TRAIL RUNNING
Count Step Every Making
With camera in hand , Hassiem Fisher loves exploring the trails around Cape Town and revelling in the joy that running gives him , but it wasn ’ t so long ago that he was not able to run at all .
– BY PJ MOSES
Hassiem loved his running when he was growing up . As in , really loved it . “ I would easily run from our house in the Athlone area to Cape Town just for the fun of it ,” he says , followed by one of his trademark beaming smiles . But then the twinkle in his eye disappears momentarily as he recounts how severe asthma brought his running to an end just two years after he finished school . “ My running days seemed to be over and it depressed me ,” he admits .
As the years went by , the former high school track star had to be content with rather playing golf when he wasn ’ t throwing himself into his work . “ I became a bit of a workaholic , but that love of running was always there . My kids laughed at me in later years when I would hoot at runners in the road and cheer them on . I just missed being one of those people .” Then the twinkle returns to his eye as he tells how years later , he replaced his regular asthma medicine and suddenly found that he was able to run again . “ I was so happy to be running again that I used to take turns on all the treadmills at my gym , because you could only run on each one for twenty minutes at a time !”
In August 2014 he joined the Itheko AC running club , and with guidance from senior members like Farouk Meyer and Nezaam Mohammed , he threw himself back into the world of running with renewed gusto . “ By the end of 2015 I was determined to qualify for the Two Oceans and Comrades , which I did at the Winelands Marathon , after failing at the Cape Town Marathon . I was very fortunate that my wife Zubeida was very supportive and would accompany me to races and to training runs . Without her help I would not have been able to chase my running dreams . I also decided to run Oceans and Comrades in memory of my parents , because it was my Dad who told me that I could do these races one day when we watched it on the telly .”
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
With the two legendary ultras in the bag , Hassiem shifted his focus to trail after clubmates Ashraf and Roldah Orrie introduced him to off-road racing . “ I grew up
looking at that big mountain from the Cape Flats , and it was always a strange and almost scary place , but after giving trail a go at the Spur series , I didn ’ t hesitate to explore more .” That saw him turn 2017 into the year of ticking off one trail running bucket list item after another , including the three-day AfricanX Trailrun , the 50km Three Peaks Challenge , and the Ultra Trail Cape Town 65km . This year he has already added a second AfricanX medal , and one from the Bastille race in Franschhoek , and in August he ran more than half of the gruelling 80km PufFer while seconding his friend Ashraf Mallick .
He has also become quite adept at capturing all his adventures and sharing the pics on social media . “ When I was competing back in high school , there were no photographers to capture my triumphs , and I want to be the one now who does that for me , and for many others who share this joy of running with me . I find that social media is the perfect platform for sharing your running passion . It gives you the opportunity to show people that there is more to life than sitting on a couch , plus I get a chance to highlight the beauty of Cape Town .”
A REASON TO RUN
A deeply spiritual man , Hassiem tries to give back as much as he can to worthy causes and uses his running as a way to raise awareness and much-needed funds for charity initiatives like the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation . Recently he also signed on as a Running4Pads ambassador , to help supply sanitary pads to underprivileged schoolgirls . “ As a family man , it is important to get involved in issues that affect society , and not just focus on your own life . Our ability to run and our health is bestowed on us by the grace of the Creator , so using these blessings to do some good is the least I can do .”
He also says that the running community has become a big part of his life and he loves being surrounded by so many people who add value to it . “ We all have a reason why we started running , but for many other people it is easier to make an excuse and not even try . My advice is to go and join a club or a training group today , and overcome that fear of change , because running will take you to a happy place , and make you a more balanced person capable of doing amazing things . My belief is that you must live for today , because ‘ Yesterday is history and tomorrow is somebody else ’ s worry .’
Images : Hassiem Fisher
26 ISSUE 110 SEPTEMBER 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za