

However, Danette has another SA title to her name, which gives her an unprecedented ‘Treble’ that no other South African female athlete has achieved. In 2014 she won the SA Long Distance Trail Championship title, meaning she is the only woman to win both these SA titles as well as a Comrades gold. In fact, she is the only woman to win both a road running and trail running SA title along with a Comrades gold. But as is her way, the 29-year-old runner who is sponsored by KPMG, Brooks, TomTom and Superbar, sheepishly grins and tries to talk down her achievements when this is mentioned.

Unexpected Win
“To be honest, it wasn’t my goal to win the SA Marathon Title, and Durban came as a big surprise,
given that Comrades gold was the plan. I consider it a massive gift given to me in an already incredible year,” says Danette. And incredible about sums it up: She was second in the Bay to Bay 30km, won the Red Hill Classic 36km, ran a PB 1:21 at the Western Province Half Marathon Champs, was second in the Cango Marthon with a PB 2:49, was second in the mixed pairs category at AfricanX with JC Visser, ran a 10km PB of 37:24 in the Spar Women’s Race in Cape Town, then won the SA Marathon title – even though her coach, Ernie Gruhn, had told her not to race too hard in Durban.

“My main reason for wanting to run the Champs was to check out running in Durban and better prepare myself for Comrades, plus I needed another long run anyway, as I wasn’t running the Two Oceans this year, but Ernie told me I was not to go faster than 2:55 pace, to save my legs for Comrades. However, I was so honoured to be selected by Western Province and still wanted to do my best… but I never went there with the intention to race it as hard as possible. In fact, I thought I would be lucky to make the top 10!”

“The Champs race was two laps of 21km, but I didn’t listen to the announcers properly and didn’t know this. After the start I had no idea where I was in the race, until a spectator told me around the 15km mark that I was fourth lady. Then when we ran past the stadium at the end of the first lap, I realised we had 21km runners with us, because they turned off. Just after that the Western province team manager told me I was in second place. The route also had a long stretch on the Durban Promenade, and my KPMG clubmate Jenna Challenor was doing a long training run at the same time. When I passed her, she told me the leader was just a few hundred metres ahead of me, so I put in a surge, caught her at 28km, then took the lead. Ernie had told me not to run too fast, but being in the lead sparked the adrenaline. Suddenly I found myself wondering what to do when I reach the finish, how to act or celebrate! Winning was just so completely unexpected.”

Taking on Comrades
A few months later, and with her target splits written on her arm, Danette lined up for what she describes as an emotional Comrades start. “I just wanted to enjoy the experience of all the sites and sounds, and it was amazing to have my parents and my boyfriend there to support me along the way. I stuck to my plan as much as I could and I was lying seventh for a long time, until halfway, but then I felt an old injury flare up a bit and was passed by two girls. Now I was really feeling the pressure, because I was almost out of the gold medals!”

“I was being seconded by KPMG’s Pierre Jacobs and KPMG clubmate Colleen De Reuck’s husband, Darren, so I was getting feedback as well as nutritional support. Round about the 75km mark, I passed Stefanie Smith, who was cramping, and then Pierre and Darren told me I was safe, that I could just enjoy the rest of the way. I still had Polly Shortts to climb, and Ernie had told me I can walk four times during the race – he even gave me the exact number of steps I may walk – and because I had only walked once up to that point, I used all three remaining walks on Polly’s. Running into the stadium was just amazing, and I had to laugh when a guy said he was going to stay with me because he wanted to be on TV. Getting that rose was so special, because I had told friends I had actually imagined it so many times. Just an amazing day!”

Unsurprisingly, given the national prominence of the Comrades Marathon, Danette says she has gotten the most reaction from friends, family, colleagues and pupils due to her Comrades gold, and much more so than her two SA titles. “People only really focus on the Comrades result. The trail title happened and passed, the marathon title happened and passed, and people only tend to talk about the Comrades gold, but it is still wonderful that so many people care. The reaction I tend to get is emotional from people who have known me for many years, because they say they feel they have followed my journey and shared in my success.”

