Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 104, March 2018 | Page 33

Couldn’t… Shouldn’t…
MULTISPORT

Did
Having recently finished her first Ironman 70.3 race in East
London, Rogeema Kenny has not just done something she once
thought she couldn’t do, she’s done something that many people
said she shouldn’t do. Fortunately, she didn’t listen to either
opinion! – BY PJ MOSES
R
ogeema Kenny does not like to be told that she can’t do something just because
she is a woman. “I hate that society has put limits on what is acceptable for women
and girls to do, or what to strive for. There should be no limitations for anyone, men
or women, we should all be able to do what we feel we are able to, as long as it does not
negatively impact anyone else’s life,” she says.
A qualified electrical engineer, she spent 10 years in the energy industry before changing to
management consulting, because it felt more in line with her personal ideology about being
a game-changer and a societal boundary shifter. And that is what she has become since
taking up running, and later triathlon, but it initially just started as a way to stay fit. “Early
on in my working life I started running with my sister, Fadeelah, to keep fit. However, I did
not feel any love toward running as a hobby. In fact, I found it tough going and extremely
uncomfortable, but what kept me going was this incredible sense of achievement after
every run. I pushed at the imaginary boundaries that surrounded me. This was the same
drive I felt when I achieved my Second Dan black belt in karate years before.”
As is the case with many runners who step up to the longer distances, Rogeema struggled
during her first marathon. “At my first marathon, the Peninsula, I wanted to do well, and
even though it felt great getting to the finish, I couldn’t break that magical five-hour mark.
I made myself a promise that I will train harder and return stronger.” Clearly the promise
worked, because later that same year she ran her second marathon and took more than an
hour off her previous time!
“With a qualification for the Two Oceans 56km in the bag, I jumped into my next challenge
of doing an ultra. I trained hard and successfully completed the Two Oceans, but still I
needed something more… and found something that was not expected as the logical next
step. My friend Jacques suggested I try my hand at triathlons, and I was intrigued, but also
very sceptical. This would be a major stepping stone into the unknown, because I could
not swim, and I definitely was not a cyclist!” Nevertheless, in May 2014, four years after
starting to run, Rogeema lined up with Jacques at the start of her first triathlon, an off-road
event in Durbanville.
DOUBLE CHALLENGE
Being a triathlon newcomer was hard enough, but being a devout Muslim woman made
things all the more challenging for Rogeema. “I spent over twenty minutes in transition
each time because I had to stay covered the best I could while readying myself for the next
stage of the race. I knew after the race that I was going to have to do a lot of research if I
wanted to make things easier for myself. There was nobody that I could ask for advice or
for guidance, because there were very few Muslim women doing triathlon back then, if
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