Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 117, April 2019 | Page 23

ROAD RUNNING
MY
STORY
My Dad is My Hero!
Lylanie Berg tells us the inspirational story of her dad, Chris Mienie’s late start
in running and brave, ongoing attempt to conquer the Comrades Up Run.
S
ince I can remember, my dad and I woke up
early to watch Comrades each year. It was
also a dream of mine to run the Ultimate
Human Race, and while my dad always encouraged
me, he had never planned to run it himself. In 2011, I
attempted my first Comrades, and I got so emotional
every time I crossed over one of the timing mats,
because I knew my dad would get an SMS. Crossing
that finish line, the relief of finishing was amazing, but
I knew my dad was still stressing in front of the TV as
he waited for the official result to come in! That finish put new life into my dad, and following our
heroic finish, he started training properly, just going
from strength to strength. I had never thought my dad
would be a runner, because he had a knee injury from
rugby in his younger days, and was overweight, but
it seems running was motivating him like nothing else
had. He was running every opportunity he got, and
said he was feeling really inspired for what seemed
the first time in his life. He also said he wanted to take
his running to the next level.
The following year, when I took on my first Two
Oceans Ultra, my dad was there to support me. It was
the year the heavens opened, and by the time I got to
him in Hout Bay, he was soaking wet and freezing, but
so excited by what he had seen. That was the day his
life changed, and his running journey started. So in 2016, at the age of 60, Dad completed his
first Comrades Marathon, on the Down Run from
Pietermaritzburg to Durban. I have never been so
proud of him, because in just three years he had
accomplished something many runners only dream
of doing. But my dad is not one to do things in
half measures, and so in 2017, he did what every
Comrades finisher dreams of doing, once they have
forgotten the pain of what they put themselves
through… he attempted his Back-to-Back Comrades.
Pushing the Limits
In 2013, after five years of walking and weighing in
at 126 kilograms, my dad attempted his first half
marathon at the Two Oceans. With 7km to go, however,
his knees were in serious pain, and the downhill of the
Green Mile on Rhodes Drive was killing him. He wanted
to give up, but we were so close to the finish, and with
my hand on his back we pushed on.
I wasn’t sure if I would make through the last 2km. It
was uphill, and pushing him took everything I had – he
would literally come to a stop if I took my hand off
his back. But when we hit the UCT sports grounds,
the crowd was screaming, “Push him, push him!” I
had been under the impression that we had already
missed the cut-off, but there was still time, so we
pushed. When we crossed that finish line, it was one
of the most memorable moments of my life, my Dad
and I finishing his first 21km together!
Comrades Debut
Coming Back!
But there was unfinished business: My Dad still
wanted his Up Run medal! After taking a month off,
he was back on the road, and Comrades was back
on the radar. His life was eat, sleep, run, and repeat.
However, in November last year, he had to have
an arthroscopy done on his left knee, with a partial
debridement meniscectomy, following which he was
told he would not be able to run for three months. He
was devastated, because this once again seemed to
take away his dream of finishing the Up Run, but he still
believes he can do it… it just might not be this year.
Since his enforced rest and recovery, Dad has
completed three half marathons and is back to running
at every opportunity! He is still determined to beat
the Up Run, and I know that he is going to give it his
best shot! He is my hero, and I know he is capable of
doing anything he puts his mind to, so Up Run, we’re
coming for you!
Being in the best shape of his life and running his
best ever times, I was sure he would do it, but things
don’t always go to plan. With 25km to go, he cramped
so badly and simply couldn’t go on. While I was
heartbroken for him, the disappointment he felt was
so big that I was worried he would never run again.
So, right there and then, I promised him we would run
Comrades together in 2018.
The following year I kept my promise, and my
Dad, myself and my husband all ran together from
Pietermaritzburg to Durban. It was such a special day,
and such a moment to run Comrades with my dad
after all those years of watching the race together. It
really brought our story full circle.
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