Trail versus Tar
Danette’s running has taken a few interesting turns over the last four years. In 2014 she turned to trail running to get stronger in order to benefit her road running, but when she won the SA trail title and qualified to represent SA at the World Long Distance Trail Champs in the USA, she understandably put more focus on off-road. At the Worlds, she finished 28th overall amongst the women, and fourth in the 25-29 age category, so got onto the stage at prize-giving, and she describes it as a tough but amazing experience.

“My next goal was the Sanlam Cape Town Trail Run, where I finished third, and my then coach, Jacques Janse van Rensburg, suggested I run the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon the next day just to experience a marathon. It was also the SA Champs Marathon for that year, but I had obviously not been selected for the Western Province team because I had not run a marathon before, but I ran a 3:01 and finished third Western Province woman in spite of not racing it hard. Jacques then suggested I run the 2015 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, as he thought I was better suited to ultra distance, and I finished 12th in 4:10, and was first Western Province woman home. The rest of 2015 was relatively quiet, I think because I was a bit tired overall, but in 2016 I was 12th again at Two Oceans.

Later that year Danette was back on the trails, finishing fourth in the Hout Bay Trail Challenge 65km, which doubled as the 2016 SA Ultra Distance Trail Champs. Her goal was to qualify for the World Ultra Distance Trail Champs, but in the end the SA team was not sent to Spain. Still, the long run did prove useful. “I also wanted to use it as a tester to see how long I can run, to see if my legs can handle the time needed for Comrades. It took me 10 hours to finish and was very tough, but I felt OK, so when the SA team was not sent to Worlds, I changed my focus to the Comrades for the rest of the year. I still used shorter trails to build my strength, but from November I put my foot down on the road mileage.”

New Challenges
Looking ahead, Danette says her running focus for the remainder of 2017 will centre on races, first the Sanlam Cape Town Trail Run in September and then the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon in November. “I’m really excited about Soweto, as it will be my first race at altitude since the Trail World Champs in 2014. After that my focus will turn to the 2018 Two Oceans and Comrades, and I’m also really excited about running Oceans again, because next year it’s not as close to Comrades, so I can do both, and I want to go for a sub-4-hour time and a top 10 position. Also, at the back of my mind I’m wondering about the World 100km Champs… I would be really honoured to represent my country again if we were to send a team of women, and think I have the strength for the distance. I’m curious and motivated for next year, and excited to see what I can still achieve in running.

Running has many characters and personalities who bring flavour to the sport, and in the Cape Town running scene, one who stands out from the crowd is Moegsien Ebrahim. He isn’t known for being the fastest runner, but rather for taking amazing pics of his fellow runners, and for not being shy about sharing his opinion about running issues on social media. – BY PJ MOSES

Besides running, and talking about running, another of Moegsien Ebrahim’s passions is taking photos, and it has become the norm to see him at all the races with camera in hand, taking hundreds of photos. His pics featuring runners doing what runners do are found all over social media these days, and he’s become a mini celeb in his own right by being the man behind the lens. “It has become an expectation from people to have their picture taken during races, and everyone is always asking me, where is the camera, when I don’t have it,” says the enigmatic running photographer.

Nowadays hundreds of runners look forward to featuring in a Moegsien Ebrahim pic, and before, during or after a race, they line up smiling and always have a pose ready when they see him. On average, he takes about 400 to 500 pics per race, and it doesn’t matter if it is road, trail or even the cross country events, Moegsien’s camera has become well known at all of them. Thousands of pictures later, he says he still keeps all of the photos he has taken over the years.

ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT
By his own admission, Moegsien is not a natural runner, and he says the running bug bit him fairly late in life, but he adds that it opened up a whole new world to his adventurous spirit. As a nine-year-old, he would disappear from home every chance he got to go play hockey or cricket with his friends, without his parent’s consent. By the time they found out what the young Moegsien was up to, it was too late to stop him, so they just let him be. In the years that followed, it was cricket in the summer and hockey in winter, but when injuries and a declining love of these team sports led him to look for alternative sporting activities, he turned to first walking, then running.

