TRAIL RUNNING
ONE MORE TIME
Seven years after running her first three-day AfricanX Trailrun at the age of 67 , evergreen Marianne Nelson returned in 2018 to give the race another go , and by the end of the event she had once again captivated the hearts of all who were there . – BY SEAN FALCONER
Images : Marlene Nel & Tobias Ginsberg
A tradition at the AfricanX Trailrun presented by Asics is the annual awarding of the Sanet Wentzel Spirit Trophy , presented to a runner or team that embodies the best spirit in the event . In 2011 , it was awarded to best friends Marianne Nelson and Cathy Taylor , who had taken on the gruelling event aged 66 and 67 , in spite of never having done any technical trail running before , let alone a three-day stage race ! Undaunted , Team Grannies not only coped with the tough trails , but finished each stage with beaming smiles , no matter how long they had been out there , and they received a standing ovation when they received the trophy . That ’ s when their fellow runners heard the real inspiration for their run : Tragically , both had lost a son in a car accident , and they had decided to run AfricanX in memory of their loved ones .
Fast-forward to 2018 and Cathy is unfortunately no longer able to run trails following a broken ankle , but Marianne is still lining up most weekends for shorter trail races all around the greater Cape Town area . “ Naturally , that first AfricanX remains one of the highlights of my running career , and it triggered me to really get into trail running ,” says Marianne . “ After my son ’ s death , I wanted to get away from the competitiveness of road running , and I realised out in nature there is a more relaxed atmosphere . Also , the Western Cape really has some stunning trails , and every run is a highlight for me .”
PLAY IT AGAIN
And so , with her 75 th birthday coming up in December and her eyesight deteriorating – she now prefers to run just behind somebody that can guide her through the technical sections – Marianne decided this would be the last year she could attempt the AfricanX again . “ Year after year Cathy and I had said we wanted to do it again , but she unfortunately couldn ’ t , so I asked my friend Marlene Nel if she would run with me .” Entered as Team The Young and the Restlezz , they ran virtually every trail race on the calendar in the build-up to AfricanX , sometimes even two on a weekend , but Marianne admits they were still a bit worried about intermediate cut-off times for the various stages .
“ I was worried that we wouldn ’ t make it , but in the end we actually ran quite comfortably . I think it was just so wonderful that a young woman like Marlene would be willing to run with me all that way , and the support from all the other runners was incredible . Every moment was precious , a wonderful experience , but best of all was coming in to finish day two and seeing Cathy waiting for me , and then having my husband Alan as well as my daughter and daughter-in-law waiting for me on day three . To be welcomed home by so many people who had shared this dream was a marvellous surprise , and I was just so full of emotion at realising I had done what I had dreamt of for so long .”
RUNNING BACK TO HEALTH
Remarkably , there is another aspect to this story . What nobody knew back in 2011 when the Grannies won the trophy was that both had only taken up walking in their mid-50s to combat serious medical conditions . Marianne had been diagnosed with severe osteoporosis in her back and feet , while Cathy had severe osteoarthritis , and the two met when they both joined Run / Walk for Life in Durbanville , under doctor ’ s orders to begin walking to strengthen their bones . Running was strictly forbidden !
The two became inseparable friends and quickly progressed from social walking to competitive race walking up to 20km on the road and 10,000m on the track , and by 2009 both had been awarded national Masters colours . They also began running , earning provincial colours in road and cross-country , and Marianne went on to run the Comrades twice , at age 60 / 61 , with her late son , Lafras . “ I never knew I would be able to do something like that , but thankfully they had extended the cut-off to 12 hours , otherwise I would never even have gone .”
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
As an incredible sidenote to this year ’ s AfricanX , Marianne and Marlene were training in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve near Stellenbosch earlier this year , when they ran into a group of men also checking out the AfricanX route . One of these elites took one look at Marianne and shouted out , “ Granny !” That was Bernard Rukadza , who went on to win the AfricanX for the third time this year – he still remembered her from that 2011 race , and that shows just how much Marianne inspires those around her . Typically , her humble response to that is , “ I ’ m just happy doing nice trail runs each weekend . My bone density is now up around 80 %, and I want to show people that age is a state of mind , that if you put your mind to something , you can do anything !”
27