Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 113, December 2018 | Page 15

Xolani is often
surrounded by
supportive runners
felt drawn to him and decided to help him,” says Hein. He decided to ‘adopt’
Xolani, took him off the streets and found him accommodation in Mamelodi,
and helped to find him employment.
PJ’S PIECE
By PJ Moses
PREPARE YOUR
BATTLE PLAN
That first meeting has resulted in a deep friendship, and a much better life for
Xolani, who is now regularly asked to tell his story as a motivational speaker and
anti-drugs campaigner. Thanks to Hein’s influence, he also took up running two
years ago, and has already made remarkable progress, having moved up from
short distances all the way to the Comrades. A well-known figure at Pretoria
races, he is always surrounded by runners who want to accompany him, and he
gets the loudest cheer when he crosses the finish line of a race, irrespective of
how long it takes him.
A
s we head to the end
of the year, we have to
celebrate what has gone
by, but we also need to look
forward to what is ahead of us.
Are you getting ready for new
challenges? Are you planning
your revenge on a race that
you just couldn’t get the better
of in 2018? Or are you just
looking forward to the upcoming
December holidays and not
worrying too much about 2019?
If that’s your vibe, then I say cool,
enjoy the break, but if you are
like me and chomping at the bit
to get stuck into new goals and
new targets for the upcoming 12
months, then make that coffee
and start planning for the battles
ahead.
Next Big Challenge
This year, Xolani conquered the Big 5 hills of the Comrades, and literally climbed
the mountain at the Voet, but now he has his sights set on another mountain
altogether: He has decided to tackle the IRONMAN in Port Elizabeth next April,
and will also take on the 70.3 IRONMAN in East London in January as a ‘warm-up’
for the big one, just to get the feel of it all.
The IRONMAN is a massive challenge, and even a super-fit, experienced
multisport endurance athlete cannot take the challenge lightly of a 3.8km open
sea swim, 180km on the bike and then a standard marathon run of 42.2km. Now
imagine doing that with only one leg! And there’s another huge challenge: Xolani
hasn’t really swum before, so now he is busy learning to swim in the pool, and
still has to brave the open waters. And he has already found out how only having
one leg affects his buoyancy, but as always, it’s no mountain too high.
“We are looking at getting him a prosthetic for the swim leg, just to help with
the buoyancy. Right now he keeps dipping to the left because there is no
counterweight to his left leg,” says Hein. “We will need to see what we can use
without infringing on any rules, where it might be felt he could be aided, so we
can’t have the bottom of the prosthetic shaped as a flipper, for example, but
we are looking at what we can do. It is ultimately to help him with buoyancy.”
As Wrestler The Rock says, “It
doesn’t matter…” if we didn’t
achieve all our goals for this past year. What’s done is done, and we move along.
All we really need to reflect on now is that we are still blessed with life and the
opportunity to make things happen. In our own lives, and the lives of others. Your
achievements inspire more people than you’ll ever know, and your dedication
motivates loved ones, friends, colleagues and strangers alike to try different things
in their own lives.
A few More Obstacles
“Still, I have no doubt Xolani will make the cycle and run legs. He already
cycled for three hours on the indoor trainer, using only his left leg so there was
no pressure on the stump. After decades of using only one leg, that one leg is
incredibly strong, as is his upper body, spending all that time on crutches. The
downside is that his back gets pulled to one side, and that has been going on
for years. Fortunately, after Comrades a physiotherapist offered her services to
treat him, and she spent weeks on his back. The improvement is dramatic, and
we are immensely grateful. Now we will see what he can do at IRONMAN!”
But in order for us to move forward we need to have some idea of where we want
to go. At least, that is what I need… so my usual approach to November is setting
out a path to my preferred destination. Mandy used to think I was crazy planning
so far ahead but she has since done the same and now we‘re both crazy.
Ok, so the swim bit may be ‘sorted,’ but what about the bike leg? After all,
it’s still 180km on a tough route, with one leg, but Hein says they’ve thought
about that, too. “We are also looking at a prosthetic for the cycle leg. His ‘foot’
will have a cleat on it. He generates most of his power off the left leg, anyway,
probably around 80 to 90%, but he still needs the prosthetic for balance. But we
have a bigger problem... Xolani recently had an operation on his stump, where
they shortened the bone and pulled the muscle over it and attached the muscle
to the bone. He is not allowed to put any pressure on the stump for six weeks,
so by the time he can cycle properly, it will be just six weeks to the 70.3 in
January – and we know the bike leg in East London is notoriously tough.”
Now don’t just go add more events to your calendar. In fact, I suggest scaling
down instead. Find a balance between chasing your dreams and living your life.
Make time for rest, relaxation and quiet moments. I may admire The Rock, but few
have his energy levels. We all need to do the journey at our own pace. So put in
those training sessions, but don’t overdo the mileage. Quality over quantity.
Have a blessed end of the year and remember to always be epic, and safe. I hope
to see you all fresh and hungry when 2019 comes around.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: PJ is a former Cape Flats gangster who took up
running, and writing about it, when he turned his back on that dangerous
lifestyle in order to set a better example for his two young sons.
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