“I just found that staying idle over a weekend wasn’t working for me,” he says, adding that he was soon drawn to the great social vibe amongst the athletes, even though he didn’t know anybody at the time within the athletic community. “At my first event, the FNB Big Walk, I decided to do the 35km walk because I was active and knew that I could do it. During this race I saw quite a few people with these coloured vests and I thought, ‘I want one of those vests.’ So I started looking up running clubs in the phonebook!”

This led Moegsien to join the Celtic Harriers running club and soon he was being spotted walking at many races in his green and white hoped club kit. Then, when he grew tired of just walking, he decided to try his hand at running. “I saw there were many people of all shapes and sizes running, and I thought to myself, ‘I can also do that!’ It didn’t start so well, but I saw people older than me running comfortably, so I thought with time it will get better, and luckily it did!”

OUTSPOKEN VIEWS
Making the most of the busy life running has given him, Moegsien averages close to 80 races a year these days, and the medals and memories have piled up since those early days. “I do not go to movies and I do not go to shows, I spend my money on running and running apparel. I also try to support as many races presented by clubs as I can, and especially clubs that in my opinion are struggling financially, because they need our support,” he says. And during races, you’ll find him at the back of the pack, because he says he loves the chats, jokes and laughs that you find there, as well as the camaraderie and determination to finish. “For me, those are the true heroes of running.”

At the same time, Moegsien is a man who believes in speaking his mind, and this has meant that he doesn’t shy away from debating things on social media. He has been notably outspoken about the ballot system for entries in a major Cape race as well as the way the #runclean campaign has been implemented by some race organisers. He doesn’t have a problem with these things, per se, but in his opinion both need to be tweaked to the benefit of all runners.

He is a man who sticks to his guns and has no regrets about anything he has said or done in the running public eye. He talks about things that are close to his heart and though he will agree to disagree about the issues, he will not stand down on anything that bothers him. Unsurprisingly, these critical views have made him unpopular with some people and they have, according to Moegsien, been giving him the cold shoulder, but he just laughs about that. “I will never just sit silently by and keep my thoughts to myself if I feel that runners are getting a raw deal. It is about fairness, because I don’t like unfairness. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Maybe I should have gone into politics, but that has just never been an attraction to me.”

POSITIVE VIBES
Of course, it is not all doom and gloom in Moegsien’s world, and he feels that the growth of the running community has been the biggest plus over the years that he has been a part of it. “I remember when I was starting out and there were just a few runners at local events. Now you have hundreds upon hundreds, and some of the bigger events pull thousands of runners to the starting line. This is a very good thing, but the problem is that race entries have also increased to very expensive levels. This has to be addressed by the powers that be, or else there could be a sharp decline in running numbers again.”

Still, he recommends the running lifestyle to all he meets, telling them not only about the health benefits and improved quality of life, but also about the social aspect of running, that you meet new friends and interact with people from all walks of life. “In my opinion, a running life is a win-win,” he says to conclude the interview, just in time to head off to go run (and photograph) the afternoon cross-country event.

One of the most remarkable things about running is that it is a great leveller: You could just as easily find yourself running next to the CEO of an international company in your next race, or a gardener, or domestic worker. Once the starter’s gun is fired, qualifications and salary count for very little as all athletes compete against themselves to get to the finish line, and one such story has been playing out in the Comrades Marathon over the past few years, as 42-year-old mother of two Maria Vilakazi has steadily climbed the ranks in the women’s field. But she admits that she has made a few mistakes along the way thanks to her stubbornness. – BY SEAN FALCONER

In the 2017 Comrades, Maria crossed the line in a personal best 7:41:42 for her fourth Bill Rowan medal, finishing 20th overall in the women’s field and fifth amongst the veterans. In the process she took just over 24 minutes off her previous best ‘Up Run’ time, adding to her already impressive running story, which began a few years ago after a long break from any form of sport. Born in Mpumalanga, Maria currently lives in Johannesburg, where she works as a cleaner for an IT company. She did some sport in her younger days, but dropped out of school in Grade 10 (standard 8) and stopped all sport as she entered the working world at a very young age.

