ROAD RUNNING
Travis and his family after finishing the Comrades in 9:58
admits that he still can ’ t quite believe what happened in those six months , but he knows it had a lot do with him being a runner before the accident . “ Running taught me patience , perseverance and discipline , and also to enjoy simple things , like being able to move . I ’ m actually more active now , and more appreciative , than I was before the accident . My life has changed in a positive way thanks to running , and I ’ m living a healthier lifestyle now .”
Doing the Long Runs
After Karkloof , Travis took on several more longdistance trail races , building up to the Ultra-Trail Drakensberg ( UTD ) 100-miler in April 2022 , just over a year after his amputation , but that one didn ’ t go as smoothly . “ I got to 138 kilometres , but then had to pull out because of severe blistering on the bottom of my stump . I also missed the 60-kilometre cut-off in Hout Bay of that year ’ s Ultra-Trail Cape Town . The next year I got to 120 kays at UTD , and had to pull out again , so I really want to go back , but this year I decided to give it a bit of a break , and entered Comrades instead . I just felt like I needed to change my training up a bit , and having grown up in Pietermaritzburg , I ’ ve supported the Comrades my whole life ,” says Travis .
He goes on to say that Comrades was a tough and emotional experience , with the heat and humidity really affecting him . “ I had to take my leg off several times , and every time the 10-hour bus would pass me . It was such a big bus , and getting past it again was hard , so I would try to get as far ahead as I could before my next stop . The whole way up Polly Shortts I could hear that bus coming , and I was just fighting myself mentally to keep going , but then I hit the wall and the bus passed me again about two kays from the finish . I really wanted to beat that bus , so I smashed the last kay , which was my fastest of the race , and came in ahead of the bus in 9:58 ”
A sub-10 at Comrades is a time that many twolegged runners would be happy with , but Travis is actually a bit disappointed with his time . “ I wasn ’ t that impressed with my time , because I was slowed down by all the stops for my leg , and my sister Laurie ’ Ann ’ s time from 2016 beat me by about 15 minutes . So , it looks like I ’ m going to have to go back and beat her time next year , and get my Back-to-Back medal ,” he says with a little chuckle .
Interestingly , Travis says that he actually finds road running easier , but also more painful . “ Trail running is quite difficult on the prosthetic leg , on uneven surfaces , and not having an ankle joint throws the forces up through the knee and the hip . I found that on the road , it actually hurt my body a hell of a lot more , as I felt the impact a lot more on my hips and my knees , but once I got used to it , and got into the flow of it , road running is actually a lot easier for me . Also , I get a lot more energy return from the blade , so I can run a lot faster . I never thought I ’ d say it , but I really enjoy the road running . That sense of floating is a good feeling .”
Adventure in the Alps
After Comrades , Travis took some time off to get married to Tyler and they then went on honeymoon , but soon as he was back , he had to focus on training again , as he had accepted an invite to go to France for the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc ( UTMB ) 55-miler . “ I got in because this was the first year that they introduced an inclusive category for people with disabilities , allowing us to run with a support runner , and we were there to prove that people with disabilities can run these big races . There have been people that have done it in the past , but I think they wanted to focus on the media coverage and get it across to a lot more people with disabilities , to show them that it ’ s possible ,” says Travis .
That saw Travis invite his biokineticist of the past 15 years , Bryce Jackson , to run the race with him . “ Back in my motorbiking days , when I blew my knees out and broke my wrists and all of that , Bryce used to rehabilitate me , and in recent years he ’ s been seconding me at all the big races , so when I got the call from UTMB and they said I had an entry for someone else , I asked him to come with me . I think he had done a road marathon before , but nothing like
Travis and Bryce Jackson during the UTMB 55km in France
Giving his stump a break during the UTMB run
this . Fortunately , he is very strong , and he actually pulled me through most of the race ,” he says .
“ It was a crazy week in Chamonix with all the disabled athletes and support runners of Team Adaptive , and we were super busy that whole week with media interviews , so we didn ’ t really get much chance to rest before the race . I think I picked up a bug the night before the race , and I was extremely sick the next day – from about 10 kilometres in , I was unable to take in any fluids or eat anything . I was just throwing up the whole way , so it was probably the toughest race I ’ ve had . I just had absolutely no energy , and those crazy mountains just kept going up . Even the downhills were tough – one long one took us two-and-a-half hours !”
However , Travis determinedly adds that there was no way he was going to quit . “ The UTMB start is crazy , with people lining the streets of Chamonix , and there are thousands more along the way , ringing bells , and you know , that just pulls you along , drawing you to the finish . The energy that you feel from everyone is incredible , and it kept me going . And to be honest , it was also because my whole trip was paid for , so I thought I couldn ’ t pull out at 10 kilometres after going all that way to France !”
Providing Mobility
After losing his foot , one of the things that Travis quickly became aware of was the huge costs associated with prosthetic limbs and mobility aids , and this spurred him on to start Rejuvenate South Africa . This non-profit foundation works to provide people with the means to become mobile again , and give them a better chance of success in life , including being able to work for a living . “ We ’ re just trying to raise as much awareness , and as much funds as we can , to help all the people that being brought to us , or are now starting to actually approach me for help ,” says Travis .
“ For example , we ’ ll visit a rural location and a local community worker will point us in the direction of someone needing help , and we ’ ll go meet them , and then help them . Then the following week , that community worker will pop me a message and say , Trav , we ’ ve got five more people that saw what you did , and they ’ re also looking for help . So , that ’ s pretty much what I ’ m doing full time now , to provide people with mobility aids such as crutches , walkers , wheelchairs , electric wheelchairs and prosthetics .”
Travis and Bryce soak in the UTMB finish vibe
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