Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 103, February 2018 | Page 21
TRAIL RUNNING
STANDING
ON
Mountains
Coming back to Cape Town was the spark his new
active lifestyle needed, and with the help of friends
and family he discovered a newfound love of being
outside. He left the couch behind for good, braving
his first trail race in 2014 at the Mont Rochelle race
in Franschhoek. That 8km race proved to be a life-
altering event for him. “The mountain doesn’t lie, it
shows you the truth of who you are. I thought I was
finally fit again, until I did that trail race. It humbled
me, but inspired and motivated me at the same time.”
Fareed’s daughter Rahma also helps to keep him
grounded and focused on what is good in his life. She
loves the mountain as much as her Daddy and often
joins him on hikes in Newlands Forest, where she
jumps over rocks and goes full tilt downhill. “When
I was 10 years old a family friend introduced us to
the mountain by organising hikes, and now when I’m
running and exploring the mountain trails, I think back
with a grateful heart to the memory of Uncle Kevin. We
really are the sum of our experiences and of the people
we meet. I want Rahma to keep enjoying the trails and
live as free as possible. I want that for everybody. My
life has improved since I started trail running, and I
enjoy seeing people from different walks of life going
out there and enjoying similar experiences.”
Trail runner and blogger Fareed Behardien use his Leave The Couch blogs and
Leave The Couch Together Trail Runs to inspire people to get up and let that bum-
print on the couch fill back up, and help them to develop a new love of nature and
adventure. – BY PJ MOSES
F
areed Behardien is an adventurous soul who
loves playing outside. His blogs about his trail
escapades won him the coveted SA Blogger of
the Year Award in 2016, and he followed this up by
also making a splash in the world of film, when his
collaboration with young filmmaker Ziyaad Solomon,
to produce the short film Mowbray to Mowbray ridge,
won the Cape Union Mart Adventure Video Contest in
the same year.
Things were falling into place, but life often tests us
when we least expect it, and so 2017 proved a tough
year for Fareed on a personal level. He says he lost
some of his mojo as a result, but hitting the trails got
him back on track. “The mountain helped put everything
into perspective for me. I’ve learned many lessons from
running trails and exploring life outside, and that helped
me through a very difficult year. I kept telling myself, no
matter how tough life seems in the dark moments, I will
get through it. This is what all runners learn, especially
trail runners, and can use in their daily lives.”
RUNNING DISCOVERED
Fareed wasn’t always the get-up-and-go outside type,
admitting to being more of a ‘mathlete’ than athlete at
school. He ran cross country for fun and played rugby,
but never really had the skill or the desire to push for
a first team place. He did enough just to be active
and enjoy the vibe around the team. “I then went to
UCT and gymmed to stay in shape, but it was more
a matter of bicep curls to interest the girls,” he jokes.
After varsity he left Cape Town for Johannesburg to
focus on his career, and there he started playing rugby
again, supplementing his rugby training with some
running. This was not easy for a 100kg man, though,
and during his first attempt at a 10km race he says he
“hit the wall spectacularly” at the 6km mark, but still
managed to finish after a long 4km walk!
NEW MOUNTAINS TO CLIMB
Even though Fareed has successfully completed quite
a few trail ultras over the last few years, with two Ultra
Trail Cape Town and two Bat Run finishes under his
belt, this year he has his eyes on a still more goals.
“I have decided to finally take on my first road ultra
at Two Oceans, even though it is so far out of my
comfort zone that I really have no idea what to expect.
I have never spent that long on the road before. I think
the vibe is something I am most looking forward to,
the long tar uphills not so much.”
“I’ve learnt to accept the struggle as part of the
journey and that you must embrace the struggle to
enjoy the stoke. Trail is not just the great leveler, but
also a fantastic teacher, and it shows you that even
though it may be tough sometimes, you have it inside
of you to get through it. I don’t think you can be
arrogant as a trail runner, unless you are a fool. The
mountain can be a dangerous place and you need to
respect it. As Ryan Sandes says, you never conquer
a mountain, it just allows you to stand on it, and this
helps me to remember how blessed I am to live this
wonderful life.”
Fareed with one of his Leave
The Couch Together run groups
You can read Fareed’s blogs at
http://leavethecouch.com
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