“I come from a big family, with 10 boys and five girls, and I saw my mom was suffering, so I decided to help her by dropping out of school and starting to work. I stopped sport when I started working, but I used to love running, even though the teachers thought I was a sprinter and always put me in the 100m, because of my body shape. I was never a sprinter, but I still loved running,” says Maria.

DESIRE TO RUN AGAIN
It was many years later, while watching the 2008 Comrades Marathon on TV, that Maria rediscovered her desire to run, and that prompted her to want to go for a 10km jog, but she admits she did not know how to get started. Fortunately, her employer at the time, was more than willing to help when Maria asked for help a few months later. “I was working for Shashika Ramsamy in Bryanston and told her I wanted to start running, so she Googled info for me on beginner running and said I should join a club. Then she looked for clubs in our area and got info for me about the Run/Walk For Life club just around the corner from us. She told me to go ask them if they can help me, so I went and met Michelle Orlando, the branch manager, and she told me to come and join that same day at 4pm. I was so excited that I was finally going to run, but when she made me run just five minutes that first time, I was not happy! I thought, ‘Oh no, this is not for me,’ because my goal was to run 42km comfortably and then run the Comrades, not five minutes!”

With Michelle’s guidance, Maria steadily built up her mileage and went on to run her first road race in early 2009, at the Randburg Valentines 10km, but she admits she was still itching to go further and faster than Michelle was telling her to. “She told me to train and build up from five minutes to 50 minutes, and then run that first race around 60 minutes, but she said I must take it easy. She was happy and said I was in good shape, but now we must build up to 15km, then 21km, and only much later the 42km. I was not happy, because I wanted to go further and faster, but I realise now she knew what she was doing.”

The reason Maria knows this now is because she had to learn the age old lesson of running the hard way: Too much, too soon, may lead to an over-use injury. It happened because she moved from doing that first 10km race to tackling the Old Mutual Two Oceans 56km ultra-marathon just a few months later. “I didn’t listen to Michelle and that led to ITB from overtraining. I still ran the Two Oceans with the ITB, finishing in 5:19:50, but it set me back, and so no Comrades that year.”

DOING IT HER WAY
The following year, she did make it to the Comrades, and clocked an impressive 9:42:39 on debut, but again, her expectations and reality were not quite in tune. “I said I wanted to run my first Comrades in sub-9 hours, because it was 87 kays, and 10km/h sounded doable, but I didn’t realise how far it was, and once again I didn’t want to listen to Michelle about taking it easy in my first one. I was still very happy to cross the line in 9:42, but in 2011 I wanted to break nine hours. I did that second one in 9:24 and got my Back2Back medal, but I still had 24 minutes to take off.”

Once again, the advice of more experienced runners proved true, as Maria overdid the running in 2012 and picked up a stress facture and tendonitis in the same leg, although she still managed a 5:57:12 Two Oceans finish. “I told Beth Hammer, the new manager at Run/Walk For Life, that something was wrong with my foot, because I could only run 1km before the pain came. She got me an appointment with a physio, who told me I can’t run Comrades… but you know us runners, we never listen, and I decided to start and then bail if necessary. It took me a long, long time to finish – 11:37:55 – and I will never advise anybody to run Comrades if you feel pain. I already had to sit down at 10km due to pain, and didn’t think I could do another 79km, but there was no ambulance or bus there, and I was getting cold, so I decided to jog a bit more. When I eventually crossed the line, I thought I would never run again.”

“I was lucky that Beth then worked so hard for me. She made time to drive me to the physio, and told me, ‘Maria, you can’t give up without a fight!’ I was still sure I did not want to run again, but I didn’t want to disappoint her, and I am the runner I am today because of her. Also, I was helped by Neerashi Ramsamy, Sheshika’s daughter, who is a chiro and did fantastic work to help fix me. She always makes time for me, no matter how busy she is, even after hours at home.”

