Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 114, January 2019 | Page 31

ROAD RUNNING athletes try to chalk up 1000km or more in race mileage in a year. In the 2017-2018 year he earned a bronze medal for covering 1000km, and at the time of writing in late December, he had already chalked up 955km, and he is aiming to get to 1609km by June in order to earn a silver medal in the 2018-2019 Challenge. NEW RUNNING WORLD Currently weighing in at 137kg, Willie has now done 130-plus races since starting his amazing journey to health and transformation, including 18 half marathons and the tough John Korasie 30km in Simon’s Town in August. Now he says the longer distances are calling his name. “My next big target race is the 2019 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, which will be by far the longest distance I have done. It is a daunting task, but I will have six and a half hours to finish the marathon, and I am looking forward to this new challenge. If everything goes as planned, then I will definitely also be looking at a Comrades Marathon in 2021. Running has opened new worlds to me, and my faith and commitment will help me see it through.” It’s this never-back-down attitude that has made Willie such a popular figure in the Cape running community. “People come up to me and tell me that I inspire them, and that seeing me do what I do motivates them to try make changes in their own lives. It is still hard to convince some people to start running, though, because they think I am crazy to run so much, but I love it. I was warned to be careful that the running bug will bite – or in my case running-walking bug – and I didn’t believe them, but it bit me hard, and I am addicted to the life now.” more, and I think that if it did not hit me when it did, then I would still have been the overweight guy that I was, breaking the scale at 215kg. People need to take better care of themselves, and that’s why I tell them that running will change their lives for the better!” All smiles on the run “I used to just sit in my truck at work, and when I came home after work, I would just sit and do puzzles the whole time. Now I start my day with a 2km in the morning, and a 5km while my truck is being loaded. I run races whenever there is one available, and if there is no race on a weekend, then I will do the parkrun. It was very hard to get going with this new active life, but it has been worth it, because being overweight is no fun, and it is very unhealthy. If I could start my life over again, then I would run from birth. I would definitely not smoke, drink or do the other silly things that I did. I would rather go look for running shoes!” THE RIGHT TIME Fortunately, Willie’s cancer is now in remission – with his weight down he could undergo the treatment, and he will go for his next check-up towards the middle of the year – but he says the diagnosis was actually a good thing. “The cancer was a wake-up and all part of a bigger picture. It made me appreciate my life JB TRAIN TOURS ‘Argus’, ‘Argus’, Two Two Oceans Oceans & & Comrades Comrades Train Train Tour Tour Packages Packages Comrades Marathon Two Oceans Marathon Cape Town Cycle Tour Train tour package: Flight tour package: 17 – 22 April 2019 (Six days) Wednesday – Monday 18 – 21 April 2019 (Four days) Thursday - Sunday 5 – 9 March 2020 (Five days) Thursday evening – Monday night R3350 per person R6300 per person R6900 per person R4900 per person Click here for full details & Booking Form Click here for full details & Booking Form Click here for full details & Booking Form Click here for full details & Booking Form 7 – 10 June 2019 (Four days) Friday evening – Monday morning Looking forward to welcoming you on board. www.jbtours.co.za | Mail [email protected] 31 Tel [phone] | WhatsApp [phone]