ROAD RUNNING
A serious motorbiking accident in 2020 resulted in Travis Warwick- Oliver ’ s right foot being amputated in early 2021 , but within months he was not just walking again , he was tackling ultra-distance trail races . This year , he not only ran the Comrades Marathon for the first time and went to France to be part of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc , but also tackled the New York Marathon , and his big motivation in his running is to help others with disabilities . – BY SEAN FALCONER
International travelling is not easy for Travis Warwick-Oliver . Due to his prosthetic leg – he is a below-the-knee amputee – the 31-year-old Hilton resident ( in KwaZulu-Natal ) is stopped at nearly every security checkpoint when he goes through a metal detector . “ I always battle to get through security , especially at Dubai , and they make me sit there with one leg while they take my leg to be scanned ,” he explains . However , this November , he was able to grin and bear it , thanks to his excitement about being on his way to the USA for the first time , to run the TCS New York Marathon , thanks to his shoe and apparel sponsor , New Balance .
“ Then we got to America , and as we drove into the city from JFK Airport , I saw those massive skyscrapers up close for the first time , and you know , your neck actually gets sore from looking up so much . I stood there , thinking how is this even possible ? How can you have so many buildings that are hundreds of metres tall ? And then we went to Times Square ,
New York , New York !
Travis Warwick-Oliver on his way to a 3:28 finish in the 2024 TCS New York Marathon
because that ’ s where we were staying , and it was just so loud , and big , and energetic , and chaos .”
Travis travelled to the USA with Angie Austin , Marketing Manager of New Balance South Africa , as well as Nobukhosi Tshuma , the South African-based Zimbabwean ultra-athlete who placed fifth woman in the Comrades Marathon this year , who is also sponsored by New Balance . The two athletes were due to run the marathon a few days later , but first , Travis was determined to soak up as much of the experience as he could . “ They sell those crazy big slices of pizza there , and those massive pretzels , and it was all just so awesome !” he says .
“ Also , travelling with Nobukosi and Angie was great , and I had a few of my South African friends who came along , and for the first few days we did some sightseeing , then visited the race ’ s New Balance New York City Marathon Expo , which was absolutely insane ! I ’ ve never seen something so big put together
Receiving his new SC plated shoes from New Balance
in my life . I mean , they literally used an entire building for the Expo . And the people were going wild . The Americans are so energetic and passionate about things , and everyone in the city was just super-pro the New York City Marathon .”
Well Looked After
Having only started running seriously a few months after a serious motorbike accident in early 2020 that resulted in the amputation of his lower right leg , Travis surprisingly threw himself straight into ultra-distance trail running as soon as he was mobile again , but in recent months he has shifted focus to the road . In June this year he ran the Comrades Marathon for the first time , and then grabbed the opportunity offered to him by New Balance to run New York , which would be just his fourth road marathon .
As a runner with a prosthetic leg , Travis says he normally gets a bit more attention at races , but New York was a whole different story . “ I didn ’ t realise how many people with disabilities actually enter these big races , and they sectioned off a whole area for athletes with disabilities . I think there were probably about 200 people in there , ranging from people in hand cycles and wheelchairs , to people who are blind or deaf , and all the amputees . It was refreshing to see this , because in South Africa , I ’ m often the only person in a race running with a disability ... and it was actually quite nice not being the centre of attention , like when I ran Comrades and everybody was screaming my name and knew who I was . I must admit , I felt a lot of pressure at Comrades , but New York was more far more relaxed . On the other hand , a lot of people went crazy when they saw my South African flag ,” he says .
One of the things that impressed Travis most was the high standards of the event . In fact , he goes so far as to describe it as the best organised event he has ever been to in his life . “ The race is crazy , with 55,000 people , and everyone catches a bus to the start , but the vibe is just amazing , and the hospitality while you wait is great . It ’ s all so well organised , and they treat the people with disabilities very well . That included allowing us to start in the first wave , which meant we didn ’ t have to wait too long with our prosthetics on , or in the racing wheelchairs ,” he says .
“ It was a bit scary at the start , because you ’ re
Images : Courtesy Travis Warwick-Oliver
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