RETURNING STRONGER
Due to the injury and 18-month recovery, Maria missed the 2013 Comrades, but in 2014 she was back with a proverbial bang, clocking 5:42:50 at Oceans and 8:56:27 at Comrades to finally break the nine-hour mark. “Soon as I finished, I phoned Neerashi to share the news that I had done it.” Then in 2015, having won the Vaal Marathon and Colgate 32km, she went event faster, blitzing 4:34:28 at Oceans and then 8:05:44 at Comrades, and the plan was to break eight hours in 2016, but in early May, while out running with training partner Vusi Ludiki, Maria was hit by a taxi and injured her shoulder. That meant she couldn’t train for the rest of that month leading up to the race on 29 May, but she still ran 8:51:49.

In 2017 it all came together as she broke through eight hours and into the top 20. “I can’t explain this year’s race, I don’t know what happened. But I also can’t take the credit for myself – I had two ladies who helped me, Lee and Muriel of the Fitness From Africa (FFA) club, who invited me to join their track training group under coach Marcel Viljoen last November. The speed work really helped, but I still didn’t expect to be selected for the provincial team to run the SA Marathon Champs in Durban.”

The problem was that the Champs were just a week before the Two Oceans, and Marcel told me I can’t race both, so I will have to choose. Since I had never been selected for SA Champs before, I decided to race that, so he gave me pacing instructions to race hard for a 3:10 finish, but I never told him I was still going to save a little bit for the next week’s Two Oceans. As you have already seen, I am very stubborn… Anyway, I found 3:10 quite easy and finished sixth overall and second veteran, then I took the week off, drove to Cape Town and ran my best Oceans time by nearly two minutes, 4:32:35.”

SILVER GOAL
For Comrades, Marcel gave Maria pacing instructions for a 7:41 finish, and that’s exactly what she ran. “He told me he believed I can run a silver if I pace myself correctly right from start, with a 5:10 first kilometre, but I ran 4:30. I think that’s why I didn’t run 7:30 for that silver. Another lesson learnt.” Two weeks after Comrades, Maria ran 85 minutes at the SA Half Marathon Champs to finish second veteran, once again showing her remarkable powers of recovery, and she says the big goal now is sub-7:30 finish for a Comrades silver. “That’s what I will be chasing in 2018, but let’s see what the coach says.”

With spring here, we may get the urge to not only spring-clean our houses, but also our bodies. However, much as I support people making a positive change for their health, I’m a bit of a sceptic when it comes to ‘detoxing.’ – BY CHRISTINE PETERS, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

Detox diets can give people a false sense of security, a feeling that they are being protective of their health, but all too often they just go back to their usual way of eating. When people get to the stage of wanting to ‘detox,’ they are usually willing to participate in extreme measures, or find a quick fix, in order to feel more energetic or thinner. This extreme behaviour is generally unsustainable and bad habits easily sneak back in, and often in an exaggerated way because you are starving and feel low. This can then actually cause more damage in the long run.

People don’t realise that the body already has multiple systems in place, including the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, that do a perfectly good job of eliminating toxins from the body within hours of consumption. By just adopting a healthy eating plan, one actually causes a natural detox, but in a much safer way. Now let’s explore some commonly asked detoxing questions.

1 Is it healthy to detox? It all depends what you call a detox. A healthy eating plan, cutting out stimulants like caffeine and sugar, and things like salt, artificial products and heavy fatty foods, but not eliminating entire food groups, would be a very positive change. Extreme changes in diet, like just eating one food group, can be very limited in essential nutrients, which could be damaging.

2 Does fasting clean the body of toxins? Your liver and kidneys detox your body constantly. Fasting doesn’t do that; on the contrary, ketones build up when carbohydrates aren’t available for energy.

3 Do enemas, ‘flushing’ and detoxing help with losing weight? There is no credible scientific evidence proving enemas, ‘flushing’ and detoxing the liver and lymphatic system result in weight-loss. There is also no scientific evidence that there is even a need to ‘flush’ the liver, much less any benefit from doing so.

4 Why do some people say they feel better when detoxing? Detox dieters may report a variety of benefits, but none can be traced to the idea of detoxification. Fewer headaches can be traced to other lifestyle changes such as reduction in alcohol and caffeine intake. Clearer skin can result from improved hydration, and less bloating could be a result of eating less food. Some detox dieters even report a sense of euphoria, but this is actually a physical reaction to starvation.

LAST WORD
So is there anything positive about detoxing? Well, there is something to be gained from avoiding large quantities of alcohol or junk food, but always remember that moderation is best, and these detox regimens are anything but moderate. You can achieve the same beneficial effect by following a healthy eating plan, exercising and drinking plenty of water!

About the Author
Christene is a registered dietician based in the Johannesburg area.

Ten years ago, at the (then) IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, the South African team finished a lacklustre 22nd on the medal table. Fast forward to 2017 and Team South Africa’s u/18 athletes are sitting on top of the world – literally – having taken the number one spot on the medal table at the recent IAAF World U/18 Championships (as they are now known) in Nairobi, Kenya. – BY REGGIE HUFKIE

South Africa competed in five IAAF World Youth Championship meets between 2007 and 2015, managing to bring home a total of 13 medals across five meets. By comparison, at the 2017 championships, our athletes won a record-breaking haul of 11 medals in a single meet, consisting of five gold, three silver and three bronze medals. This points to the next generation of South African athletes being well on track to emulating the current crop of top South African senior athletes that have been medalling on the world stage, such as Wayde van Niekerk, Caster Sememya and Luvo Manyonga. In the meantime, we caught up with our five newly crowned World Champions.

RETSHIDISITSWE MLENGA
(Boys’ 200m Gold, 100m Silver)
Built lean, more like a long distance athlete than a sprinter, Retshidisitswe’s soft-spoken persona doesn’t look the part either, but on the track he is a different man – and if you saw his roaring celebration after clinching the 200m World Title, you would realise he is not shy to express himself.

In Nairobi, he also showed the world that he does not back down from a challenge, after narrowly losing the boys’ 100m final to his good friend Tshenolo Lemao. “My coach told me that I work 10 times harder than anybody else on that starting line, and when I came second in the 100m and saw my coach’s face, I told myself I can’t let my coach, my parents and my family down.” (He is coached by triple jumper Reneilwe Aphane.)

He duly responded with an even greater effort in the 200m, winning in 21.03 seconds, just ahead of Tshenolo for another SA one-two in the boys’ sprints. “I came into the 200m final very focused, having made a mistake in the 100m final,” he says simply. But ask him for his long-term goals, and he just oozes confidence: “I would like to see myself as one of the best ranked athletes in the world about 10 years from now.”

BREYTON POOLE
(Boys’ High Jump Gold)
Having represented Western Province in gymnastics in primary school, as well as rugby throughout primary and high school (u/12, u/13 and u/16), plus cross country and hockey, Breyton boasts a ‘Poole’ of talent. The 1.73m tall powerhouse believes that anything is possible, and that got him over the bar at 2.24m to be crowned World u/18 High Jump Champion. “All the excitement in Kenya was crazy, and I started celebrating whilst the bar was still shaking, but the joy and relief knowing that I just cleared the bar at 2.24m was an incredible feeling,” he says.

Breyton is coached by Bennie Schlecter and after a record-breaking season and World Championships title, it seems the choice to focus on athletics is paying off for this multi-talented sportsman, who hung up his rugby boots for good in 2016. “I don’t regret choosing athletics at all, and next year I’m hoping to qualify for the World Junior Champs in Finland,” he says. “My long term goal is to go to the Olympics in three years, because I’m still 5cm short of the 2.29m qualification mark.”

TSHENOLO LEMAO
(Boys’ 100m Gold, 200m silver)
His name was written into the history books on a wet evening when he won the IAAF World u/18 Championships100m title in 10.57 seconds, becoming the first South African to medal, let alone win, a 100m at a modern World Championships. “I’ve been working four years towards this, so now I’m ecstatic that I’ve achieved it,” said an ecstatic Tshenolo moments after his victory.

But there was more to come, when he and teammate Retshidisitswe Mlenga also made the 200m final. Having won the 100m gold, Tshenolo was favourite to win the 200m as well, but in spite of a blistering start, it was Retshidisitswe who took gold in 21.03, while Tshenolo posted a PB 21.12 for the silver. While slightky disappointed, Tshenolo was still thrilled that it gave the two South Africans a gold-silver double each.

Having moved from St Andrews in Bloemfontein to the Tuks Sport High School in 2016, Tshenolo’s solid relationship with specialist sprint Coach Thabo Mathebedi from the Grigora Training Group at Tuks could mean still bigger things for him in the sport, especially considering that he still played provincial hockey in 2015. He says he took time to adjust to the move, but it has been more than worth it. “Honestly, it wasn’t easy being in a hostel at first, because being away from home made it more difficult, but having great friends Gift Leotlela and Malisela Senona there made the shift easier. Also, I think my positive attitude played a major role in my success, and that’s the same attitude I approach training with.”

SOKWAKHANA ZAZINI
(Boys’ 400m Hurdles Gold)
Sokwakhana Zazini introduced himself to world athletics when he set a new World Best for u/18 400m hurdles in March this year, clocking 48.84 seconds. Since then, he has been simply untouchable. Given South Africa’s rich history in the single lap hurdles, added to his scintillating World Best, Soks went into the World Champs with high expectations on his shoulders, but none of that seemed to phase him in the slightest.

He cruised home in 49.27 to clinch the World Title, finishing a massive three seconds clear of the next athlete home! “Yes, I dominated the race, and that was great, but people will be wrong to think it came easy. I’ve been preparing really hard since last year, and going through the pain barrier was hectic,” he says about his gold medal performance.

Added to his 48.84 World Best, the Eastern Cape-born sprinter also boasts a 46.20 for 400m, making him one of world athletics’ rising stars. He attends the Tuks Sport High School in Pretoria and trains alongside experienced Olympic hurdlers LJ van Zyl and Wenda Nel, so no surprise that the soft-spoken World Champion is already looking ahead to making it on the senior stage: “My short-term goal is to win the IAAF World u/20 Championship title next year, and my long-term goal is to make the SA senior team in 2019, in the hopes of getting experience to take me to the top.”

ZENEY VAN DER WALT
(Girls’ 400m Hurdles Gold)
Ahead of the girls’ 400m hurdles final, many pundits were sure that the pre-race favourite, Jamaica’s Sanique Walker, would take the title, but that just took all the pressure off Zeney, the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool grade 11 scholar from Pretoria. “I was just focused on the plans coach Maritza Coetzee and I had made, and I knew I have a strong finish, so I remained 100% focused. I knew this would be the last race of an amazing season, and I knew I was 100% prepared,” she says.

Entering the home straight, Sanique had a five-metre gap over second-placed Zeney, but the South African says, “At the 300m mark, I saw I was second and that’s when I gave my best and ran my heart out.” When the Jamaican hit the last hurdle and stumbled, the South African was perfectly placed to grab the win in 58.24, out-dipping the Jamaican by a mere three-hundredths of a second for one of the biggest upsets of the championships. “After the race we had to wait to see the photo finish and as it turned out, it was gold for South Africa!” says an elated Zeney.

Discovering a love for running helped me to put my life back together again, and I just want to show my appreciation. – BY ERIC MCLAREN

I started running for the first time in my life in June 2015, at the ripe old age of 52. At the time my life had been turned completely upside down having discovered that my now ex-wife was cheating behind my back. I needed an outlet to clear my mind, so I decided to join the local Melkbos Athletic Club here in Cape Town, who welcomed me with open arms. The thought of getting fitter and healthier whilst losing weight and meeting new people at the same time appealed to me, although I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I formed an instant bond with some trail runners and at the time I wasn’t to know that trail would be the direction I would be heading.

My first outing was a 6km time trial. I put on an old pair of walking Asics, donned a pair of board shorts and a plain cotton T-shirt, and then I set off, pushing the jog as far as I could until the chest started burning. After that I walked a few, then ran a few, and so it went. Eventually I finished with a time just short of 40 minutes. It was slow, but I did it and I felt good. It wasn’t long and I had already shed 8kg in body weight. I was starting to feel better and my times improved gradually. A proud moment was when I went sub-40 for the first time on the longer 8km time trial.

LOVING THE TRAILS
That same year I did a number of Dirtopia trail events and the Spur Winter Trail Series, in which I came third in the Masters Division at the last event. Actually, two of the stronger competitors in my division stayed home that day which opened the door for me to get podium, albeit by default. Still, it was a good feeling, and also the time I started believing in myself. That same year I did the 15km Bastille Day Trail Run, the 24km Matroosberg Challenge (which nearly killed me), and the 20km Cape Town Ultra Trail, where I was second in the Masters.

In 2016 I decided to be more selective in which runs I did, so I entered both the Spur Summer and Winter Trail Series, the 25km Bastille Day and The Beast 32km on Table Mountain. My breakthrough came in September when I entered the three-day Oyster Catcher Trail Run, coming 10th overall on day two and finishing 17th overall for the event. I was on cloud nine, but it got better from there when I finished first in the Masters Division in the 35km Cape Town Ultra Trail in December. I had just recently moved from pancake-flat Melkbos to Somerset West, which has more hills than I know what do with, and having the Helderberg Nature Reserve on my doorstep was an absolute blessing for my training.

This year I completed the AfricanX three-day stage trail run. However, my choice of nutrition on day one almost forced me to quit, suffering severe nausea halfway through the stage. A visit to the medical facility afterwards, where a drip was inserted, had me feeling a whole lot better. A good night’s rest and I was good to go on days two and three, but throwing all my nutrition plans out the window and running solely on water in my hydration pack, and Coke and bananas at water points. It’s back to the drawing board in the nutrition department for me.

Then in June I took on my biggest test to date, the 65km Fish River Ultra Marathon trail run. Although I’d never done this kind of distance in a single day, I was excited, because since 2014 I’d hiked the canyon five times, including a trip just a few weeks before the race to take a good look at the water level and which line to take.

HARD TO BELIEVE
I sit back and think that two years ago I couldn’t even run three kilometres, and now I’m taking on challenges like this, and that’s hard to comprehend. There is no hidden talent, of that I can be sure of. I just start a run saying to myself, “Enjoy it in your own time, you’re not going to win, and take the result as it comes.” What I do know is that I run with a big heart and quitting is the furthest thing from my mind. But most importantly, running has not only given me a new lease on life, I also met my partner, Carine, at last year’s Spur Winter Series. She is my biggest prize of all… Thank you, running!

Running is a spiritual experience for me. It puts me into a meditative state while pushing my body to its limits – and trail running takes this concept to another level, where joy meets pain, and they combine to give you a feeling of bliss that no drug ever could. I’ve tried my fair share of artificial highs to be confident in stating that! – BY PJ MOSES

Maybe it is the altitude that helps, or the close proximity to nature, but the trails transport me back to an ancient past where we as a species were not just observers of nature, but active participants in its daily drama. We used to run to catch our food, to save ourselves from becoming a meal. It was natural, and it was part of our make-up as humans.

However, when we started making use of other animals as transport, we slowly lost our sense of joy at the thought of running. Now only a small percentage of humans run for fun, and even fewer brave the trails and deserts in search of that running high.

I discovered my love of running by accident, while searching for a distraction to help me combat the urges of giving up my 20-year smoking habit. The running bug bit, and I now find myself smiling at the idea of spending hours running and searching for my next adventure. Now I go out scrambling over rocks or hurtling down the side of a mountain, and escaping the matrix has become the new normal for me.

The exhilaration of summiting new mountain peaks unaided is the type of daring-do my life has been missing for too long. As I sit on a conquered peak and look out over the beauty of the world around me, I smile at the amazing blessing of this adventurous life, and I look forward to the next bold step toward an epic existence.

I hope the joy of running always makes me wake up with a smile, and lets me go to sleep with a peaceful heart at night. This is my daily prayer.

About the Author
PJ Moses is a former Cape Flats gangster who took up running when he turned his back on that dangerous lifestyle, in order to set a good example for his two young sons and make sure he would be there for them, instead of becoming just another crime statistic.